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Criteria Sliders

Application

Problem:

The system makes predictions or recommendations for the user, based on their previous behaviour. The user wants to influence those recommendations through some explicit input. 

A screenshot of a slider from Fontjoy, sliding between "More contrast" and "More similarity".
Sliders such as this example from Fontjoy are a quick and intuitive way for users to express their preferences to the system.

Solution:

The system provides a set of criteria sliders that can apply weighting to the underlying variables, or otherwise tweak them, in such a way that the user can guide the calculation towards preferred outcomes. 

Discussion:

How much control should the user have over AI predictions? On the one hand, the algorithm may actually be better at anticipating the user's needs than the user themselves and any user input is unnecessary or detrimental for accuracy. On the other hand, if the system is completely autonomous, then the user may feel disempowered and react negatively. And this will vary among users— some will be inclined to be very hands-on and enjoy the sense of control, while others may prefer to put minimal effort into the interaction and trust in the right outcome.