A Card-Based Design Tool for Creating User-Friendly AI Explanations

What is it about?

This paper introduces the AI-DEC, a card-based tool designed to help people (e.g., novices or domain experts) create better explanations for how AI systems work. The tool uses a deck of cards to guide users through designing explanations that are clear, helpful, and tailored to their needs. These cards provide structured guidance on four key aspects for explanation design: what information to include, how to present it (like using visuals or plain language), when to provide it, and how interactive it should be. The researchers tested the tool with workers in healthcare, finance, and management—fields that rely on AI to assist in decision-making. They found that AI-DEC helped users design explanations that fit their unique workplaces, such as helping doctors interpret medical data, explaining loan approvals to customers, or managing employee schedules more effectively. Overall, the paper shows how tools like AI-DEC can involve everyday users in the design process, making AI systems easier to understand, more practical, and better aligned with real-world needs, fostering trust and usability across different settings.

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Photo by Amélie Mourichon on Unsplash

Photo by Amélie Mourichon on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This work tackles a growing challenge in AI: making complex systems easier for people to understand and use. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday workplaces—like healthcare, finance, and management—users often struggle to trust or effectively interact with these systems due to confusing or insufficient explanations. Many existing AI tools fail to meet real-world needs, leading to frustration, errors, and missed opportunities for better decision-making. The AI-DEC puts the power of designing AI explanations directly in the hands of end-users. Unlike traditional design approaches, which often exclude non-technical users, AI-DEC uses a simple, card-based method that guides people through creating tailored explanations for their specific needs. It empowers users to co-create solutions, making AI systems more transparent, understandable, and aligned with their work. This research is timely as AI adoption is rapidly expanding, and user trust and accessibility are critical for successful implementation. By involving users in the design process, AI-DEC could make a significant difference in improving how people interact with AI, leading to more efficient workflows, better decision-making, and greater acceptance of these systems across industries. This approach highlights the importance of human-centered design in shaping the future of AI, making it both practical and impactful for a broad audience.