Can't agree more as a product designer. Visibility of system status is one the UI heuristics (by Jacob Nielson) which states that design should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time.
Predictable interactions and continuous communication are key to fostering trust in product and brand.
I love seeing your sketches! Plot twist: what if showing the work actually decreases trust? If I see the AI considered 47 wrong paths before the answer, do I trust it more… or wonder why it was so confused? I’d be rooting for honest and explainable reasoning that doesn’t make it look incompetent.
Brilliant breakdown, Aparna! You've perfectly captured how "showing your work" has evolved across computing eras. The Uber example is a perfect case study—by showing driver location and estimated arrival times, they tapped into our psychological need for operational transparency to build trust (what behavioral economists call the "labor illusion"—we value work more when we can see the effort being expended). What's fascinating about the AI era is how these visibility principles unlock benefits beyond just trust-building. When an AI shows "analyzed 15 research papers → identified 3 key patterns → cross-referenced with recent studies," it's simultaneously reducing perceived latency (that 30-second wait feels productive, not idle), externalizing the mental checklist (users see thoroughness they might not have thought to request), and increasing processing fluency by making the reasoning path transparent. This transforms AI from a black box into a visible thinking partner, where operational transparency becomes a feature that enhances the entire user experience.
I am a big fan of Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam. I love the charts in your texts; they make me want more.
I am really enjoying your posts!
Can't agree more as a product designer. Visibility of system status is one the UI heuristics (by Jacob Nielson) which states that design should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time.
Predictable interactions and continuous communication are key to fostering trust in product and brand.
I love seeing your sketches! Plot twist: what if showing the work actually decreases trust? If I see the AI considered 47 wrong paths before the answer, do I trust it more… or wonder why it was so confused? I’d be rooting for honest and explainable reasoning that doesn’t make it look incompetent.
Brilliant breakdown, Aparna! You've perfectly captured how "showing your work" has evolved across computing eras. The Uber example is a perfect case study—by showing driver location and estimated arrival times, they tapped into our psychological need for operational transparency to build trust (what behavioral economists call the "labor illusion"—we value work more when we can see the effort being expended). What's fascinating about the AI era is how these visibility principles unlock benefits beyond just trust-building. When an AI shows "analyzed 15 research papers → identified 3 key patterns → cross-referenced with recent studies," it's simultaneously reducing perceived latency (that 30-second wait feels productive, not idle), externalizing the mental checklist (users see thoroughness they might not have thought to request), and increasing processing fluency by making the reasoning path transparent. This transforms AI from a black box into a visible thinking partner, where operational transparency becomes a feature that enhances the entire user experience.