Steering, Critiquing, Editing paradigm: a framework for user guidance in mixed initiative planning systems

We describe the Steering, Critiquing, Editing paradigm, a framework which summarizes and unifies several broadly applicable human-computer guidance paradigms commonly used in many mixed-initiative planning and design problems. Mixed initiative systems, if designed well, can offer the convenience, speed and systematic thoroughness of computers, while preserving the flexibility and adaptability of humans. However, in designing such systems, there are many questions to be considered in terms of when and how user guidance (or automation) should be offered. For example, should the user's guidance be offered before a plan is generated, during, or after? By what mechanism(s) should user's guidance be communicated? Through interaction with an automated planner? With a critic? Or with an editing tool that can be used to "tweak" the computer's solution? The goal of this work is not only to describe a selected set of common human-computer guidance structures which we have observed, but also to provide designers with a framework that helps them to more thoroughly consider additional points at which user guidance and automation might be used, and additional ways of providing it.