Accordion Editing and Apple Picking: Early Generative-AI User Behaviors

Summary: Two new user behaviors are prevalent in interactions with text-based AI chatbots. User research shows the iterative and often complex ways users engage with AI tools for productivity.

Chatbots are currently the predominant UI of generative-AI tools for text manipulation. Each individual interaction with AI is a straightforward transaction: you put text in, and AI gives text back. (Other AI tools produce other media forms, such as images, audio, or video, but this article focuses specifically on text-based AI tools.)

In user testing, we have seen that users frequently engage in iterations where they refine AI-generated output through additional prompts. This back-and-forth interaction, in combination with the text-only user interface, creates two new user behaviors: the accordion effect and apple picking.

Our Research

Our goal was to uncover usability issues present in AI-chatbot interfaces. Since these bots have become widely used productivity tools, we conducted a qualitative usability study with professionals and students who use chatbots in their day-to-day work.