As a result, existing computer technologies often frustrate the user, have little persuasive power and cannot initiate interactions with the user.
A computer may wait indefinitely for input from a user who is no longer there, or decide to do irrelevant tasks while a user is frantically working towards an imminent deadline. The ability to attribute mental states to others from their behavior and to use that knowledge to guide our own actions and predict those of others is known as theory of mind or mind-reading.Įxisting human-computer interfaces are mind-blind oblivious to the user’s mental states and intentions.
Our mental states shape the decisions that we make, govern how we communicate with others, and affect our performance. This is true even when they are interacting with machines. People express their mental states, including emotions, thoughts, and desires, all the time through facial expressions, vocal nuances and gestures.