Feedforward and feedback should use the same expression system
Aliases: feedforward-feedback consistency · expectation-result consistency · state expression
What it is
Feedforward tells people what will happen; feedback tells them what did happen. The two should use compatible object names, state categories, scope, units, and visual expression so people can directly compare expectation with result. Feedforward–feedback consistency does not require word-for-word repetition. It requires that understanding established before action can be confirmed, revised, or explained by information afterward.
Why it happens
People form a prediction from feedforward, then use feedback to judge whether it held. If an action is described as “publish to the team” before action but completion merely says “saved,” people cannot tell what occurred. If a preview shows three affected objects but a result page switches to an unfamiliar metric, comparison also fails. Consistent expression connects two moments into one mental model and reduces memory and reinterpretation burden.
Studying it
Ask participants first to state the object, scope, and result they expect from feedforward; after completion, ask what feedback confirms or disconfirms. Measure accuracy of expectation–result matching, repeated checking, undo, and help seeking. Audit state transition, asynchronous completion, partial failure, and permission-change paths, since these most often disconnect terms or scope across time.
Where it stops holding
Results sometimes must be more detailed than a preview or differ because actual conditions changed. Do not pretend they are identical; explain the reason and impact of the difference. Formal consistency should not make feedback hard to read: a completion state may use a more compact summary. The goal is traceable correspondence, not mechanical reuse of the same wording or color.
Applying it
- Define vocabulary for objects, state, and scope that persists through feedforward, processing, and final feedback for important actions.
- In the result, explicitly refer back to the choice just made and anticipated impact, especially for partial success, scope changes, or divergent actual outcomes.
- Use end-to-end tasks to test whether people can explain continuously what happened from preview to result, then repair breaks in that account.