Transitions between levels must be explicit and visible
Aliases: mode transition · mode awareness · automation surprise
What it is
Autonomy mode transition visibility ensures that people detect a changed allocation, understand the new mode, know who controls each function, and know whether transition succeeded. A transition changes input meaning, monitoring duty, intervention, and responsibility, not just a label.
Why it happens
People interpret controls and motion using the prior mode. Silent degradation can leave an assumption that avoidance remains active; silent increase can make manual input conflict with automation. Preview, confirmation, and stable state establish a shared mode model and reduce mode error.
Studying it
Automatic versus manual trigger, cue salience, and confirmation can be tested under workload and distraction using recognition, control error, recovery, and responsibility judgement. Display–control disagreement must be injected. Focused short trials overestimate detection.
Where it stops holding
Emergency degradation may act before confirmation but still becomes immediately visible and safe. Internal parameter changes need emphasis only when they alter authority or duty. Excess transitions and alerts may reveal unstable adaptation policy.
Applying it
- Show old mode, new mode, trigger, current controller, and available action for every role change.
- Use request–acknowledge–commit for handoff; missing acknowledgement or channel failure keeps a defined safe mode.
- Drill distraction, disconnection, and desynchronisation, logging detection delay, old-mode action, and incorrect takeover.