Encouraging Trust in Demand-Side Management via Interaction Design: An Automation Level Based Trust Framework

Abstract

The energy transition requires increased end-user flexibility in consumption as a response to the more volatile production patterns of renewable resources. Automated demand-side management solutions can provide support in achieving this but struggle with trust and acceptance issues from end-users. This paper contributes insights into how communicating trustworthiness can be achieved through careful and context-aware interaction design in such systems. Core interface features such as feedback, automation transparency, control options, benefit information, and actionable information were identified and fifteen case studies from six countries were analysed with regard to provided interaction features, automation level, and end-user experiences. The results provide insights into the form and frequency of these features used at different automation levels and their varying role in trust and acceptance building. Based on our results, we recommend particular attention to providing actionable information and actively reaching out to users at a low automation level, to provision and communication of control at a medium automation level, and to providing transparency at a high automation level in order to promote trust successfully, while benefit information is central for a “social license to automate” independently of the automation level.