Book contents
- Smarter Together
- Smarter Together
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Part I AI and Consumer Psychology
- Part II Designing, Building, and Marketing AI Products
- Chapter 7 Building Great AI Experiences
- Chapter 8 Marketing AI Products
- Chapter 9 Working With AI
- Chapter 10 AI and Culture
- Conclusion
- Smarter Together Workshops
- References
- Index
Chapter 7 - Building Great AI Experiences
Avoiding the Next Chicken Nugget Apocalypse
from Part II - Designing, Building, and Marketing AI Products
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2026
Book contents
- Smarter Together
- Smarter Together
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Part I AI and Consumer Psychology
- Part II Designing, Building, and Marketing AI Products
- Chapter 7 Building Great AI Experiences
- Chapter 8 Marketing AI Products
- Chapter 9 Working With AI
- Chapter 10 AI and Culture
- Conclusion
- Smarter Together Workshops
- References
- Index
Summary
This chapter explores how psychology and human–AI interaction (HAI) principles shape successful AI products. Using failures like McDonald’s ill-fated AI drive-thru as cautionary tales, it shows how neglecting user needs such as control, trust, and comprehension can cause reputational and product damage. Drawing on human-centered design, cognitive psychology, and UX research, the authors argue that great AI experiences depend on anticipating how humans think, feel, and decide. They outline strategies for embedding empathy, transparency, and explainability into AI, highlighting that these lessons extend beyond engineering teams to anyone influencing AI adoption.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Smarter TogetherHow We Think, Feel and Decide with AI, pp. 115 - 129Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter
complies with version 2.1 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), covering newer accessibility requirements and improved
user experiences and achieves the intermediate
(AA)
level of WCAG compliance, covering a wider range of accessibility requirements.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.