Mixed-Initiative Planning

As planning problems increase in complexity, the reliance on automated and mixed-initiative planning will also increase. To date, a great deal of the research in the planning domain has been on improved algorithms for intelligent scheduling. In mixed-initiative contexts, the maturation of these algorithms has exposed usability problems that are major obstacles to their human operators. For example, if the user does not understand why the system made certain decisions, he or she is reluctant to use the system even if it will produce a better plan. We propose to research and prototype a usable interface for mixed-initiative planning systems. The empirical basis of this work will be data collected during the Mars Exploration Rovers Mission, ongoing prototyping work for MSL '09 mission planning software, and an understand of planning in industry and other settings.