Mode Families

Definition

Interaction Modes are canonical tags that describe the dominant way a user engages with a product in a given moment. They capture intent at a higher level than clicks or flows — framing whether a user is Finding, Navigating, Analyzing, Planning, Executing, Reviewing etc.

By tagging experiences with Interaction Modes, we:

• Create clarity across teams about what a design is enabling.
• Provide a shared vocabulary that scales across journeys, personas, and components.
• Lay the foundation for intelligent defaults and context-aware systems.

Interaction Modes are behavioral contexts that cut across product areas and help us design and build with intent.

Mode Families

Interaction modes are broken up into different behavioral groups related by mindset and purpose. This helps to show the nuanced similarities, overlaps and differences between related modes and what they mean for the experience.

Navigational Modes

Navigational behaviors are about wayfinding and positioning within a system. Users are seeking to establish where they are, what’s available, and how to move effectively toward their goal.

Modes like Discovering, Finding, Navigating, and Orienting are united by their focus on movement through information space. They differ in nuance:

• Discovering = open-ended exploration without a fixed goal.
• Finding = targeted retrieval of a known item.
• Navigating = moving deliberately through structured paths.
• Orienting = grounding oneself, understanding “where am I?” before acting.

These are similar in being locational and directional, but distinct in whether the goal is fuzzy vs. sharp, or proactive vs. situational.

Cognitive Modes

Cognitive behaviors emphasize sensemaking, comprehension, and evaluation. Users are mentally processing information to reach an understanding or judgment.

Modes like Big Picture, Decision-Making, Analyzing, Reviewing fit here. They all involve mental workload and synthesis:

• Analyzing = breaking data into parts for insights.
• Big Picture = zooming out to contextualize.
• Decision-Making = weighing tradeoffs.
• Monitoring = keeping an eye on changes.
• Reviewing = reflecting back to confirm or assess quality.

They differ in mental depth and scope, but all demand focus, cognition, and interpretation.

Task-Oriented Modes

Task-oriented behaviors are about execution and completion. The emphasis is on getting something done with efficiency and confidence.

Modes like Executing, Completing, Monitoring, Planning are grouped here because they anchor on progress toward an outcome:

• Creating = producing or authoring something new from scratch.
• Executing = carrying out steps.
• Planning = mapping out tasks before execution.
• Completing = closure and finishing.

They differ by time horizon (before, during, after), but share the pragmatic, action-driven mindset.

Configurational Modes

Configurational behaviors center on shaping, adjusting, or tailoring systems, settings, or experiences.

Modes like Configuring, Customizing (coming soon), and Personalizing (coming soon) all involve changing defaults or parameters:

• Configuring = structured setup, often admin-level.
• Customizing = adapting with more flexibility.
• Personalizing = aligning to individual preference or context.

They differ in scale and ownership (system → group → individual), but all are about adaptation of a system for fit.

Continuity Modes

Continuity-seeking behaviors are about maintaining flow and coherence over time. Users want reassurance that their work, state, or context is carried forward without loss.

Modes like Resuming, Saving (coming soon), Progress Tracking (coming soon), and Synchronizing (coming soon) all tie into this.

• Resuming = picking back up seamlessly.
• Saving = preserving work.

They differ in what aspect of continuity is at risk (time, effort, data), but share the desire for unbroken momentum.

Transitional Modes

Transitional behaviors happen at shifts in state, phase, or flow. Users are moving between contexts, often requiring smooth continuity and clear signposting.

Modes like Context Switching (coming soon), Onboarding (coming soon), Offboarding (coming soon), and Handoffs (coming soon) belong here because they involve boundary-crossing moments.

• Context Switching = changing views or modes mid-task

They differ in temporal scale, but share the context of moving between states.