II · The method

Psychology of adoption

Rogers describes the macro curve —innovators, early majority, laggards— and The four links already place it in the fourth link. But between the curve and the person on Tuesday at 5 p.m. there is a space the method cannot leave implicit: how it feels to use a system that suggests, classifies or decides.

An AI can be technically correct and psychologically untouchable. This chapter names the phenomena that explain why a well-built AI still fails in those who should use it —and translates them into design decisions.

Key phenomena

Phenomenon	What it is	Design response
Automation bias	Accepting what the AI says without questioning, even when the human knows more	Moments of mandatory human judgment where the AI stays silent and asks for judgment
Control paradox	Too much control overwhelms; too little alienates	Override levels calibrated by role and by case risk
Identity threat	”The AI says my experience doesn’t count”	Design that shows human contribution; AI as assistant, not judge
Calibrated trust	Blind distrust vs. blind trust	Transparency of limits, explainability proportional to risk

These phenomena are not excuses to avoid automating: they are requirements so automation returns power instead of taking it away.

Connection with HCAI

Shneiderman calls for high human control; in the agentic layer that translates into judgment in the design —auditable rules, escalation, revocation. User psychology defines where to place those control points so they are used. A twelve-click override is not used; one that appears when risk warrants it, legitimizing the operator’s experience, is used. Sociotechnical design is also design of social permission to contradict the model.

Where it enters the method

Link 1: interviews detect identity fears and scars from failed pilots.
Links 2–4: UX, copy and flows incorporate confirmations, visible override, feedback to the expert when the model is wrong.
Sociotechnical hygiene: workarounds from poorly managed distrust are a signal of psychological failure even when usage metrics look acceptable.

Adoption is not a marketing appendix or persuasion manual: if resistance brings an operational reason, it is a requirement —not an obstacle to overcome.