BDIstyle

BDIstyle is a design approach that applies the Belief–Desire–Intention (BDI) cognitive model as a framework for structuring user interfaces and interaction patterns. In BDIstyle, an interface communicates a model of the system’s beliefs (the current state and available information), supports user desires (the goals users aim to achieve), and presents or enables user intentions (the actions users can take). The goal is to create interfaces that align with users’ mental models, provide transparent state information, and guide users through goal-driven workflows.

The approach emphasizes three core aspects. Beliefs are surfaced to users through clear state indicators, status summaries, and explainable feedback. Desires are captured by prioritizing user goals and presenting relevant tasks or options that move toward those goals. Intentions are expressed through actionable controls, guided flows, and predictable interaction sequences. Consistency, transparency, and minimal cognitive load are central design objectives, as is modularity, which makes components reusable across tasks that share beliefs, desires, and intentions.

BDIstyle finds practical use in dashboards, decision-support interfaces, conversational agents, and automation controllers where users manage complex states and goals. It supports scenario-based design and task analysis by framing interactions around states, goals, and possible actions, rather than purely procedural steps. Adoption typically requires robust state management, clear feedback loops, and careful consideration of accessibility and explainability.

Relation to existing work is conceptual rather than proprietary: BDIstyle draws on the Belief–Desire–Intention model from AI and complements design systems and interaction design methods. It remains a flexible framework that practitioners adapt to specific domains and user populations.