respondeither

Respondeither is a term used in discussions of conversational agents and decision-making interfaces to describe a binary response strategy in which a system responds with one of two predetermined options for any given input. The concept emphasizes forced-choice interaction, where the user is guided toward a specific, mutually exclusive set of replies rather than a free-form or open-ended answer.

Origin and scope of use are informal, and the term does not have a single canonical definition or standardized set of guidelines. It appears in some AI, human-computer interaction, and survey-design discussions as a descriptive label for systems or prompts that constrain replies to two options. In practice, respondeither can apply to yes/no formats, A/B choices, true/false classifications, or other dichotomous response schemes that a chatbot, voice assistant, or digital survey might employ.

Mechanisms and variants. A respondeither design typically presents the user with two explicit options and interprets the chosen option to determine next steps or data collection. Variants include binary questions embedded in a larger dialogue, quick-poll prompts, and constrained reply templates where all user input maps to one of the two options. This approach can improve response reliability, speed up interactions, and simplify natural language processing for downstream tasks.

Limitations and reception. Critics note that respondeither reduces expressive richness and may frustrate users who have nuanced needs or alternative preferences. It can also introduce bias if the two options fail to cover the user’s intent or reflect incomplete task design. Proponents argue that it enhances clarity and consistency, especially in high-throughput or accessibility-focused contexts.

See also: forced-choice, binary question, dichotomous response.