Documentation, Informaiton & Knowledge ›› 2026, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (2): 107-118,168.doi: 10.13366/j.dik.2026.02.107

• Academic Focus: Human-AI Interaction • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research on the Human-AI Interaction Process and Key Elements within the NAF Framework: An Agency Perspective

LE Chengyi1,2,3, LIU Yan3, ZHANG Zhenhao3   

  1. 1.School of Business, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211;
    2.Merchants'Guild Economics and Cultural Intelligent Computing Laboratory of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211;
    3.School of Economics and Management, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, 330013
  • Online:2026-03-10 Published:2026-05-21
  • Contact: Correspondence should be addressed to LIU Yan, Email: liuyan5720@163.com, ORCID: 0009-0009-6237-8109
  • Supported by:
    This is an outcome of the project "Research on Online Interaction and Knowledge Co-creation of Enterprise-User Knowledge under Open Innovation"(72161013)supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] This article aims to clarify the elements and process mechanisms in human–AI interaction, providing a reference for deepening Human-AI interaction theory and optimizing interaction design. [Design/Methodology] The study adopted the grounded theory approach and conducted a systematic analysis in-depth interview data from 20 users. By applying the Needs–Affordances–Features(NAF)framework to the human–AI interaction process, a theoretical model of the human-AI interaction process was constructed, with the core elements being interaction features, needs, agency, affordances and interaction behaviors between humans and GenAI. [Findings/Conclusion] The human-AI interaction process follows the overall logic of Needs-Affordances-Features(NAF), in which user needs are driven by interaction features to form different types of GenAI affordances. Furthermore, this process can be refined into two stages: Needs-driven–Agency–Affordance Formation(NAGA)and Affordances–Behavior–Needs Satisfaction(ABN). Among them, the agency of humans and GenAI is a key factor influencing the formation of affordances. Different combinations of affordances can produce three types of interaction behaviors: dependent, directive, and alternating, further fulfilling and influencing user needs. [Originality/Value] The study integrates agency into the NAF framework and proposes a mapping between affordance combinations and interaction behavior types, providing a new theoretical perspective for constructing more efficient human-AI interaction mechanisms and improving interaction experiences.

Keywords: Generative artificial intelligence, Needs-Affordances-Features framework, Human-AI interaction, Agency