# Gulfs of execution and evaluation
> Interaction gulfs are the gaps between what a person wants to do with a system and what it lets them do and tells them.
URL: https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/ux/interaction-gulfs.html

# Gulfs of execution and evaluation

The gulfs of execution and evaluation, or interaction gulfs, are the gaps between what a person wants to do with a system and what the system lets them do and tells them

What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.

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## What it is and how it works

Donald Norman identifies two. The gulf of execution arises when the person does not know how to achieve their goal with the available controls: they cannot find the action or do not understand how to carry it out. The gulf of evaluation arises when they cannot tell whether they have succeeded, because the system does not show its state or the feedback is confusing.

Design aims to narrow both: with clear signifiers and affordances, understandable labels and a coherent conceptual model for execution; with visible, immediate and easily interpreted feedback for evaluation. For example, a save button that does not show whether the change was saved creates a gulf of evaluation.

Also known as

Interaction gulfs, Gulf of execution, Gulf of evaluation

Topics

[Experience and service design](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/category/experiencia-y-diseno-de-servicios)

## Related concepts

- [Affordance](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/ux/affordance.html)
- [Usability](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/usability.html)
- [Human-computer interaction](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/digital-marketing/human-computer-interaction.html)