When users are confused, the default response is to explain more. Add tooltips. Write longer docs. Refine the copy. But in complex products, repeated confusion is not always a content problem. It may actually be a product signal.
Throughout this talk, I'll introduce a practical framework for recognizing when content feedback is actually telling us something deeper about the product experience. And I'll share how content practitioners can use that signal to influence what gets built.
Plus, today there is a new type of user: AI agents. As agents increasingly navigate products on a human's behalf, the impact of confusing workflows multiplies. The more complex a product is, the greater the chance that both users and AI agents misinterpret intent or take the wrong path.
In these environments, over-explaining may actively harm clarity. Excessive explanation consumes context that agents need to reason about the task itself. Clear content and simplified workflows reduce ambiguity, preserve context, and allow both humans and AI systems to focus on accomplishing their goals rather than wading through information.
