ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on development and design issues pertaining to the building of expert system (ES) explanation facilities. It discusses the relationship between the development life cycle of an ES and that for building explanation facilities. The chapter argues that special consideration must be given to the unique challenges pertaining to the development of explanation facilities. It explores various design considerations that have to be considered by designers of ES explanation facilities. Knowledge acquisition represents the process of acquiring knowledge for the purpose of building an ES. Various types of cognitive and personality-based individual differences can also be identified, primarily from the literature on decision support systems, as potentially influencing the use of ES explanations. From an empirical perspective there is also a need for the development of a contingency theory for the use of ES explanations. The chapter provides some vital perspectives pertaining to explanation facilities being viewed as part of the total ES functionality.
