What term describes the information returned to a user about the progress of an action?

The term that best describes the information returned to a user about the progress of an action is feedback. Feedback is crucial in interactive design because it informs users of the results of their actions and helps them understand what has happened in response to their input. When users perform a task, feedback can be visual, auditory, or haptic, and it typically provides reassurance that the system is functioning as expected. This can include loading indicators, success messages, error notifications, and more, all of which help users gauge the ongoing state of their interaction without guesswork.

In contrast, constraints refer to limitations placed on user actions to guide or restrict behavior within an interface; mapping describes the relationship between controls and their effects in the real world; visibility involves ensuring that important information and controls are easily perceivable to users. While all these elements are essential in interactive design, they do not specifically refer to progress information returned to users, which is the primary role of feedback.