Desirable properties of performance indicators for assessing interactive evolutionary multiobjective optimization methods

Abstract

Interactive methods support decision makers in finding the most preferred solution in multiobjective optimization problems. They iteratively incorporate the decision maker's preference information to find the best balance among conflicting objectives. Several interactive methods have been developed in the literature. However, choosing the most suitable interactive method for a given problem can prove challenging and appropriate indicators are needed to compare interactive methods. Some indicators exist for a priori methods, where preferences are provided at the beginning of the solution process. We present some numerical experiments that illustrate why these indicators are not suitable for interactive methods. As the main contribution of this paper, we propose a set of desirable properties of indicators for assessing interactive methods as the first step of filling a gap in the literature. We discuss each property in detail and provide simple examples to illustrate their behavior.