3 Crucial Steps in Designing Conversational AI

To tackle this issue, designers can collaborate with skilled copywriters. This partnership can help them devise appropriate responses for similar queries while maintaining consistency with the original persona.

Designers often prioritize designing the happy paths that result in positive user experiences. However, providing solutions for the unhappy paths is equally crucial because they could lead to multiple instances of friction or interactions that run in loops, as Figure 2 shows. I have encountered prompts that had little meaning or relevance, making the identification of the user’s intent challenging.

Image source: Talentica Software

A reliable way of avoiding such issues is to thoroughly study the probable options that users might try, thereby reducing unwanted digressions and unhelpful experiences.

Improved discoverability also hinges on the structure of conversational flows. Designers need to consider not only existing users, but also new team members. If an existing flow proves challenging, team members might need to expend more time learning it before they can effectively contribute. This is a luxury that most businesses operating under time constraints cannot afford.

A simple visual structure for all conversational flows, with groups clearly indicated, can provide a solution. This approach can help newcomers to understand the requirements for conversational flows and learn how to navigate these flows effectively in the future.

3. Craft a Great Conversational Flow

Great chat experiences generate leads and positively impact revenues. But to craft a great user experience, designers must define the conversational elements, as shown in Figure 3. This requires that they recognize user intent, understand contexts, and be aware of the variations in language that are crucial for a more natural, intuitive interaction between users and the system. In this way, the CUI can provide accurate, relevant responses.

Image source: Talentica Software

As shown in Figure 4, defining the bot’s persona is equally important because this is an essential element of crafting a rich user experience. This persona encompasses everything—including what the bot would and would not say. Plus, it helps developers determine the tone and style of the chatbot’s replies. This established tone and style, in turn, assists developers in evaluating each response and maintaining coherence in communications.

Image source: Talentica Software

One good approach would be to create a personality card that outlines the persona’s tone and style. Developers could then always refer to the card to check whether their responses align with the established standards.

Using Templates

The flow of a conversation can sometimes encounter barriers in template-based formats—such as when users become confused about categories of requirements. The bot might glean very little information from the templates and not learn much. This can result in unending loops that frustrate the user.

However, templated options can be useful as a fallback measure. Designers should let users write queries first so the CUI can learn from their inputs and improve its knowledge. I employed this method for the recruitment CUI, resulting in a smooth chat flow.

Avoid Dry Texting

UX designers should also pay attention to potential dead ends in a conversation, which can frustrate users. Short, curt replies, which designers commonly refer to as dry texting, do not engage people effectively and could potentially create disconnects because such responses can be repetitive and boring. A simple bye to end a chat might not convey the care a user expects from an assistant. Alternatively, a more positive and engaging might could be to say something like this: “Alright, just type help if you need anything else. Thanks for connecting with me. Goodbye.”

Final Thoughts

Creating AI experiences that are not only technologically advanced but also human centric is crucial if you are to remain relevant within the ever-evolving landscape of conversational AI. Following these three UX design steps can help simplify the process and result in intuitive, engaging, and truly transformative AI assistants.