“Conversation design is about teaching computers to be fluent in human conversation and its conventions.” {Source}
I recently got interested in conversational design and started learning more about the topic via Medium articles, YouTube videos and podcasts. I will curate a list of some of the most useful resources in a future post.
“The role of a conversation designer is like that of an architect, mapping out what users can do in a space, while considering both the user’s needs and the technological constraints. They curate the conversation, defining the flow and its underlying logic in a detailed design specification that represents the complete user experience. They partner with stakeholders and developers to iterate on the designs and bring the experience to life.” {Source}.
A sample dialog is a key tool for conversational designers to map out the interaction between the users and a voice bot. It outlines the conversation flow between a user and a voice bot as they take turns. Sample dialogs are like movie scripts.
Conversational designers create sample dialogs before developers starting coding because they help highlight potential issues so that valuable time and effort aren’t wasted creating the wrong voice product.
I am a big fan of the UCB Word for Today devotional. which I read every day on my mobile device. I discovered that there is currently not an Alexa Skill/Google Action for it but this is a product that could work as a Skill/Action. I don’t have the skills to build a Skill or Action yet so I focused on developing a happy path sample dialog for a UCB user (below).
I first mapped a sample dialog on the wall using Post it Notes. This gave me the flexibility to move around things, bin notes that didn’t work so I could create a happy path.
I looked for a free sample dialog builder online but couldn’t find anything satisfactory so I ended up using Google Sheet which met my needs.
