A comprehensive guide to conversational interface (CI)

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO CONVERSATIONAL INTERFACE (CI)

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The terms (though not new) like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning,

Natural Language Processing have been widely discussed in the recent

times like never before – thanks to tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Apple,

Facebook who have been widely publicizing the concepts of AI/machine

learning and have also been launching, testing and improving their AI

technology integrated products like Microsoft’s Cortana, Apple’s Siri, Google

Assistant, Facebook M, Google Home, Alice etc.

Apple’s Siri

Google’s overall search algorithm Hummingbird also has a component called

‘Rank Brain’ which is a machine learning artificial intelligence system.

The real shift in our communication with the computer systems has been

happening recently in a major way – finally computer systems are learning to

understand our language (so far we have been learning and communicating

with computer systems in the languages they can understand).

MS-Dos is history and we are now witnessing the emergence of applications

that do not have GUI (Graphical User Interface) – namely Virtual Assistants,

Invisible Apps, and Chatbots etc.

Arrival of these applications is giving a new life to the very old concept

‘Conversational Interface’. The Term ‘Conversational Interface’ is much

broader and apart from these devices and applications that can have human-

like conversations, simple websites that allow us to have a conversation with

them (e.g. uxchat.me) may also be called conversational interfaces.

Understanding Conversational Interfaces and Types

Any UI (user interface) that chats with a human like a human does with

another is called conversational Interface. It mimics human interaction and

has natural, human-like conversations.

Currently, conversational Interfaces (CI) can be majorly divided into two

types – Chatbots and Virtual Assistants.

Understanding Conversational Interfaces and Types

The early day CIs were simple programs that used to give canned responses

and used to have restricted, regurgitated conversations using pre-made

phrases based on a set of rules. Example – AOL Chatbot – SmarterChild

Though CIs like Rule-based Chatbots and Chatbot websites that work based

on a set of rules are still used ( and, in fact, they are used widely by

businesses around the world), advancement in this technology has been

possible due to the advancement in voice processing and Artificial

Intelligence.

Many of today’s advanced AI-based CIs are more complex and smart and

are reasonably good at machine learning, natural language processing and

voice-processing – though they have their own limitations. You do not

communicate with the conversational UI system in the language it

understands through GUI by clicking on icons, following and entering

instructions/syntax commands but you communicate with conversational UI

in your natural language which it understands and responds – you tell the

system what to do.

Virtual assistants are devices/applications like Siri (Apple), Cortana

(Microsoft), Google Assistant/Google Home, Alexa/Amazon Echo, Samsung

Viv, and Facebook M etc – these are voice-based CIs to which you can

speak orally.

Google Home

Chatbots are computer programs with which you chat through a chat

interface – there are ones functioning based on a set of rules and there are

Chatbots powered by Artificial intelligence too. They are made available to

users through any major chat products like Facebook Messenger, Skype,

Telegram, Text messaging service, Slack etc.

KLM Airlines’ Chatbot

Voice assistants can effortlessly do multiple tasks based on instructions

given by you orally. They can play music, search and find information, set a

timer, book a taxi (via the travel app), plan your day, call a friend and more.

Voice assistants like Google Home and Amazon Echo can even switch off

and on lights, read the news, and control TVs and Speakers around the

house and more.

Chatbots also, depending on the type of bot, enable you to do multiple useful

tasks effortlessly; some of them include ordering lunch, booking a dinner

reservation, purchasing products, customer assistance, fixing appointments

and more.

Benefits, Importance and the Reasons behind the Rise of Conversational Interfaces

• Rapid and Wide Adoption of CI and Devices/Platforms that have them –

Businesses follow consumers wherever they go and target platforms which

are popular – this is an undeniable fact. All modern day devices like

Smartphones, Smartwatches, desktops and screen-less devices like Google

Home, Amazon Echo etc. and platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp,

Facebook, Skype, Slack etc are used by people across the world.

Conversational interfaces are cross-

platform and they have been

seamlessly integrated into some of

these devices and platforms already

and rest of the existing

devices/platforms may also follow suit

Also, there is a high possibility of future devices coming with inbuilt CIs and

Chatbot-supported Platforms.

Thus, the number of consumers using conversational interfaces has been

increasing steadily and rapidly and the number will continue to rise. It makes

absolutely commercial sense for businesses to leverage the growing

popularity of these conversational interfaces in significant way and the trend

has already begun.

Here is a glimpse of the growing trend – Amazon Echo has sold more than 5

million devices in the past two years and its sales increased by 400% last

year compared to 2015. Amazon has now come up with Alexa Hub (Alexa –

voice service that powers Amazon Echo) – a resource that enable

brands/businesses that want to establish their presence in the Alexa eco-

system. Alexa Hub helps businesses create voice skills.

Recently launched Google Home’s sales have also increased rapidly but we

do not have the official figures as of now. Google Home and Alexa usage

saw third party developer growth of over 1500% in the second half of Dec

2016 compared to the first half.

Rapidly increasing popularity of Messenger Apps

This point further validates my previous point about the growing popularity

and wider adoption of CI-inbuilt devices. Active users of messaging apps

surpassed the number of active users of social networks for the first time

ever in 2015.

Many brands across the world have already started leveraging the growing

popularity of messenger apps by developing Chatbots and establishing their

presence in major chat products such as Facebook Messenger, Skype,

Telegram, Slack etc.

Chatbots in Messaging apps have opened up a new and effective channel of

communication for businesses and users.

Promising AI technology powered CIs get better over time without regular

updates and are capable of providing customized assistance to users as

they save and use user data effectively and they also have machine-learning

capability. Thus CIs can achieve more with very less or no human

assistance.

Self-learning AI Powered CIs

Frictionless Communication

Modern CIs are capable of natural language processing and they are getting

better at it – they can understand human conversations (though not perfectly

now but they will, in the future), thus they are highly user friendly – which

means minimal use of graphical, interactive design elements like menu bar,

icons, buttons etc and also minimum requirement to display of information at

the front-end.

One of the biggest advantages of CIs is that, unlike GUIs, they do not let the

users figure out how to operate and get them to fulfill the required tasks –

they understand the user’s natural language and take responsibility to get

the required things done based on the user’s instructions. CIs are truly

changing the way we use and communicate with computer systems.

Microsoft Cortana

CIs have truly opened up new possibilities in marketing and customer

service. Though we already see some of the ways businesses have adopted

to reach out to their existing and potential customers through CI Devices and

CI-supported platforms (Examples – Brand Chatbots in App messengers and

Brands partnering with Amazon to promote their products/services via

Amazon Echo etc.), advancements in CIs will further open up new and

exciting opportunities.

These were only excerpts from the article ‘A Comprehensive Guide to

Conversational Interface (CI)’, Read the full article here

http://bit.ly/conversational-interface.

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A comprehensive guide to conversational interface (CI)

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