Sunrise session for SpeechTEK 2017 - discussion of Chatbots vs. Voicebots

1. Chatbots vs. Voicebots
Sunrise Session
SpeechTEK 2017
Crispin Reedy @crispinTX

2. 2© 2017 Versay Solutions LLC
• Voice User Interface Designer
• 15+ years in the field
• Former coder; got interested in UX
• President of the Association for Voice
Interaction Design
• Consultant for Versay Solutions
@crispinTX
crispinreedy.com

3. Sunrise Session
• Topic:
– How can chatbots learn from existing VUI
design?
– What makes these new interfaces different,
and how are they similar?
– This conversation discusses text-based vs.
voice-based conversation, analytics for bots
and voice, and how bots and IVRs might learn
from each other.
• Sunrise Session = Conversation!
3© 2017 Versay Solutions LLC

14. Flashforward to 2017….
14© 2017 Versay Solutions LLC

15. “I’m really excited about chat and natural
language because there’s no user interface
you have to deal with.”
- Chatbot developer on support board

18. 18© 2017 Versay Solutions LLC

19. “Just this week, Facebook said it was “refocusing” its use of AI
after its bots hit a failure rate of 70 percent,
meaning bots could only get to 30 percent of requests without
some sort of human intervention.”
“I would call it overpromising,” said CP+B executive creative tech director Joe Corr.
“Brands that created bots with a structured request or utility like Domino’s or in retail
were easy. But bots that tried to break out of the utility and be
chatbots became the problem.”

20. Open Discussion
• Topic:
– How can chatbots learn from existing VUI
design?
– What makes these new interfaces different,
and how are they similar?
– This conversation discusses text-based vs.
voice-based conversation, analytics for bots
and voice, and how bots and IVRs might learn
from each other.
• Sunrise Session = Conversation!
20© 2017 Versay Solutions LLC

21. A Few Specifics

22. Voice Conversation vs. Chat
Conversation
• Things in common:
– Logical structure of a conversation (flow)
– Need to define a domain
• I can help you with A, B, C.
– Error recovery
• If caller / user goes off topic
– Conversational maxims
• Differences
– Written convention vs. spoken convention

23. Structured Conversation vs.
Unstructured Conversations
• Structured conversations
– Specific goal in mind
– Enterprise-type bot
– Self service, tech support, account
information
• Unstructured conversations
– Broader goals – I can help you with anything!
– Personal assistants?

24. Voice Conversational Model: Beginning
NL Level 1:
Open Ended
Question
• Hi, how may I help you
today?
• I’m calling about a
problem with my phone.
• Sure, what kind of
problem are you
having?
• I don’t seem to have
any internet.
• I can help you with that.
Are you calling about
the Apple iPhone 6 that
you have on your plan?
• Yes
NL Level 2:
Identify Problem
Directed Dialog:
ID Phone
Implicit: ID Caller

25. Chat Conversational Model: Beginning
NL Level 1:
Open Ended
Question
• Hi, how may I help
you today?
• I have a prob w/
phone
• Sure, what kind of
problem?
• No internet connectin
• OK. Is that about the
Apple iPhone 6 you
have on your plan?
• Yep
NL Level 2:
Identify Problem
Directed Dialog:
ID Phone
Implicit: ID Caller

26. Continuing the Conversation
• VUI Design - Wiki: AVIXD.org

27. 27© 2017 Versay Solutions LLC
Thanks!
@crispinTX
crispinreedy.com
creedy@versay.com