A comprehensive guide to conversational interface (CI)

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
TO CONVERSATIONAL
INTERFACE (CI)
Presents
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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
soon.

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.

Note:
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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A comprehensive guide to conversational interface (CI)