10 Conversational UX Tips Every Chatbot Should Follow
The hardest part of designing a chatbot is undoubtedly the conversation. The interface is relatively simple, particularly if you’re building a bot for an existing platform like Facebook Messenger or Slack, but that just means that the conversation content is going to be in even greater focus.
Just like when designing any digital product, the role of UX is to advocate for the user. What is the user’s goal? Why are they using your bot? What do they expect to get out of it? How long do they expect it to take? How do you want them to feel while interacting with your bot? All of these are questions to keep in mind when beginning the design process.
Conversations with a chatbot should always feel fluent and organic — speaking with others is a natural part of human interaction, which means it’s incredibly difficult to simulate. In conversation, we naturally jump from topic to topic, ask for clarification, and use words and phrases that convey our emotions. Below are a few tenets of chatbot conversation design that can help shape the experience your users have with your bot.
1. Don’t pretend to be human
You should always make it clear to your users that they are chatting with a bot, and not an actual human. This sets expectations for the user, and allows you to build a unique personality for your bot. There are differing thoughts on whether a bot should use the typing indicator before sending messages — some people believe it gives the appearance of a human typing which is misleading, while others think it makes the conversations feel more natural. If you fail to set expectations with your users, they could misunderstand the limits of the functionality, leading to frustration and a less than satisfactory experience.
2. Provide an introduction
Using a chatbot isn’t intuitive for most people — yet. Provide an introduction to your bot, and explain what it can do for your user, and how they should interact with it. Lay out your bot’s value proposition front and center.
3. Help guide the conversation with smart hints
Helping users navigate conversation with your bot can be extremely beneficial for two reasons. First, by suggesting inputs, you can guarantee that your bot will know how to respond, and therefore your user won’t “break” the conversation loop. Second, it takes some of the pressure off of your user, who may not know what they can ask or how they can interact with your bot. As bot technology becomes more sophisticated and widespread, the need for these smart hints may diminish.
4. Keep pace with your user
If the bot needs to send large amounts of text, do so gradually as separate text bubbles. Allow for some time in between each text to allow your user to read the information. It’s easier for your user to digest the text this way, rather than as a single block.
5. Give your bot personality
Just because your user isn’t interacting with a human doesn’t mean your bot should sound stiff. Give your bot a personality that reflects your brand’s identity and voice. Use friendly, simple language to interact with your users. One of the main differentiators between chatbots and traditional UI is the potential for establishing an emotional connection with your users. Giving your bot personality is the easiest and most natural way to do this.
6. Keep track of the conversation
Simple things like remembering the last time your bot interacted with the user can help make the conversation feel more natural. For example, you don’t need to greet a user who’s last interaction was 10 minutes ago.
7. Avoid open ended questions
Because you’re going to have to validate all of the user input that comes through your chatbot, avoid open ended questions that could be potentially tricky to respond to. This is where hints can also help guide conversation.
8. Use rich UI elements where appropriate
One of the advantages to building bots for existing platforms like Facebook Messenger is that they offer rich UI elements to help make interacting with your bot easier. Using photos, action buttons and links can help make the interactions more rewarding.
9. Confirm input
Just like when designing other interfaces, data must be validated, except this time, it’s done through conversation. When you ask the user for information, such as their address, always confirm the information before acting upon it. If your bot asks for a phone number and the user answers with letters, gently explain what kind of information you need.
10. Small talk is important
It’s important to have at least basic support for small talk like greetings, goodbyes, and saying thank you. It’s even better if your bot understands the time of the day and responds accordingly. Remember, even if your users have a clear understanding that they are talking to a bot, they should still have some emotional connection with it, and that’s the biggest difference between chatbots and other human-computer interfaces.
As chatbots become more widespread, more and more best practices will surface. The best way, as always, is to build and test continuously with users. Particularly when it comes to designing natural conversation, your best resources are the people who surround you.
