Conversational Interface Editor for Multi-Modal Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing conversational interfaces is challenging due to the difficulty in creating user experiences that accommodate both text and voice interactions, which are fundamentally different from graphical user interfaces, leading to unsuitable user experiences if not properly designed beforehand.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system for designing conversational interfaces using a conversational interface editor that allows users to define and arrange message objects for different conversational entities, enabling the visualization and manipulation of conversational interactions across various formats and devices, including smart speakers, smartphones, and smart displays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a conversational interface is designed by modifying or redesigning a graphical user interface (GUI), then the design process can leverage existing GUI design skills and tools, but the user interaction experience becomes unsuitable because conversational interfaces use text or voice interaction which is fundamentally different from GUI interaction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the conversational interface design into distinct components: message objects, conversational entities, and interaction formats. This allows designers to work with modular elements rather than treating the entire interface as a monolithic GUI redesign, enabling both leverage of existing design patterns and appropriate conversational interaction patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a conversational interface editor as an intermediary tool between traditional GUI design methodologies and conversational interface implementation. This editor provides specialized capabilities for defining message objects and conversational entities, serving as a bridge that translates design intentions into appropriate conversational interactions without directly modifying existing GUI frameworks.
2Productivity
If a conversational interface is designed beforehand, then the development process becomes faster and more effective with improved user experience, but the design complexity increases due to the need to accommodate text and voice interactions across multiple formats and devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates message objects and conversational entities that are device-agnostic and format-agnostic, allowing the same design elements to be used across smartphones, smart speakers, smart displays, and other devices. This universality reduces design complexity by eliminating the need to create separate designs for each device type while maintaining productivity through reusable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables designers to define message objects, conversational entities, and interaction structures in advance using the conversational interface editor, before implementation. This preliminary design phase allows for thorough planning and validation of conversational flows, reducing development time and complexity by resolving design decisions beforehand rather than during implementation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple user-selectable formats are provided for defining message objects and conversational entities, then the interface becomes more versatile and adaptable to different devices and interaction types, but the editor complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different formats and interaction patterns locally to specific message objects and conversational entities based on their requirements. Rather than providing all possible formats for every element, the editor allows users to select appropriate formats (text, voice, cards, buttons, etc.) for each specific message object, reducing overall editor complexity while maintaining local versatility where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for designing a conversational interface is disclosed. The method includes displaying a first portion of a conversational interface editor, receiving user interaction in the first portion defining a first message object attributed to a first conversational entity, displaying a second portion of the conversational interface editor, receiving user interaction in the second portion defining a second message object attributed to a second conversational entity, and displaying a third portion of the conversational interface editor, the third portion arranging the first message object and the second message object to depict a structure of a conversational interaction between the first conversational entity and the second conversational entity in a conversational interface.