Various criteria must be taken into account when developing a chatbot. This is, for example, the choice of the platform on which the bot is ultimately to be published or the selection of the software with which the bot is to be programmed. Not forgetting the usability of the chatbot. This means that the bot must be easy to use for its users and should guide them quickly to their destination.
I have made some evaluations on the subject and show you my results below.
1. open vs. closed dialogs
Many chatbot creators initially think that a bot with open dialogs is absolutely ideal, but this is not always the case. On the one hand, it takes a lot of programming effort to develop a bot with open questions. This definitely requires knowledge in the field of AI. On the other hand, the evaluations also show that many users are overwhelmed by open questions. They are happy when the bot provides them with closed questions with predefined answers.
The following graphic shows how the BLS chatbot handles this, for example.[vc_single_image image=”1735″ img_size=”full” el_class=”imgpost”]
2. break up long blocks of text into individual statements.
Make sure that you do not show too long blocks of text at once. Users feel overwhelmed by too much text in a message. Imagine you receive a WhatApp message that fills 2/3 of your smartphone. Such messages are usually tedious to read and are initially ignored.
To avoid long blocks of text, you can simply display individual statements one after the other. The information is the same, but it has less impact on the reader.
As a tip, round the corners of your dialog boxes, this makes it clear that the statements do belong together in some way.[vc_single_image image=”1739″ img_size=”full” el_class=”imgpost”]
3. filler words
In human conversations, we quickly get used to little filler words like “emm”, “hmm”, “wait a minute”. Depending on your target group and the benefit that the bot should bring to its users, such filler words can also be helpful for bots. They also give the user time to think and simulate a natural dialog flow.
If your bot is simply supposed to provide the user with information quickly, leave out the filler words. If you want to work with the bot, but have a classic customer dialog incl. If you want to simulate a consultation, you can insert such filler words sporadically.
4. presentation of the messages
The messages should be displayed in the classic way, as with other chats such as WhatsApp, alternating left/right. Typically, all the bot’s messages are on the left-hand side, each with the appropriate avatar or face (I’ll come back to this later) and the user’s messages are on the right-hand side. Evaluations show that users are already used to this type of chat guidance and it should also be taken into account when implementing a chatbot.[vc_single_image image=”1738″ img_size=”full” el_class=”imgpost”]
5. face of the chatbot
There are 2 options here, either you use a picture of one of your customer advisors or team members or you use an avatar. I did a survey on this and the majority of users want an avatar. The reason is that it is clear anyway that not one person is writing to you. It is therefore only realistic to use an avatar as well. What type of avatar can vary greatly. Short A.B tests are recommended here, in which different avatars are used and it is measured which one is better received by the target group.
Here are a few examples of possible avatars:[vc_single_image image=”1737″ img_size=”full” el_class=”imgpost”]
6. emotions, a twinkle in the eye
As with the question about filler words, the question about emotions is similar. If your bot is simply supposed to provide information, for example about the timetable, users will see it as ridiculous and useless if the bot shows emotion. However, if the bot appears instead of a customer advisor, emotions can be helpful in making the conversation more natural for the user.
Typical emotions are, for example, happiness, sadness, surprise, fear and anger. Don’t forget that people blink their eyes on average 7 times a minute. Your avatar can also wink at the right place…
7. emojis
Emojis – everyone knows them and they are present in almost every WhatsApp conversation. For most users, they are an automatic part of chatting. So don’t forget to incorporate suitable emojis into your bot from time to time. It shouldn’t appear overloaded, but the odd smiley can lead to positive usability for users.
🙂 😉 😀
8. typing indicator
The last tip is the so-called typing indicator. As soon as the three dots appear, we know that the person opposite us is writing. These points should also be included in your bot. This lets users know that the bot is still active and that they can expect the next answer straight away.[vc_single_image image=”1734″ img_size=”full” el_class=”imgpost”]I hope that my above findings on the usability of chatbots have given you a little insight into what you should pay attention to when creating a bot.
If you have any further questions, please write to me at sophie@hundertmark.ch. I would be happy to share more of my experiences with you.
I also recommend that every chatbot developer tests the bot with a test group before it goes online. Every case is slightly different and testing is essential. This also allows you to check whether all technical points are running correctly and the bot is working without crashing.
