Purpose
First, you must establish the purpose of the chatbot. This defines the problem that the chatbot is solving and the functions it is providing.
Before you design, make sure that you are not implementing a chatbot just because the technology exists. Use a chatbot only if it can accomplish your project goals with better user and business outcomes than traditional methods, and if the implementation of a natural or guided conversation is likely to provide a better experience
The following list outlines the questions that IBM Design recommends asking:
- What is the user’s goal?
- How in-depth is the assistance that the user will need?
- Is it better to provide human assistance to your domain?
- How is a bot superior to “x” that is, online documentation, contextual support, wizards, and so on..
To determine the purpose of your chatbot, use the activities that are outlined in the IBM’s Enterprise Design Thinking Framework. For more information, see Enterprise Design Thinking.
Focus on your users. Observe them to understand their goals, tasks, and frustrations. Analyze the type of data that is available to use in your chatbot and then create Hills to align your team on the user and business outcomes you plan to provide.
Figure 1: Enterprise Design Thinking.