What Makes A ChatBot UI And UX Design Good?

Chatbots are a communication tool that can emulate a conversation through a list of available responses. The answers are given based on the user’s previous messages and questions. Additionally, analysis for phrases and keywords related to issues and solutions common to the industry also comes into play.

The idea has merit, but it is the execution that truly makes it shine.

A great chatbot needs to have an incredibly user-friendly UI design coupled with a robust UX design that allows for natural and smooth interaction. It sounds simple enough, but it requires the right mix of creativity and expertise, and that’s what the chatbot UI and UX design teams bring at Appixels.

Let us delve into the things that are important for an excellent chatbot design philosophy.

Conversation Flow:

The first step in any given task is to know all possible situations and challenges that arise. Similarly, it is important to map out the possible conversational paths for any good chatbot UX design. Knowing the potential queries allows the team to map out the responses, which results in a bot that can handle a greater number of potential situations.

Text is how it works, but empathy is what makes it work:

Text is how the interaction happens but the saying, “It’s not what you said. It’s the way you said it.” A well-made chatbot UI and UX design has a personality; it does not feel like a purely artificial construct. Researching and knowing your audience is important because it allows for a design that uses familiar phrases to open the conversation.

Creating a bot’s persona depends on several factors—the formality of the tone, gender, age, etc. For example, one way to create an empathetic response is to have the bot ask the user to repeat their query if it has spelling errors. This is a very human response.

Get specific and know where to limit:

A good chatbot ux design understands the capabilities and limitations of AI and NLP. If the user experience with the bot is too human, people will treat it as an actual person.

The expectations will rise, which will test boundaries. The design goal should be clear and take into account possible avenues a conversation can take. One of the ways to avoid the pitfalls is by omitting open-ended questions.

Be honest about the bot:

Customer interaction with the brand is all about building trust. Therefore any chatbot UI and UX design needs to be designed so that it is upfront about itself being a bot.

Otherwise, the customers’ expectations will be higher, and there is a risk of losing the query.

The right foot forward:

The first greeting and the impression the bot sets matter. So, the greeting should make it clear that the customer or user is speaking to a bot and the limitations.

Show the possibilities where you can:

A good chatbot UI and UX design can anticipate and offer possible conversation paths through suggested responses. Moreover, the suggested responses can be followed by actionable commands that further make the user comfortable in the ongoing conversation. Another advantage of giving suggestions is that it will help limit the scope of the conversation to relevant topics.

Admitting when the bot fails:

There needs to be an understanding that the bot has limitations and will fail to satisfy the user’s needs. But anticipating this and creating different types of error messages can help avoid customer frustration in case of the same repeated message.

Media elements:

It is quite common for various platforms to offer options to include images, GIFs, and even videos in some cases in a message. The question here is that how much should be used by your bot in a conversation. The answer depends on the target audience and context governing your chatbot UI and UX design.

The Interface:

A robust UX design is excellent, but it needs a proper interface to shine. There is no need for cool tricks or gimmicks. It all comes down to the overall aesthetic. Keep the reply simple and to the point. One thing to avoid at all costs is long paragraphs. They are overwhelming and usually result in the user leaving the conversation.

A few more things to keep in mind for a chatbot UI design:

• Structured responses like the suggested topics and actionable buttons are a good way to create a first impression and break the ice.

• Autocomplete suggestions.

• An indicator to donate when the bot is searching for answers to the response. It reduces impatience because the user has a visual indicator that their query is being processed.

• GIFs and images where relevant can help create a more friendly tone.

• For websites, having a well-defined and visible trigger for the chatbot makes it easier for the user to initiate an interaction.

So get in touch with us today to help you get the best chatbot UI and UX design solution!