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Huan: Introducing Chatbot and Conversational User Interface (CUI)

Huan Li Huan Li Follow Jan 20, 2021 · 4 mins read
Huan: Introducing Chatbot and Conversational User Interface (CUI)

Wechaty is an SDK that provides interface services for conversational user interface. Through RPA technology, it provides Chatbot developers with convenient instant messaging platform access services to create better Conversational AI conversational robots.

Why do we want to do Chatbot, what are the terms such as Chatbot that we often mention, and what are their advantages? This article hopes to be clear and concise:

  1. What is a chatbot
  2. What is Conversational User Interface (CUI)
  3. What Chatbots Can Do
  4. What is Conversational AI (CAI)
  5. CUI and Instant Messaging (IM)

What is a chatbot

Chatbot is a software capable of conversing with users through natural language.

Generally, Chatbots will run on existing instant messaging software platforms, such as Slack, WeChat, and DingTalk. It can also be directly embedded in a stand-alone website or a mobile phone APP.

What is Conversational User Interface (CUI)

A Conversational User Interface (CUI) is similar to the previous Graphical User Interface (GUI) that used buttons, input boxes, and scroll bars, but CUI interacts with the user by simulating human speech.

For example, a website is a graphical interface, which means that the main user interface is buttons, pictures, scroll bars, etc. In contrast, Chatbot is a conversational interface, and its main user interface is the conversation between the user and the software.

CUIs are so common these days that you’ve probably already used CUIs. For example, if you use an iPhone, you should have been in contact with Siri; if you often shop online, you should have been served by Xiaoer Robot on Taobao.

All of these services are designed with dialogue in mind. The goal of Design Conversation is to make it easy for humans to collaborate with computers. Instead of using traditional computer language, conversational bots allow users to complete tasks by “talking” to the computer as if they were other people.

What Chatbots Can Do

Chatbots can be used in many everyday tasks. For example, checking the weather and completing online orders; it can promote and sell products and increase user activity; it can also help you provide customers with real-time question answers and improve user experience.

Conversational bots can reduce personnel costs and improve customer service. Compared with human agents, its biggest advantage is that it can always reply in real time, and can reply to many people at the same time.

Developers can Chatbot develop the capabilities of existing employee positions in the company. Imagine Chatbot as a team member, able to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without getting paid; it can also be built as a comprehensive hand, and at the same time as a salesperson, marketing specialist, customer service agent, one person Stand alone and provide customers with one-stop all-round support.

What is Conversational AI (CAI)

Conversational interaction is the next-generation human-computer interaction interface of computer software systems with the continuous enhancement of artificial intelligence capabilities after computers change from text commands to graphical interfaces. The AI ​​capability provided for conversational user interfaces is Conversational AI (CAI).

The development of artificial intelligence is the basic driving force for dialogue robots to become stronger and stronger in recent years. The changes in the world in recent years have shown that these intelligent technologies are constantly learning and improving at a rate far beyond that of us humans.

CUI and Instant Messaging (IM)

Conversational user interface (CUI) also needs to adapt to various platforms, just like the existing Responsive Web Design interface needs to adapt to different screen resolutions and be compatible with computer mouse and mobile phone touch screen.

CUI is based on different platforms, and your Chatbot needs to adapt to the different characteristics of different platforms. In other words, you need to ensure that your users have a consistent experience accessing your conversational bot across different devices and platforms. Currently, the most popular conversation platforms include: WeChat, Whatsapp, Slack, DingTalk, Feishu, etc.

Conclusion

Chatbots are a new field with huge opportunities. Chatbots today are like web pages in 1996.

Large companies such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple have found that CUI can be an important way to expand users in the future. Such natural language-based Chatbots could soon replace a host of apps, allowing users to interact with their favorite digital services directly through language. Understanding Conversational User Interfaces (CUIs) is an important step in understanding future technological developments.

Chatbot is now iteratively upgraded, which will have a huge impact on the future of various business scenarios. You should never miss this great opportunity, build your own Chatbot as soon as possible today and use it to communicate with your customers in natural language to improve user experience!

Teaser image credit: What Is a Chatbot? The Full Guide to Chatbots in 2020

Learn more from Conversational RPA SDK Wechaty

Wechaty is an open-source SDK for providing API for Wahtsapp and WeChat individual/personal accounts based RPA technology.

You can start building your first chatbot on Whatsapp/WeChat by following our Getting Started Guide at https://wechaty.js.org/docs/tutorials/

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Written by Huan Li Follow
Creator of Wechaty, building chatbots for fun.