AI Assistant Design Guide

Building an AI Assistant that works well and keeps users happy takes some smart thinking. Here are some helpful tips to guide you through the process:

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1. Don’t give your AI Assistant a human face

When you’re designing your AI Assistant, try not to make it look too much like a person. People might get confused and annoyed if they think they’re talking to a real human but it turns out to be a bot.

Instead, come up with a cool image or character that represents your brand.

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2. Define your AI Assistant tone and voice based on your target audience

Decide whether your Assistant should use formal or informal language. Should it make jokes, or should it keep the conversational professional?

No matter what you decide, keep its language simple so that users easily understand it.

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3. Proactive Greeting is a Must

Start off on the right foot by greeting users warmly. A friendly greeting sets a good tone for the conversation.

Also, make sure your greeting message is free of mistakes to keep things professional.

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4. Help your users with Cues

Buttons are handy for guiding users through the conversation without them having to type everything out. They make things easier, especially on mobile phones.

Make sure your buttons are clear and make sense in the context of the conversation.

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5. Message Chunking

Long messages can be hard to understand. Break them down into smaller parts to make them easier to read and respond to. This helps users stay engaged in the conversation.

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6. Design the right fallback message

Sometimes your AI Assistant might not know how to answer a question. That’s okay! Prepare backup messages that politely ask the user to rephrase or clarify their question.

Avoid generic answers like “I don’t understand” or “I missed what you said”. Come up with a creative response that suits your Assistant’s character and your brand.

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7. Test your chatbot the right way

Before you release your AI Assistant into the wild, make sure to test it thoroughly. Try out different scenarios and questions to see if it responds the way you want it to.

On Botstacks you can test your assistant on the sandbox while you are building it.

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8. Choose the right channel

Choose a messaging platform that your users already use, like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

These days, people don’t want to be forced to download yet another application to communicate with a brand. Using the messaging apps that people already know and love makes it easier for them to engage with you.