# The Ultimate Guide to Conversational Design Mar 5, 2021 12 Min READ **Illustration: Jana Pérez** ## TABLE OF CONTENTS - [The Rise of Conversational Interfaces](https://landbot.io/blog/guide-to-conversational-design#section-1) - [What is Conversational Design?](https://landbot.io/blog/guide-to-conversational-design#section-2) - [The Three Pillars of Conversation Design](https://landbot.io/blog/guide-to-conversational-design#section-3) - [Common Elements of Conversational UI](https://landbot.io/blog/guide-to-conversational-design#section-4) - [Conversational Interface Design: Where to Start](https://landbot.io/blog/guide-to-conversational-design#section-5) - [Do’s and Don’ts of Conversational Design](https://landbot.io/blog/guide-to-conversational-design#section-6) ### Introduction Conversation has become the new “king” of online marketing. Customers no longer want to passively consume polished advertising claims. They want to take part, they crave to experience what your brand is about. Even more, they want to feel an emotional connection that solidifies their choice. The [**experience economy trend**](https://landbot.io/blog/online-business-challenges-in-experience-economy) **has changed the marketing landscape**, bringing us to conversational design. The talk of conversational UI design is not entirely new, yet the increasing ease with which we can create these experiences has opened this topic to a much broader audience. While we have mastered online content, many business and professional writers struggle with creating conversations. ## 1. The Rise of Conversational Interfaces: What Can We Learn from Texting? Stats clearly show that our society has become strangely fond of texting and messaging, with the number of monthly texts sent having [increased by over 7.700%](https://www.statisticbrain.com/text-message-statistics/) in the US. In fact, 97% of Americans text a [minimum once a day](https://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/). Texting has become truly immersive. According to a study by Twilio, an incredible 82% of consumers keep messaging notifications ON, and an average person has three messaging apps on their smartphone home screen. ### Why Are We So Compelled to Read, Answer, and Respond? Erika Hall, in her book _Conversational Design_, argues that the attraction of texting has little to do with high-production values, but rather, it’s the always-accessible social connection, brevity, and unpredictability of chat that triggers the release of dopamine. Consumer fascination with chatting has led businesses and marketers to believe that conversation is the best model to engage our ever-more fleeting attention. This conversational approach has begun to win over consumers globally. ## 2. What is Conversational Design? Conversation design is not just writing down text in a conversational format; it combines several disciplines, including [copywriting](https://landbot.io/blog/copywriting-lessons-dave-harland), UX design, interaction design, and visual design. Designing a conversation effectively requires understanding best practices and creating logically sound conversational flows that capture the entire user experience. ## 3. The Three Pillars of Conversation Design ### I. Cooperative Principle This principle focuses on effective communication relying on underlying cooperation between participants. For conversations to feel natural, both sides must respect conversational implicature, allowing for significant shortcuts in communication. ### II. Turn-Taking Turn-taking is vital for functional conversations. Many first-time bot designers forget to allow users space to interact. If you send messages without giving the user a chance to respond, it can disrupt the conversation flow. ### III. Context Design conversations that work for users in their context. You need to consider the user’s emotional state and the type of interaction they require. ## 4. Common Elements of Conversational UI - **Greeting**: The bot introduces itself and its function. - **Ending**: Natural closure to the conversation. - **Question**: Engages the user by narrowing the focus. - **Acknowledgment**: Confirms the bot received the user’s input. - **Informational Statement**: Provides general information, an overview, or a menu of options. - **Suggestion**: Helps the user make a decision. - **Apology**: Should be followed by an alternative option. - **Command**: Clearly communicates user requests. - **Confirmation**: Verifies the bot understands the user’s input. - **Error**: Manages errors gracefully to maintain user confidence. - **Buttons**: Visual elements that guide the conversation. - **Audio-Visual Elements**: Use of media to enhance the conversation experience. ## 5. Conversational Interface Design: Where to Start ### Define the Audience Defining the audience you expect to interact with your bot will help you avoid designing solely based on personal goals. Solicit crucial questions and create user personas based on real data. ### Define the Role and Type of Your Chatbot When defining use cases, consider technical limitations, level of effort, timeline, and budget. ### Design Your Chatbot Persona A chatbot persona gives human-like qualities to your system. Define its tone, level of politeness, and writing patterns. ### Outline Dialogue Flow Create a basic outline of the dialogue flow before writing the script. This will help identify paths and ensure natural conversation. ### Start Writing Your Script Once the flow diagram is in place, expand and perfect your script, keeping the bot persona in mind. ## 6. Do’s and Don’ts of Conversational Design - **Be Conversational**: Avoid plain statements; make it feel like a living character. - **Use Greet and Ending**: Always start and conclude conversations politely. - **Keep It Short and Sweet**: Be concise; avoid long text chunks. - **Use Emoji and Rich Content**: Sensibly incorporate these elements. - **Design for Multiple Channels**: Create independent, human-centered systems for various formats. - **Be Transparent**: Keep customers informed about processes and allow them to make corrections. - **Avoid Teaching Commands**: Conversations should feel natural. - **Don’t Leave Dead Ends**: Connect every conversation thread logically. - **Stay in Character**: Maintain the persona throughout interactions. ### Conclusion To improve conversion rates through chatbot automation, businesses should focus on effective conversational design. Understanding user needs and behaviors will enhance engagement and satisfaction.