{"id":188595,"date":"2023-07-14T16:14:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T16:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.rm.gfolkdev.net\/?page_id=188595"},"modified":"2023-07-14T16:14:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T16:14:27","slug":"sample-chapter-conversations-with-things","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/sample-chapter-conversations-with-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Sample Chapter: Conversations with Things"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is a sample chapter from Diana Deibel<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0Rebecca Evanhoe’<\/a>s book Conversations with Things<\/em>. 2021, Rosenfeld Media.<\/p>\n This conversation, held over a community Slack channel in 2018, is the origin of our friendship and this book. At the time, we were both about six years into careers in the tech industry. We finally felt like we knew what we were doing\u2014enough to start noticing where the technology was short-changing people, and enough to start getting opinionated about the conversational interfaces we worked on.<\/p>\n When you talk to technology and it answers back\u2014whether it\u2019s speaking or typing\u2014that\u2019s a conversational interface. A voice assistant like Siri? Conversational interface. A fridge that says you\u2019re low on milk when you ask? That\u2019s one, too. An interactive virtual reality game where you can talk with characters to advance the game? Yep. It\u2019s a broad term that encompasses nonhuman things that do their best to listen, speak, and chat similarly to the way humans do.<\/p>\n Since we met, conversational technology has only gotten even more ubiquitous: chatbots waving hi from the corners of websites and apps, smart speakers hanging out on countertops, people walking around talking to their watches and glasses. But we still see that the industry\u2019s approach tends to be technology-centered, rather than human-centered strange, considering conversational interfaces are supposed to be modeled after human communication. To us, this disconnect is a huge reason why these technologies aren\u2019t living up to the hype. But we remain fascinated with this work, and optimistic about its potential. Because you\u2019ve picked up this book, it seems like you\u2019re interested in conversational interfaces, too. Keep reading, and you\u2019ll learn everything you need to get started, including how to be a critical, ethical, inclusive thinker.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s begin with a look at what makes conversational interfaces unusual\u2014remarkable, even. First of all, conversational interfaces include lots of kinds of technology; there\u2019s a ton of variety. (Figure 1.1 gives a snapshot of devices that fall under this umbrella.)<\/p>\n Conversational interactions are different from, say, typing a question into Google; a search engine uses words, too, but it\u2019s not a conversational exchange. Here are some hallmarks of true conversational interfaces:<\/p>\n Conversational interfaces are powerful because people are language super-users. People learn language intuitively and use it all day, every day, in both speaking and reading. That\u2019s why these interfaces can be so effective: when people experience their technology talking to them, they click right into this easy mode. It\u2019s a deeply innate way to navigate interactions.<\/p>\n Conversation design is interdisciplinary, so its practitioners use a lot of jargon coming from different ‘elds\u2014and this jargon isn\u2019t standardized. We\u2019re word nerds, so for this book, we scrutinized what terms people used and where those terms came from. This book uses the term conversational interface broadly, to refer to talking technology, including both spoken and typed interactions. For aural interactions, we use these terms:<\/p>\n For text-based interactions (which necessarily involve a screen), we use these terms:<\/p>\n They have other key uses, too:<\/p>\n Conversational interfaces can accomplish things that screens alone can\u2019t. When they\u2019re designed well, they tap into human instincts and emotions, and they feel personal and familiar like no other form of technology. And building a conversational product is a hard, interdisciplinary puzzle\u2014who wouldn\u2019t want to solve a puzzle like that?<\/p>\n Speaking of bots in general, that little syllable has been used since the 1960s to denote \u201ca type of robot or automated device,\u201d according to the Oxford English Dictionary, thank you very much. We use the shorthand \u201cbot,\u201d or even \u201cthing,\u201d to refer to conversational interfaces or devices.<\/p>\n What about this sloppy meatball: artificial intelligence? We blame the media, corporate talking heads, and the public imagination for this one devolving into near meaninglessness. We\u2019ll take a stab at a definition that works for this book:<\/p>\n Sometimes this book uses conversational AIs to refer to more advanced systems that get closer to mimicking human intelligence.<\/p>\n Finally, the most important word we need to address: user.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in design, you\u2019re probably acclimated to an odd convention: refer to the people who are interacting with the technology\u2014the app, the website, the printer, the smart fridge\u2014as users. It\u2019s right there in the name: it\u2019s the U in UX. There\u2019s been well-founded pushback on the term in recent years. Criticism coming from grassroots UXers, as well as tech bigheads like Jack Dorsey, calls it out as dehumanizing, creating abstraction instead of highlighting the humanity in people the ‘eld is trying to center.<\/p>\n These are valid criticisms. This book employs user because in certain places, the term people felt too general, and we wanted to specifically connote someone using the technology being discussed. When the industry clicks on a better term, we\u2019ll be all in.<\/p>\n Conversation design falls under the umbrella of user experience (UX) design, so it\u2019s both human-centered and data-driven\u2014just with a tight focus on talking. Conversation designers are the practitioners of this craft, and they aim to help people and bots have good conversations, starting with what people need and how they use language to express those needs. They think in terms of scripts and flows and user journeys. (Figure 1.2 shows a literal sketch of a conversation design brainstorm. Beware!)<\/p>\n In simple terms, conversation designers usually do these things:<\/p>\n Conversation design has interdisciplinary roots. Its techniques stem from research on how people ingest, comprehend, and produce language\u2014which means conversation designers often come from diverse backgrounds like linguistics, sociology, psychology, neurology, and more. (And yes, it can take inspiration from the arts, like screenwriting, acting, poetry, and improvisation.)<\/p>\n If you\u2019re trying to find a conversation designer for your team, or wondering how you fit into the conversation design landscape, know that people with a wide and diverse set of backgrounds have this job. Greg Bennett, linguist and conversation designer, says that including these diverse perspectives are a strength, especially for language-driven products, \u201cBecause your lens on the world is going to be slightly different than mine, and your lens on how to use language will be slightly different, which reveals something that I can\u2019t see. That\u2019s the best part about it.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter where conversation designers come from, it\u2019s a crucial role, because conversational interfaces are a strange, ever-surprising form of technology. To get them right requires expertise, and without it, a lot of voice and chat interactions end up pretty unhelpful and frustrating. See Figure 1.3 for a sampling of tweets explaining what can happen when conversation design is left out.<\/p>\n Conversation design isn\u2019t easy. First, its users are still learning to trust conversational tech. They worry that voice assistants are \u201calways listening.\u201d They\u2019ve been burned before by an obtuse chatbot. They\u2019re traumatized from years of bad computerized phone systems. So designers face an uphill battle trying to build user trust.<\/p>\n Combine that with the fact that people really, really notice when bots can\u2019t hold up their end of the conversation. Most people are such natural language machines that any anomalies are obvious and jarring: that\u2019s why a crappy, stilted conversation feels so wrong. Everyone is a harsh critic, with the highest of expectations for the interface.<\/p>\n Throughout this book, you\u2019ll encounter an unfortunate truth: Because these technologies imitate people (and are created by people), they can be biased and harmful just as people can.<\/p>\n A common theme in technological bias is racism. Ruha Benjamin, author of Race After Technology<\/em>, sums up this potential for any technology: \u201cSo can robots\u2014and by extension, other technologies\u2014be racist? Of course they can. Robots, designed in a world drenched in racism, will find it nearly impossible to stay dry.\u201d1<\/sup><\/p>\n Conversational AIs have a complicated relationship with femininity, too. They are often criticized for \u201csexist overtones, demising of women in traditional feminized roles, and inability to assertively rebuke sexual advances,\u201d as authors Yolande Strengers and Jenny Kennedy wrote in their book The Smart Wife<\/em>.2<\/sup> This book gives several examples of where racial and gender bias rear their heads.<\/p>\n But these aren\u2019t the only forms of oppression a bot can put out there: they are just the ones with the most research thus far. Conversation designers need to understand intersectionality: \u201cthe complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups,\u201d according to Merriam-Webster. Lots of factors impact how people experience oppression and privilege, like sexual orientation and identity, disability, age, body size, and more.<\/p>\n This book calls attention to bias throughout. It\u2019s a complicated topic, but understanding where it surfaces and how it impacts people is integral to human-centered design.<\/p>\n 1 Ruha Benjamin, Race After Technology (Cambridge: Polity, 2019), 62.<\/em> From a business perspective, companies often misunderstand, underestimate, or simply ignore the need for conversation design.<\/p>\n These are commonly held viewpoints that may lead to trouble:<\/p>\n These viewpoints have repercussions. Rebecca did her fair share of \u201cchatbot doctoring\u201d\u2014being brought in as a consultant to save an ailing bot. More often than not, when she took a look under the hood, the whole bot had to be discarded, from soup to nuts, because of those assumptions.<\/p>\n That said, it\u2019s totally normal that users and businesses are still get- ting their sea legs with conversational interfaces\u2014the technology is still hitting its stride. And, by their very nature, conversations are hard to design because language is complex. That\u2019s exactly what this book will teach you, starting with the differences between human and mechanical conversations in the next chapter.<\/p>\n Of course, conversation design is unique. Think about it: You\u2019re creating a product that\u2019s modeled after the human mind and its ability to interpret and respond to language. That\u2019s a daunting task.<\/p>\n With good design and process, amazing conversational experiences are possible. Your chatbot or voice experience can be great right out of the gate. You could launch the world\u2019s most elegant talking dishwasher, or make a virtual debate coach. Your talking car could teach a million teens to drive! Your mental health bot could improve lives.<\/p>\n This is why being a conversation designer is fascinating: you get to think big about the complexity of language, the wildness of human behavior, and the inner workings of technology. It\u2019s weird and it\u2019s fun and it\u2019s hard. Never forget, though, that the ultimate goal of a conversational interface is for it to be good\u2014that is to say, easy to talk to, on human terms.<\/p>\n Back to Conversations with Things<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is a sample chapter from Diana Deibel\u00a0&\u00a0Rebecca Evanhoe’s book Conversations with Things. 2021, Rosenfeld Media. Chapter 1: Why Conversation Design? Rebecca: Hey, folks. Does anyone out there know how to make voice experiences more accessible? Diana: Yes, I heard a great talk about that a month ago. This is something I\u2019m trying to learn … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":150108,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/188595"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/150108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188595"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/188595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":188612,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/188595\/revisions\/188612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Chapter 1: Why Conversation Design?<\/h2>\n
\n \tRebecca<\/strong>: Hey, folks. Does anyone out there know how to make voice experiences more accessible?
\n \tDiana<\/strong>: Yes, I heard a great talk about that a month ago. This is something I\u2019m trying to learn more about, too. I\u2019d be happy to share my notes\u2014want me to send them to you?
\n \tRebecca<\/strong>: I\u2019d love to see your notes! Thanks for being so helpful.\n<\/ul>\nTerms Defined: Conversational Interfaces<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\nFigure 1.1<\/strong>
\nPick a conversation partner.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
Coming to Terms<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n
\n
\n
Coming to Terms<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n
Conversation Designers to the Rescue<\/h3>\n
\n
\nFigure 1.2<\/strong>
\nA page from a conversation designer\u2019s notebook.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nFigure 1.3<\/strong>
\nWhen Rebecca tweeted \u201cWhat can go wrong when voice or chat projects don\u2019t have a dedicated conversation designer?\u201d these three folks nailed it: Brooke Hawkins, conversation designer; Lauren Golembiewski, CEO and co-founder of Voxable; and Roger Kibbe, voice and conversational AI technologist.<\/em><\/p>\nContent Warning<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n2 Yolande Strengers and Jenny Kennedy, The Smart Wife (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2020), 11.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
The Last Word<\/h3>\n