Document an example of the dialogue that your chatbot may take with a user for each your three key tasks.

This exercise will help define the backbone of your bot and provide a starting point for your script.

1. All three tasks should start out the same, but quickly divert once the user triggers a path. Look at the example starting points in the template, but edit it with your chatbot dialogue and take it to the conclusion of an interaction.

2. Carefully consider the language the bot uses and how to structure clear prompts that will direct the conversation in a productive way.

3. While you are documenting this single instance of how a dialogue may go, start to think about the many ways the user may respond--you will have to deal with that in your final product.

4. Each team member should evaluate the sample dialogue (much like you would a paper prototype) by having two people individually follow your sample dialogue using the think-aloud protocol. Synthesize your results and define important decisions for chatbot design before coding begins.

Sample Dialogue Template​

Thinking Aloud from Nielsen Norman Group.

❏ Deliverables A document or slide that summarizes the results of your dialogue evaluation

Outline the features to program by priority--core features, enhanced features, and wish list features. You are creating a basic functional requirements document. Begin coding and maintain well organized code as you progress towards your first full demonstration.

Functional Requirements Examples

Core Features - The chatbot will have a customized background and font that differs from the template - The chatbot will handle a simple intoduction dialogue and save the user's name - The chatbot will present three buttons to the visitor to select one of three topics of interest - The chatbot will be able to search a dictionary of terms based on visitor input - ....add more core features Enhanced Features - The chatbot will be able to offer embedded videos to the user based on dictionary searches - The chatbot will provide further suggestions as a follow up to search results to expand the user's experience. - ...add more enhanced features Wish List - The chatbot will respond to voice input - The chatbot will save a history of interactions with a user. - .....

❏ Deliverable A document or slide that outlines your progressive development plan.

While the chatbot script (Rivescript) is your main method of controlling the flow of your chatbot dialogue, you will likely want to use a basic database to store tabular data that your chatbot could incorporate in it's service. For example, you may have a large dictionary of terms that a visitor may want to search through your chatbot, or maybe you develop a large set of study questions to quiz a visitor of your chatbot. There are a lot of possibilities.

You will find that providing a chatbot that is backed by a rich data source for people will take careful thought and multiple iterations. So getting a good start on your database will be very beneficial. Follow the instructions for managing a database for your team and make an intentional plan to develop your database of valuable facts for use in your chatbot.

You will have to think carefully and discuss with your team about what kind of data will be most valuable, along with how you can best format the data to make it useful in the chatbot.

❏ Deliverable Your properly formatted database that will support use in the chatbot. Items may continue to be added.

Conduct some basic code testing to verify that the app is acting as expected under different conditions. Ensure that everything works as expected on different size screens and with touch or mouse interactions.

Consider all the things a user might do with your chatbot--like common misspellings, sending an empty message, sending a seemingly random message, or maybe sending calls for help ("help", "reset", "what?", etc.)

Make a simple checklist of conditions you will test to verify that your chatbot works as expected and handles some unintended (but somewhat foreseeable) user responses. Then one by one test each condition while playing the part of a visitor that is new to your chatbot.

❏ Deliverable A document outlining the checklist and results of your code testing.

Based on your sample dialogue evaluation and pseudocode functions, code your Rivescript file in a methodical way by dividing up the chatbot tasks and prioritizing the features. You want to have your chatbot working early in the development process, then carefully add features and refinements, testing along the way.

❏ Deliverable A properly formatted Rivescript file functioning in your chatbot.

Create pseudocode for each programming function your chatbot will need to perform your defined tasks.

Resource: Pseudocode on Wikipedia

See the example pseudocode below as a guide. Don't worry about syntax. Pseudocode is meant to describe, in plain english, what you will need the computer to process.

function: calculate ingredient amounts for recipe    
    - read ingredient amounts for a single serving from database    
    - read number of servings desired by user    
    - multiply number of servings by the single serving amounts    
    - return result

❏ Deliverable

A document containing each functions pseudocode.

Create a simple document that outlines the style elements of your chatbot. You will want to determine the following elements, at a minimum, and document a description and visual samples of each when possible.

• Background color or image descriptions and visual samples

• Text font-family and font-size descriptions and samples (Consider using Google Fonts for a custom look)

• Text message "bubble" colors and styles for the chatbot messages and the user messages (you want them to look different)

• Sound effects - Describe any sound and how it will be used.

• Buttons - This would include the send message button as well as any other buttons you may use in your chat interface.

❏ Deliverable A style guide document.

Create a 3" x 5" marketing card. The marketing card will be a valuable lead-in to your chatbot that could be distributed physically or as a digital image. Think about what your elevator pitch would be for the game and make it visual.

❏ Deliverable A PNG image file of your marketing card.

Take this opportunity to wrap-up your trivia app the best you can in order to begin testing your chatbot in the next phase.

❏ Deliverable A slide set with a link to your prototype, a summary of evaluation results, a copy of your marketing card, and a link to your working chatbot. Prepare to demonstrate and present your background work.