Introduction to Conversational Interfaces

How do you know if you’re talking to a human or a machine?

From corporate chatbots to our everyday interactions with Alexa and Siri, conversational interfaces (where a computer can reply to instructions using natural language) have become increasingly commonplace – and hard to spot.

On this course, you’ll get an introduction to conversational and voice-based interfaces, discovering how they developed and what people working in this field think about them.

You’ll explore how they can be designed and developed effectively and responsibly, and learn about the skills and design thinking you need to develop a successful conversational interface.

Featured in the UK government’s The Skills Toolkit collection.

This course is for anyone interested in new technology, with a focus on exploring conversational and voice-based interfaces and how audiences engage with them, whether you’re a student or looking for a career in computer programming.

You might also be interested in the other courses in the Essential Creative Technologies collection from UAL Creative Computing Institute, Lancaster University and the Institute of Coding.

To take part in this course you’ll need a device such as a laptop or tablet with access to the internet.

This course is for anyone interested in new technology, with a focus on exploring conversational and voice-based interfaces and how audiences engage with them, whether you’re a student or looking for a career in computer programming.

You might also be interested in the other courses in the Essential Creative Technologies collection from UAL Creative Computing Institute, Lancaster University and the Institute of Coding.

• Describe what conversational interfaces are and how the technology works at a basic level.
• Summarise the main developments and history of conversational interfaces.
• Compare different types of conversational interfaces and identify good use cases for the technology.
• Explain the benefits of using a conversational interface.Â
• Identify the skills required to create a good conversational interface.
• Discuss the ethical considerations around designing conversational interfaces.