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WiscShop
Conversational agent using DialogFlow
Overview
WiscShop is a retail business that sells UW-Madison merchandise. I extended its web app interface by incorporating a conversational agent or chatbot that could process users' requests by voice or input text. This chatbot provides users with an interactive component that allows them to communicate directly with WiscShop for guidance and assistance.
My Role
Timeline
Toolbox
Team
User Research, Interaction Design
Nov 2019
DialogFlow, JavaScript
Individual
Problem
WiscShop has an existing web interface that allows customers to browse, review, and purchase products. However, not all users have the ability or time to navigate the interface without some level of support or guidance. It can be incredibly frustrating to users when an online retail platform cannot provide the real-world experience of asking directly for help in a physical store.
Research
To accurately understand user instincts and expectations when it comes to interacting with a shopping assistant, I conducted a bodystorming session with three volunteers. I chose bodystorming as the primary user research technique, since its combination of role-play and simulation would help me better understand the shopping context from the perspective of not only a customer but also a shopping assistant, for whom I would need to later design dialogue. To respect the privacy and preferences of the participants in the session, photos and video recordings of the session will not be released. However, here are some of the dialogues that took place during our bodystorming sessions:
Bodystorming Transcript Excerpts
Through these bodystorming sessions, I was better able to understand how users would likely make use of a shopping assistant. This research method also gave me a clearer sense of what users are expecting in terms of conversation and task flow.
Experience Design
After revisiting the bodystorming session footage with each of my participants, I synthesized a flow chart that best represents how a user would expect to navigate WiscShop's existing interface.
*Case study still in progress. Please contact me at vera.wei@gmail.com for more details.
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