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Monika Khanna

Talk to the system as if you’re talking to someone you know! If you’re curious to know the principles of writing and designing digital assistants, you’re in the right place. This course will teach you to design a conversation-based experience.

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Talk to the system as if you’re talking to someone you know! If you’re curious to know the principles of writing and designing digital assistants, you’re in the right place. This course will teach you to design a conversation-based experience.

Create a digital assistant app with meticulous care for users to get a service at their doorstep. In this course, Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture, you’ll learn to design a human-centric content strategy. First, you’ll explore conversational design. Next, you’ll discover the right balance of voice and tone of the digital assistant. Finally, you’ll take your writing skills to the next level to make significant and helpful conversation. When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge needed to design and write conversations for chatbots or voice assistants to engage your audience.

What's inside

Syllabus

Course Overview
Conversational Design
Building Blocks
Strategizing Assistants
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Appropriate for students and professionals designing or developing digital assistants or chatbots, as it provides guidelines and strategies for effective conversational design
Taught by Monica Khanna, who is an experienced instructor in digital design and user experience
Develops skills in human-centric content strategy and conversational design, which are essential for creating engaging and user-friendly digital assistants
May require prior knowledge or experience in conversational design or user experience design, as some concepts may be assumed

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Reviews summary

Strategic overview of digital assistant design

According to learners, this course offers a largely positive and excellent introduction to the strategic principles of designing digital assistants. Students highlight its strength in providing a human-centric approach, focusing on fundamental concepts like conversational design, voice and tone, and content strategy. While it delivers a solid foundational understanding suitable for beginners and non-technical professionals, some note that it remains a high-level overview and lacks in-depth technical detail or specific practical application, making it less ideal for those seeking hands-on implementation skills.
Offers a broad, non-technical perspective on the subject.
"The 'Big Picture' title is very accurate; it's broad but doesn't dive deep into specifics."
"It's a good course for conceptual understanding, but I found it quite high-level."
"If you're an absolute beginner looking for an overview, this is a good start."
Ideal for newcomers to conversational AI design.
"This course is excellent if you're new to the field and need a comprehensive introduction."
"I think experienced designers might find some parts redundant, but it's great for beginners."
"For someone starting out in conversational AI, this provides a clear, digestible foundation."
Emphasizes the strategic and content aspects of design.
"I particularly appreciated the focus on content strategy and establishing the right voice and tone."
"It's perfect for understanding the 'why' and 'what' of designing assistants, less on the 'how' to code."
"This course really helped me connect the dots on user-centric approaches for AI interactions."
Provides a strong conceptual understanding of the field.
"This course provided me with an excellent introduction to conversational design principles."
"I gained a solid foundational understanding of human-centric digital assistant design."
"It clarifies the strategic thinking behind crafting engaging conversations for AI."
Limited hands-on application or specific technical guidance.
"I was hoping for more practical application and less theory; it felt abstract at times."
"Disappointed by the lack of technical detail or guidance on specific prototyping tools."
"It explains what conversational design is, but not really how to do it effectively in a real-world scenario."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture with these activities:
Review voice and tone in existing chatbots
This activity will help you refresh your knowledge of different techniques in conversational design, and help prepare you for the upcoming modules.
Show steps
  • Identify 3-5 popular chatbots
  • Analyze their voice and tone
  • Identify the different techniques used to create their voice and tone
  • Note down your observations
Follow a tutorial on building a chatbot prototype
Prototyping is a key skill for creating effective digital assistants. This activity will provide you with hands-on experience in building a chatbot prototype, which will help you solidify your understanding of the concepts taught in the course.
Browse courses on Building Blocks
Show steps
  • Choose a chatbot building platform
  • Follow a tutorial on how to build a chatbot prototype
  • Implement the prototype
  • Test the prototype
  • Refine the prototype based on testing results
Volunteer as a chatbot assistant
Volunteering as a chatbot assistant will provide you with practical experience in designing and implementing chatbot conversations, allowing you to apply your knowledge in a real-world setting.
Browse courses on Conversational Design
Show steps
  • Find a volunteer opportunity at a chatbot company or organization
  • Train to become a chatbot assistant
  • Assist users with their chatbot inquiries
  • Gather feedback from users
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Participate in a peer review session on chatbot designs
Peer review sessions provide valuable feedback on your work and encourage critical thinking, enabling you to refine your chatbot designs and improve their effectiveness.
Browse courses on Conversational Design
Show steps
  • Find a peer or group of peers to participate in the review session
  • Present your chatbot designs to your peers
  • Receive feedback on your designs
  • Incorporate feedback into your chatbot designs
Design a chatbot prototype for a specific use case
This activity will allow you to apply the concepts you've learned in the course to a real-world scenario, helping you develop a deeper understanding of the design process.
Browse courses on Building Blocks
Show steps
  • Identify a specific use case for a chatbot
  • Design the chatbot's conversation flow
  • Create a prototype of the chatbot
  • Test the prototype with users
  • Refine the prototype based on user feedback
Compile a reference guide on best practices for designing digital assistants
Compiling a reference guide will help you synthesize the key concepts and best practices you've learned in the course, providing you with a valuable resource for future reference.
Browse courses on Conversational Design
Show steps
  • Gather materials from the course and other sources
  • Organize the materials into a coherent structure
  • Write summaries or explanations of the key concepts
Participate in a chatbot design competition
Participating in a competition will challenge you to push the boundaries of your chatbot design skills and expose you to a wider range of design approaches.
Browse courses on Conversational Design
Show steps
  • Find a suitable chatbot design competition
  • Design and develop your chatbot
  • Submit your chatbot to the competition
  • Attend the competition and present your chatbot

Career center

Learners who complete Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Chatbot Developer
Chatbot Developers may benefit from Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture. This course teaches how to design and build chatbots, which is essential for creating user-friendly and engaging AI-powered applications. Chatbot Developers who want to specialize in designing for digital assistants may find this course particularly helpful.
Conversational AI Engineer
Conversational AI Engineers may benefit from Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture. This course teaches how to design and build conversational AI systems, which is essential for creating user-friendly and engaging AI-powered applications. Conversational AI Engineers who want to specialize in designing for digital assistants may find this course particularly helpful.
Voice User Interface Designer
Voice User Interface Designers may benefit from Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture. This course teaches how to design voice-based user interfaces, which is essential for creating user-friendly and engaging voice experiences. Voice User Interface Designers who want to specialize in designing for digital assistants may find this course particularly helpful.
Speech Recognition Engineer
Speech Recognition Engineers may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture helpful. This course teaches how to design and build speech recognition systems, which is essential for creating AI-powered applications that can recognize and respond to human speech. Speech Recognition Engineers who want to specialize in designing for digital assistants may find this course particularly helpful.
Natural Language Processing Engineer
Natural Language Processing Engineers may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture helpful. This course teaches how to design and build natural language processing systems, which is essential for creating AI-powered applications that can understand and respond to human language. Natural Language Processing Engineers who want to specialize in designing for digital assistants may find this course particularly helpful.
AI Product Manager
AI Product Managers may benefit from Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture. This course teaches how to design and manage AI-powered products, which is essential for creating successful AI products. AI Product Managers who want to specialize in digital assistants may find this course particularly helpful.
User Experience Designer
User Experience Designers may benefit from Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture. This course teaches how to write and design digital assistants, which involves understanding user needs, creating a conversational experience, and writing natural language content. These skills are essential for UX Designers who want to create user-friendly interfaces and experiences.
Content Writer
Content Writers may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture helpful. This course teaches how to write for chatbots and voice assistants, which requires writing natural language content that is engaging and informative. Content Writers who want to specialize in writing for AI-powered applications may benefit from this course.
Data Scientist
Data Scientists may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture somewhat useful. This course teaches how to design and build data science systems, which can be used to create more intelligent and user-friendly digital assistants. However, Data Scientists may not need to know the specifics of designing for voice and chat-based interfaces.
Machine Learning Engineer
Machine Learning Engineers may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture somewhat useful. This course teaches how to design and build machine learning systems, which can be used to create more intelligent and user-friendly digital assistants. However, Machine Learning Engineers may not need to know the specifics of designing for voice and chat-based interfaces.
Interaction Designer
Interaction Designers may benefit from Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture. This course teaches how to design conversation-based experiences, which is essential for creating user-friendly and engaging interactive experiences. Interaction Designers who want to specialize in designing for voice and chat-based interfaces may find this course helpful.
Information Architect
Information Architects may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture somewhat useful. This course teaches how to organize and structure content for digital assistants, which can help Information Architects create more effective and user-friendly information architectures. However, Information Architects may not need to know the specifics of designing for voice and chat-based interfaces.
Product Manager
Product Managers may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture helpful. This course teaches how to design and manage digital assistants, which can help Product Managers create more successful products. Product Managers who want to specialize in AI-powered products may find this course particularly beneficial.
Technical Writer
Technical Writers may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture somewhat useful. This course teaches how to write for chatbots and voice assistants, which can help Technical Writers create more effective and user-friendly documentation. However, Technical Writers may not need to know the specifics of designing for voice and chat-based interfaces.
Software Engineer
Software Engineers may find Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture somewhat useful. This course teaches how to design and build digital assistants, which can help Software Engineers create more effective and user-friendly applications. However, Software Engineers may not need to know the specifics of writing and designing for voice and chat-based interfaces.

Reading list

We've selected 14 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Designing Digital Assistants: The Big Picture.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the principles and practices of conversational interface design, covering topics such as user experience research, interaction design, and natural language processing. It would be a valuable resource for students and practitioners interested in learning more about the field.
Provides a classic perspective on the design of everyday objects, from the perspective of human-centered design. It valuable resource for anyone interested in designing products and services that are both effective and usable.
Provides a practical guide to web usability, covering the key principles and best practices for creating effective and user-friendly websites. It valuable resource for anyone interested in designing websites that are both useful and enjoyable to use.
Provides a comprehensive overview of user experience (UX) design, covering the key principles and methods used to create effective and engaging user experiences. It valuable resource for anyone interested in the field of UX design.
Provides a practical guide to designing bots, covering topics such as bot personality, conversation flow, and natural language processing. It would be a valuable resource for students and practitioners interested in learning more about the field.
Provides a more technical perspective on conversational design, covering the underlying technologies and algorithms used to build conversational systems. It valuable resource for anyone interested in the technical aspects of this field.
Provides a practical guide to getting customers for a startup business. It covers the key principles and methods used to attract and retain customers, and valuable resource for anyone interested in starting a business or improving the success of an existing business.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the field of conversational informatics, covering topics such as natural language processing, dialogue management, and user experience. It would be a valuable resource for students and practitioners interested in learning more about the field.
Provides a classic perspective on the challenges faced by large organizations when it comes to innovation. It valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the factors that can lead to the failure of large organizations, and how to avoid these pitfalls.
Provides a practical guide to the lean startup approach, which customer-centric and iterative approach to building successful businesses. It valuable resource for anyone interested in starting a business or improving the success of an existing business.
Provides provides a comprehensive overview of the field of speech and language processing, covering topics such as natural language processing, computational linguistics, and artificial intelligence. It would be a valuable resource for students and practitioners interested in learning more about the field.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the field of deep learning for natural language processing, covering topics such as natural language processing, machine learning, and deep learning. It would be a valuable resource for students and practitioners interested in learning more about the field.

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