Chat UI
ant @ stock.adobe.com
Popularly known as a chatbot, short for "Conversational Robot," this chat interface uses Natural Language Processing so that the program communicates with humans through plain text sentences in regular language, adapting accordingly to the conversational paths. A Chat UI is typically used for customer service for companies, but can also be used for other purposes, such as employee support or patient journey.
In its simplest form, a Chat User Interface is rule-based and works on an "if-then" logic— when certain words are said, typed, or selected, the machine answers are pre-defined. More advanced versions are based on Machine Learning, making the software's responses adaptable according to the user's inputs. The interface can be plainly text-based like a regular chat screen, or be presented in more advanced formats like voice or even an Avatar.
Such applications have become mainstream over the past years with the incorporation of dominating messaging apps, allowing brands and institutions to connect more efficiently with users at scale. Native services in brands and governments' websites can also apply the same premise of a chatbot to automate consumer services and other processes that once needed a human employee to perform.