iNOUN: Architecture and Usability of a Chatbot for Academic Enquiries
Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Chatbots, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Usability, User Experience (UX), Dialog flow, Think Aloud Usability Evaluation Protocol, conversational UIAbstract
The use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based applications are increasingly influencing the daily lives of people in the modern world. In recent years, intelligent web user interfaces, virtual assistants, robotics, the internet of things, and automation have gained widespread popularity. In AI, the goal is to achieve and improve the machine's ability to emulate as many human abilities as possible. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) interfaces supported by artificial intelligence are used in many innovations intended to improve service delivery. As part of this study, a web-based virtual assistant chat robot (chatbot) named iNOUN was developed to provide human-like responses to academic and general questions about the National Open University of Nigeria for text and voice input. The conversational chatbot was designed using a content management system and Google's Natural Language Processing (NLP) framework (Dialog Flow) to understand and respond to end users' queries. The iNOUN chatbot prototype was successfully implemented on a web interface and could serve as a virtual assistant responding interactively to frequently asked questions from students. In order to evaluate the chatbot's usability, a user-experience survey was administered using Think Aloud Usability Testing. Survey responses and feedback by the participants on the chatbot based on the standard of the System Usability Scale were evaluated at the 77% percentile, which is a level above the average 67% percentile, indicating that users were relatively comfortable working with the Bot. Chat Bots are a giant step in transforming web interfaces to the next generation of digital experiences and engagement. Research and focus on developing AI tools aimed at delivering effective learner support and academic services are likely to hasten the realization of AI's full potential for expanding and enhancing educational practices.
Résumé
L'utilisation de logiciels à base d'intelligence artificielle (IA) influence, de plus en plus, la vie quotidienne des gens dans le monde moderne. Dans les années présentes, les interfaces utilisateur web intelligentes, les assistants virtuels, la robotique, l'internet of things et l’automatisme sont largement popularisés. En matière d'IA, l'objectif est de réaliser et de perfectionner la capacilité de la machine à émuler autant que possible les capabilités humaines. Les interfaces d'interaction homme-machine (IHM) assistées par l'intelligence artificielle sont utilisées dans de nombreuses innovations destinées à améliorer fourniture de services. Dans cette étude, un robot assistant virtuel (chatbot) à base de web, nommé iNOUN, a été développé pour fournir des réponses à caractère humain aux questions académiques et générales sur la National Open University of Nigeria, par le biais de la transmission de texte et de la voix. Le chatbot de conversation a été conçu en utilisant un système de gestion de contenu et le cadre de traitement du langage naturel (NLP) de Google (DialogFlow) pour comprendre et répondre aux questions des utilisateurs ultimes. Le prototype de chatbot iNOUN a été implanté avec succès sur une interface web et pourrait servir d'assistant virtuel répondant de manière interactive aux questions fréquemment posées par les étudiants. Afin d'évaluer la convivialité du chatbot, une enquête sur l'expérience des utilisateurs a été réalisée à l'aide du test de convivialité de Think Aloud. Les réponses à l'enquête et les commentaires des participants sur le chatbot basés sur la norme de l'échelle convivialité du système ont été évalués au percentile 77%, soit un niveau supérieur au percentile moyen de 67%, ce qui indique que les utilisateurs étaient relativement à l'aise pour travailler avec le Bot. Les chatbots constituent un grand pas vers la transformation des interfaces web à la prochaine dimension des expériences numériques et de la vie quotidienne. La recherche et la focalisation sur le développement d'outils d'IA visant à fournir un support efficace aux apprenants et des services académiques sont susceptibles d'accélérer la réalisation du plein potentiel de l'IA pour un élargissement et une amélioration des activités éducatives.
Mots clés: Intelligence artificielle (IA), Chatbots, interaction homme-machine (IHM), convivialité, expérience utilisateur (UX), Dialogflow, DialogFlow, protocole d'évaluation de la convivialité Think Aloud, interface utilisateur conversationnelle.
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