Amanda Stevens On Being A Conversation Designer Detective & The Power Of In-house Designers

In this episode of Interview With An Expert, Jenn Etchegary sits down with Amanda Stevens. Amanda is the Director of Conversation Design, leading the conversation design team at Master of Code Global, a conversational AI firm with 5 offices worldwide. Her love of linguistics, seamless user experiences, and technology led her to the conversation design field. She has worked on and launched chat experiences for a multitude of channels including, SMS, Apple Messages for Business, Messenger, Google Business Messages, web and apps. Her work includes designing experiences for large and enterprise-level brands across an array of industries including T-Mobile, Ulta Beauty, Esso Canada, and Aveda.

Listen in as they talk about the importance of understanding the role of a conversational designer and what the future holds for the industry.

Episode Summary

• Amanda talks about how she got started in conversation design and the advancements that have happened since her first day on the job. 
• We break down the long list of steps needed when creating a bot.  The complete process from start to finish including what is needed from the bot. Breaking down, the more you understand the better your bot will be.
• We talk about the growth in hiring designers and the shortage there currently is, especially in North America. What foundations do you need to get started in this industry and who makes a great candidate. 
• Together we discuss the importance of tone and even punctuation within a chatbot.  How it can work with or against your brand and who you want your bot to really be while keeping diversity in mind. 
• Plus, learn about exciting new training for companies to avoid third-party hiring and use their internal team to stay on top of the industry. 

Episode Highlights

• [1:00] We discuss conversation design and how it has evolved
• [3:55] We discuss the role of a designer and their day to day process
• [8:15] We discuss recruiting conversation designers and the shortage of designers globally
• [12:10] We discuss courses available for learning and easy ways to stay on top of your game
• [14:25] We discuss chatbot branding from a marketing point of view
• [19:05] We discuss voice chatbots and the science behind voice frequencies 
• [21:50] We discuss where conversation design will be in the next 5-10 years
• [24:10] We discuss what companies can do to harness the power of AI without using third parties

Resource List

• Q Genderless Voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6g5KPkZjLU

Connect with Amanda

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandastevens14
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandastevens1/
• Websites: https://masterofcode.com/

Connect with Jenn: 

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferetchegary/  

Connect with The ChatC Group 

• Website: www.chatc.ai 
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chatc/ 
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/thechatcgroup 
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheChatCGroup 
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thechatcgroup/