UI, or User Interface, is how users interact with software or applications. A great UI can significantly boost user experience and business success, potentially increasing a website’s conversion rate by up to 200%.

In this article, we’ll dive into the essentials of chatbot UI and share some inspiring examples. Ready to transform the chatbot experience for your customers? Let’s get started!

What’s Chatbot UI and Why Is It Important in User Experience?

A well-designed UI can enhance the overall user experience (UX), here are the types of user interfaces for a chatbot: 

1. Text-Based Interfaces: As you can see from the world’s first chatbot, Eliza, developed in the mid-1960s by Joseph Weizenbaum at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, its interface was purely text-based and lacked the visual elements of modern chatbot UIs. However, it laid the foundation for future developments in human-computer interaction. 
2. Button-Based Interfaces: These interfaces provide users with predefined options in the form of buttons. Users can click on these buttons to navigate through the conversation, making it easier and faster to interact without typing. 
3. Voice-Based Interfaces: Voice-based chatbots allow users to interact using voice commands, oftentimes integrated with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. 
4. Graphical Interfaces: These interfaces include visual elements such as images, icons, and animations. They enhance the user experience by making the interaction more engaging and visually appealing. 

Features of Modern Chatbot Interfaces 

Since Eliza, chatbots have become increasingly more advanced, engaging, efficient, and user-friendly and evolved into AI-powered agents. Here are some of these features:

5 Beautiful Chatbot UI Examples

1. Voiceflow’s Tico 

Voiceflow is a free, no-code AI agent development platform trusted by over 250,000 teams. Tico, their AI customer support agent, features a user-friendly interface with a clean, intuitive layout that helps users quickly find answers. The “Was this helpful?” option allows Tico to gather real-time feedback and continuously improve.

Tico resolves 97% of support tickets effortlessly, using a rich knowledge base and smart query handling powered by GPT-4. Seamlessly integrating with existing systems, Tico reduces the need for human intervention, cuts support costs by 48%, and maintains a high customer satisfaction rate of 93%.

2. Roam

Roam’s UI, powered by Voiceflow, offers a friendly and intuitive experience with an AI chat agent that integrates seamlessly with a knowledge base. Users can effortlessly interact by selecting buttons instead of typing messages, making the process smooth and efficient. 

This setup has allowed Roam to fully automate their Level 1 support, quickly refine conversational designs, understand customer needs better, and ultimately save 30 hours of customer support time each week.

3. Home Depot

Home Depot’s “Virtual Assistant” uses natural language processing to understand customer queries and provide responses, 24/7. The interface is simple and conversational, with a chat window where the customer can type their questions. 

4. Expedia

As the Expedia CEO, Ariane Gorin, said, “AI will light up our industry like electricity did for the world.” The company introduced Expedia’s AI assistant, Romie, who can act as a travel agent, concierge, and personal assistant. It can even summarize group chats about trips and export that information to Expedia’s shopping experience, track potential disruptors like weather, and offer alternative suggestions. Romie’s UI is clean and intuitive, making it easy for users to explore, interact, and make purchases. 

5. Kuki AI 

Kuki AI (formerly known as Mitsuku) is an advanced AI-powered chatbot designed by Pandorabots to engage in realistic, human-like conversations. 

Kuki AI’s interface features a clean and intuitive layout, making interactions enjoyable and easy to follow. The chatbot’s expressive avatar adds a personable touch, enhancing user engagement by providing a more lifelike conversational experience. 

Tips for Creating Intuitive Chatbot Interfaces

Creating an intuitive chatbot interface starts with understanding your audience, making sure responses are tailored to their preferences, and using language they’re comfortable with. Here are our best tips and tricks for creating the best chatbot UI: 

• Design for mobile. Make sure that the chatbot is mobile-friendly, with a responsive design that works well on smartphones. 
• Provide visual aids. Use buttons and quick replies for common actions instead of requiring users to type responses. Include images, videos, and other media to enhance the chatbot’s responses and make conversations more engaging.
• Implement error handling. Design the chatbot to handle errors gracefully, provide helpful fallback responses, or redirect to a human agent if necessary. Allow users to give feedback on their experience to improve the chatbot continuously. 
• Design for accessibility. Provide alternative input methods, such as voice commands, for users who may have difficulty typing. 

The Best Tool for Building Chatbot UI with Ease

Trusted by over 250,000 teams, Voiceflow is the best tool for building chatbot UIs because it offers a no-code platform that makes it incredibly easy for anyone to create sophisticated chatbots without any programming skills.

Voiceflow’s intuitive interface allows teams to collaborate seamlessly, enabling designers, developers, and stakeholders to work together in real time. 

The best part? It’s completely free to get started. Check out our chatbot UI design templates and launch your chatbot in minutes! 

Frequently Asked Questions

How does chatbot UI differ from chatbot UX?

Chatbot UI (User Interface) is about the visual elements users interact with. This includes buttons, text fields, and design layouts. It’s what users see and click on. Chatbot UX (User Experience) focuses on the overall feel of the interaction. It includes how easy and enjoyable it is to use the chatbot. Good UX means the chatbot is intuitive, responsive, and helpful.

How can I customize the UI of my chatbot? 

Customizing your chatbot’s UI is easy. Start by choosing a design that matches your brand. Use your brand colors, fonts, and logo. Add buttons for common actions to make navigation simple. Include images and videos to make conversations engaging. Tools like Voiceflow let you do all this without coding. Just drag and drop elements to create the perfect look for your chatbot.

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