Designing for Connection in Chatbot User Experiences

Key areas covered in this session:

• The Role of Character Design in AI – How different approaches (fully immersive like Replika vs. abstract like Gemini’s diamond) impact user trust, engagement, and emotional connection. Connection is key especially when introducing new offerings like a LLM + EFM model.
• Emotional AI & UX – How subtle design choices influence how users perceive and interact with AI.
• Case Study: Telli – The dilemmas and design decisions behind creating a character to serve as the "face" of an advanced AI system.
• The Ethics of AI Personas – The risks of reinforcing stereotypes (e.g., the default feminized “assistant” trope) and how we can create AI personalities that feel both engaging and responsible.

Key Learnings:

• Advanced UX considerations for AI-driven character design.
• How AI personality, voice, and interaction style shape user engagement.
• Ethical frameworks for crafting AI personas that feel trustworthy and emotionally intelligent.

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