Conversational Interfaces is intended to bring together an interdisciplinary mix of students from the language technologies institute and the human computer interaction institute to explore the topic of conversational interfaces from a user centered, human impact perspective rather than a heavily technology centered one. In this course we will explore through readings and project work such questions as (1) What are the costs and benefits to using a speech/language interface? (2) When is it advantageous to use a speech/language interface over an alternative? (3) What are the factors involved in the design of effective speech/language interfaces, and what impact do they have on the user's experience with the system? (4) How do we evaluate the usability of a speech/language interface? (5) What have we learned from evaluations of speech/language interfaces that have already been built? To what extent does the data support the claims that are made about the special merits of conversational interfaces?
