21st May 2019
How might we...
...use the limited design palette of conversational interfaces to save a visitor time on their next visit, while handing them control of what data is collected and stored?
Tailored data controls on messaging platforms
Conversational interfaces allow hotel guests to review app-collected data about themselves in a time-efficient, understandable way.
Product Context
Vouch participated in the TTC Labs Data Innovation Program, which was part of the first season of Startup Station Singapore in partnership with IMDA.
Vouch is an AI-powered chatbot concierge.
Used by businesses like hotels, tourist attractions, and universities, their platform interprets and answers common guest and visitor questions via popular text chat platforms.
Vouch currently collects basic social profile information on people when they first interact with concierge chatbots powered by their service.
Problem & Opportunity
By remembering key details from previous visits and adjusting a guest’s profile accordingly, an opportunity exists here to offer repeat visitors or guests a more personalised and tailored experience at venues running Vouch’s platform.
At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that an “AI-powered concierge” will be a new concept for most people. To put them at ease and keep them informed, the service must clearly offer both transparency around what data is stored by the platform and control over which exactly which data points make up their visitor profile.
Team Vouch develop their ideas from initial sketches
Design Features
Surfacing behavioural data in a ‘type of traveler’ profile
A Vouch-powered concierge can use a “type of traveller” profile to roll up the behavioural data a guest generates during their stay, and present it back to them in a human way.
A conversational UI allows the guest to see and manage the individual components of that profile.
Design Features
Translating guest actions to profile components
By using a suite of popular presets, Vouch can lean on the interfaces and interactions chat platforms make available to save time for a returning visitor, while still giving that visitor complete control over the data they hand over.
Surfacing data like this is a human way to create a fairly tailored profile for visitors from just a few data points, none of which are particularly sensitive.
Importantly, guests are given a clear link between each part of their profile and a request that they made through the Vouch concierge during their stay, as well as an option to remove any or all of these profile settings.
Design Features
Checking in on profile information over time
Working within the ecosystem of a third-party platform, it seems difficult at first to set or manage a profile or preferences — there’s no settings menu or other visually obvious way to get to these things.
We can work around this, and create a more active engagement between a guest and the data a platform collects on them, by actively checking in with a guest about their profile information every time it might be added to or used by the hotel.
Next steps
As with many emerging services or interaction models, it is important to acknowledge that a chatbot concierge might be a new idea for many visitors.
Being as clear as possible about where data was collected or inferred from, as well as giving guests the chance to review and amend or remove this data at every available point, sets up visitors for a clear and trustworthy relationship with the hotel or venue.
How might we build on Vouch’s ideas to explore how we can use a combination of simple inferred preferences to build rich and useful profiles that ultimately enhance someone’s experiences across other types of services and businesses?
