3 ms·

As an example, I just needed the routing number for my account to make a payment. I was like, “shit, where is that in the app again”, but had just made this com

by thrav 6y ago

As an example, I just needed the routing number for my account to make a payment. I was like, “shit, where is that in the app again”, but had just made this comment, so I hit help, and typed “routing number”, and it immediately responded with the routing number in big bold letters. (https://imgur.com/a/raXEyO3 https://imgur.com/a/raXEyO3) The point is to eliminate the need to work to find stuff.

eloisius 6y ago
And I just typed “USAA routing number” into google and got the same result. I’m not opposed to having searchable customer support for this kind of information, I just don’t like going through the clumsy dialog charade to accomplish common tasks that require input of data.
- thrav 6y ago
  Obviously that example can be replicated in a Google search, but that doesn’t invalidate the value of the same concept applied to protected information.
  - eloisius 6y ago
    Again, not against having fake robot chat as a an add-on to help surface context-specific information, or even complete complex tasks if you prefer to do so, but to me it feels like a step backwards if it _replaces_ traditional HCI. It feels like the reverse of when we went from navigating phone trees and talking to humans to using a website to do a simple task like "change my mailing address." The advent of being able to do those kind of things online was what drew me to online banks like Ally over traditional banks. It's so much more efficient. Now it feels like things are regressing back to awkward synchronous interactions, sometimes complete with artificial pauses and "typing" bubbles to make it feel more human. Too bad the agent you're interacting with is too dumb to let you correct simple typos without having to figure out how to re-enter whatever process you're in. We have sophisticated data inputs that we've developed for decades. Tons of usability and accessibility thought has gone into things like how someone can select a date, or input a number. Throwing all that away for a dumb NLP chatbot because "Wow! AI!" is a shame. Tack on a glorified search interface that looks like a support rep with an IQ of like 20 if you like, but please don't funnel me into it when I'm already on your site or app and I've purposefully selected a menu item like "close my account."

by thrav 6y ago

eloisius 6y ago

And I just typed “USAA routing number” into google and got the same result. I’m not opposed to having searchable customer support for this kind of information, I just don’t like going through the clumsy dialog charade to accomplish common tasks that require input of data.

thrav 6y ago
Obviously that example can be replicated in a Google search, but that doesn’t invalidate the value of the same concept applied to protected information.
- eloisius 6y ago
  Again, not against having fake robot chat as a an add-on to help surface context-specific information, or even complete complex tasks if you prefer to do so, but to me it feels like a step backwards if it _replaces_ traditional HCI. It feels like the reverse of when we went from navigating phone trees and talking to humans to using a website to do a simple task like "change my mailing address." The advent of being able to do those kind of things online was what drew me to online banks like Ally over traditional banks. It's so much more efficient. Now it feels like things are regressing back to awkward synchronous interactions, sometimes complete with artificial pauses and "typing" bubbles to make it feel more human. Too bad the agent you're interacting with is too dumb to let you correct simple typos without having to figure out how to re-enter whatever process you're in. We have sophisticated data inputs that we've developed for decades. Tons of usability and accessibility thought has gone into things like how someone can select a date, or input a number. Throwing all that away for a dumb NLP chatbot because "Wow! AI!" is a shame. Tack on a glorified search interface that looks like a support rep with an IQ of like 20 if you like, but please don't funnel me into it when I'm already on your site or app and I've purposefully selected a menu item like "close my account."