The tutorial serves the purpose of creating an interaction model to capture new or returning users by availing the functionality of Save Settings components, and thereby aims at presenting the inherent logic that controls the interaction flow. This interaction flow initiated via the Launch interaction checks whether the end user is a new user or a returning one.
This guided, step-by-step instructional tutorial is designed to help you build a tailored flow that will discern if it is a new or returning user accessing the custom skill. To produce the desired results, we make use of the Save Settings component alongside presenting a simplified version on how to implement a Delete Settings component if the requirements of the skill demands to remove the stored values in the Save Settings component.
Prerequisites
- VOGO Voice account: https://www.vogovoice.com/
- Access rights to the Interactions section.
- Access rights to the Interaction builder platform.
Steps to create an interaction flow
Let’s walk you through the basic steps on how to build an interaction model for a new or returning user of a custom skill.
1.Log into your VOGO Voice account to be directed to VOGO Voice Management Console (https://account.vogovoice.com)
2. Navigate to Interactions on the vertical bar displayed on the left-hand side of the Dashboard.
Dashboard > Interactions
3. Click on the Open button of the default Launch interaction card to be directed into the Interaction builder platform.
4.In the flow diagram area you will be able to see the Start and Response component.
5. Unlink the Start component from the Response card by clicking the delete icon placed in the middle of the chain.
6. Drag and drop the Check variable component onto the flow diagram area.
7.Connect the anchor symbol of Next on the Start component to the anchor symbol on the Check Variable component.
👍 Note: Before configuring the Check Variable component kindly bear in mind that the logic behind determining whether a user is a new or returning one is dependent on the value to be stored in the Save Settings component so that it may be called to action within or beyond an active session of the skill.
💡 Tip: The variable name used in the Save Settings and Check Variable in this interaction flow should be the same, the reason being when the Check Variable is put to use, it will evaluate the value stored in the Save Settings component to logically produce the expectant pathing.
8. Configure the Check Variable component with a test condition using the relational operator Exists to evaluate the value stored in the system through Save Settings.
1. Populate the left hand side of the Configuration window as in the screenshot shown below. Set the data type based on the input.
Left-Hand side: settings.hasVisited (choose data type as Path).
Upon testing the condition, the subsequent pathing will be modeled accordingly i.e. if the test condition returns true link the result to “Then” and if it returns false, link it to “Otherwise”.
9. Drag and drop a Response component onto the flow canvas and connect the anchor symbol of this Response card to the “Then” on the configured Check Variable component.
10.Roll the mouse over the Response component to see the voice, computer and camera icon on the top right-hand side of the component.
11.Click on the Voice icon of the Response card to open up the Speak pop-up window and type the voice action intended to be spoken to the user to provide a suitable response if the test condition returns true i.e. the Check Variable component upon evaluating the values stored in the system recognizes the user of the skill as a returning user.
Say: Welcome back to the Vocabulary Bingo game, a fun game to play and practice.
👍 Note: Ensure to click the Save button to save the interaction flow as and when edits are made.
To add a display message in a video-enabled voice-assisted device
- Click on the Computer icon, and type in a condensed version of the voice message in the field titled Display Message of the Show pop-up window.
- Populate the required fields and click the Save button.
Title: Vocabulary Bingo
Display Message: Welcome back to the Vocabulary Bingo game, a fun game to play and practice.
For further reference on how to populate the additional fields visit https://university.vogovoice.com/kb/guide-response-component/
12. Drag and drop the Save Settings component onto the flow canvas.
💡 Tip: Save Settings component can be used to save a numerical value that represents employee id, age, favorite number and the like. It can also be used to keep a counter of how many times they have done an action.
13. Chain the anchor symbol of Otherwise on the Check Variable component to the anchor symbol of the Save Settings component.
The tested condition of the Check Variable component using the relational operator Exists will return false if the user has never visited the skill before, thereby having its respective pathing linked to Otherwise.
To learn about the purpose and benefits of Save Settings component visit https://university.vogovoice.com/kb/save-settings/
14. Configure the Save Settings component by adding the key-value pair.
1. Add an arbitrary variable name to identify the value stored and assign a corresponding value to be called to function anytime within or beyond a session. Here, the key represents the variable hasVisited and the value assigned is 1 in order tocapture and save the initial visit of the user. Set the data type to String.
To know more about different data types, click here.
15. Drag and drop another Response card onto the flow canvas.
16. Link the anchor symbol of the Response card to the Next on the Save Settings component. 17. The Response card chained to Save Settings should have a voice message welcoming the new user to the skill. To type the voice action intended to be spoken to the user click on the Voice icon which will open up a Speak pop-up window with a field titled Say.
Say:Welcome to an incredibly fun game to play and practice, the Vocabulary Bingo game.
To add a display message in a video-enabled voice-assisted device
- Click on the Computer icon, and type in a condensed version of the voice message in the field titled Display Message of the Show pop-up window.
- Populate the required fields and click the Save button.
Title: Vocabulary Bingo
Display Message: Welcome to an incredibly fun game to play and practice, the Vocabulary Bingo game.
The screenshot below captures the aforementioned interaction flow.
Testing and Validation
Testing for existing user
1.Click on the Test button next to the Flow Editor button on the interaction builder platform.
2. In the Tests pop-up window that appears click the + button on its top right-hand corner.
3. Fill the Name field of the Test Response window that shows up.
4. In the Conversation section of the Test Response, the Launch interaction through which this interaction flow has been initiated will be auto-generated in the User invokes field as shown below.
5. Finally, click the Save button to save the input and perform the test.
6. To validate the Test Response, click on the lightning symbol on the left-hand side of the test case.
7. On the resultant Test Response window, the blue chat bubble will present the previously input message within the Response component to address the existing user.
8. Click on the chat bubble to see the details of the individual response.
Testing for new user
Repeat the same steps as carried out while performing Testing for Existing User with the only exception being to populate the User Settings section field with the key-value pair as defined in the Save Settings component.
To know more about testing an interaction refer https://university.vogovoice.com/kb/testings/
Congratulations! You have successfully created an interaction flow modeled upon the logic that will differentiate an existing user from a new user visiting the skill.
👍 Note: To test the functioning of the interactions on your device you have to deploy the custom skill to facilitate the skill with the new edits. To accomplish this, click on the Deploy button seen at the bottom of the Skill Settings pop-up window.
To know how to deploy a custom skill visit https://university.vogovoice.com/kb/deploying-a-skill/
How to Delete Settings in an interaction flow
Let’s say a returning user would like to experience the skill as a new user and not as an existing one. To render this unique experience VOGO Voice platform has created a Delete Settings component which when implemented in an interaction flow deletes the values saved in the Saved Settings thereby overwriting the built-in logic and routing the pathing of the interaction flow to suit the requirements of the user experiencing the custom skill. To emulate this model, first create the interaction flow exactly as stated in the first part of the tutorial by following the steps 1-10 . Then make the following additions and alterations as enumerated below before proceeding to steps 12-17 to successfully complete the present interaction flow.
11. In place of Step 11 of the previous interaction flow perform this step, the rest of the steps being the same as listed.
1. Configure the Response component by populating the Say field of the Speak pop-up window as follows:
Say: Welcome back to the Vocabulary Bingo Game.
2. Check the checkmark box in the Expect Response and type in the suitable Prompt message to proceed with the flow.
Prompt: Do you wish to continue as an existing user.
The same message will be replicated in the Reprompt field which can be edited for brevity, if needed.
Reprompt: Do you wish to continue as an existing user.
3. To set the predefined expectations as Yes/No click on Set Yes/No tab next to Expectations.
4. Drag and drop another Response component to the flow canvas and link its anchor symbol to the Yes on the already configured Response card. In the field titled Say input the responsethat the user must receive should he say Yes to the Prompt message.
Say: Happy to see you revisit the incredibly fun and classic Vocabulary Bingo game.
To add a display message in a video-enabled voice-assisted device
4.1. Click on the Computer icon, and type in a condensed version of the voice message in the field titled Display Message of the Show pop-up window.
4.2. Populate the required fields and click the Save button.
Title: Vocabulary Bingo
Display Message: Happy to see you revisit the incredibly fun and classic Vocabulary Bingo game.
5. Drag and drop the Delete Settings component onto the flow canvas and link its anchor symbol to the No on the Response component.
6. Configure the Delete Settings component to implement the task of deleting the value stored in the Save Settings component. The input value here being settings.hasVisited. Set the data typeto Path.
7. Connect the anchor symbol of the Delete Settings component to the topmost anchor symbol of the Check Variable component.
Upon completion of the respective flow, the interaction model should appear as shown below.
Testing and Validation
- Testing for existing user
Repeat the same steps as carried out while performing Testing for Existing User for the first interaction flow with the additions being, to click the plus button within the Conversation section to open up an additional field titled User Invokes to input Yes and then to populate the User Settings section field with the key-value pair as defined in the Save Settings component.
- Testing for new user
Repeat the same steps as carried out while performing Testing for Existing User for the first interaction flow with the only addition being, to click the plus button within the Conversation section to open up an additional field titled User Invokes to input No.
Congratulations! You have successfully created an interaction flow implementing the Delete Settings component to erase the values stored in the Saved Settings to create a unique experience for the user of the custom skill.
👍 Note: To test the functioning of the interactions on your device you have to deploy the custom skill to facilitate the skill with the new edits. To accomplish this, click on the Deploy button seen at the bottom of the Skill Settings pop-up window.
To know how to deploy a custom skill visit https://university.vogovoice.com/kb/deploying-a-skill/
- To access the tutorial on Visitor Counter, click here