research about dialogue and dialogue systems and the department of linguistics goal: –develop theories about human dialogue which can be used when building dialogue systems –explore the use of dialogue systems as interfaces to applications and services Some projects –TRINDI: Task-Oriented and Instructional Dialogue –SIRIDUS: Specification, Interaction and Reconfiguration in Dialogue Understanding Systems –D´Homme: Dialogues in the Home Environment

From menu to dialogue Staffan Larsson Institutionen för lingvistik Göteborgs Universitet

Background Many applications and services have menu-based interfaces –mobile phone –video –computer –automatic cinema ticket booking via phone But menus have certain disadvantages Dialogue systems provide more user- friendly interfaces

Overview GoDiS: a dialogue system Meny vs. dialogue Menu components Dialogue plans Converting menus to dialogue plans Examples

GoDiS: a dialogue system dialogue manager –implemented using the information state approach –based on a theory about dialogue based on ”Questions Under Discussion” and dialogue plans –allows flexible dialogue

GoDiS architecture modules: –speech recogniser –language interpreter –dialogue manager –language generator –speech synthesis Information state resources –lexicon, database, domain knowledge

input inter- pret Information State lexicon control updateselect gene- rate output data- base domain

Typical human-computer dialog in a travel agency S: Hello, how can I help you? U: I want price information please S: Where do you want to go? U: Paris S: How do you want to travel? U: A flight please S: When do you want to travel U: April S: what class did you have in mind? … S: The price is $123

Typical human-human dialogue S(alesman), C(ustomer) S: hi C: flights to Paris S: when do you want to travel? C: April, as cheap as possible...

Flexible dialogue with GoDiS in the travel agency domain answering question which have not yet been asked, but which are relevant to some task –S: when do you want to travel? –U: in April, as cheap as possible providing information without specified task –S: hello –U: flights to Paris

Menus vs. dialogue: Drawbacks of menus User must follow predesigned menu structure this structure may be complicated and difficult to learn menus allow only one activity at a time

Menu vs. dialogue: Advantages of flexible dialogue provide information in any order provide information without pre- specifying the task doing several things at once not necessary to learn menu structure

Menu components multiple-choice list –the user selects one of several prespecified choices dialogue window –user types requested information tickbox –user ticks box (or not) system message –information from system; user clicks ”OK”

Sample menu from a Noka 3210 search phonebook –dialogue window to type in name Name: _______ –message showing the number Kalle –tickbox: whether to call this person Call –if a call is made, a message: Calling

Dialogue plans dialogue plans are partial specifications of how the system should act in a dialogue –action sequences, conditions etc Actions: –find the answer to a question –answer a question –inform –search database –domain-specific actions, e.g. phone up number

Questions yes/no-question –” Do you want to call NN?” wh-question: who, what, which.... –”Who do you want to search for?” alternative-question –”Do you want to search, add to, erase from or change the phonebook?”

Converting from menu to dialogue plan MenuPlan multi-choice listalternative question tickboxyes/no-question dialogue windowwh-question messageinform

the menu again search phonebook –dialogue window to type in name –message showing the number –tickbox: whether to call this person –if a call is made, a message

corresponding plan 1 question: what name? 2 search database for NUMBER matching the name 3 answer: the number is (NUMBER) 4 ask: do you want to call? 5 if yes then call up number:NUMBER inform: calling NAMN

another plan: assign ringing tone 1 ask: what name? 2 ask: which ringing tone? 3 assign the ringing tone to the name 4 inform: the ringing tone for (NAME) is no (RINGING TONE)

Example 1: standard menu navigation U:Go to the phonebook S: Phonebook. Do you want to search, add, or remove an entry, or assign a ringing tone? U: Assign ringing tone S: What name? U: John S: Which ringin tone? U: Bossanova S: The ringing tone for John is now Bossanova.

Example 2: providing information which has not been asked for U: Assign ringing tone S: What name? U: Bossanova for John S: The ringing tone for John is now Bossanova.

Example 3: provide information without assigning task(I) U: Bossanova for John S: The ringing tone for John is now Bossanova.

Example 4: provide information without assigning task (II) U: 5 o’clock S: Do you want to set the clock or the alarm clock? U: alarm clock S: the alarm clock is now set to 5

Example 5 (video): system requests missing information U: record from 19:30 to 20:00 today S: What channel? U: Seven S: OK, I will record channel 7 from 19:30 to 20:00 today.

Demo GoDiS has been adapted to several domains, including –travel agency –mobile phone interface (course project) –interface to intellegent house –cinema ticket booking (MA thesis) –internet search (MA thesis) –telephone receptionist We will give a demo of the mobile phone interface

demo GoDiS i resebyrådomänen F317

Dialogplaner handling: A handlingssekvens: A 1,A 2,..., A n villkorssatser: –if_then(P,C) P är ett villkor Om P är uppfyllt, gör C