Mycroft AI
  • Documentation
  • About Mycroft AI
    • Why use Mycroft AI?
    • Glossary of terms
    • Contributing
    • FAQ
  • Using Mycroft AI
    • Get Mycroft
      • Mark II
        • Mark II Dev Kit
      • Mark 1
      • Picroft
      • Linux
      • Mac OS and Windows with VirtualBox
      • Docker
      • Android
    • Pairing Your Device
    • Basic Commands
    • Installing New Skills
    • Customizations
      • Configuration Manager
      • mycroft.conf
      • Languages
        • Français (French)
        • Deutsch (German)
      • Using a Custom Wake Word
      • Speech-To-Text
      • Text-To-Speech
    • Troubleshooting
      • General Troubleshooting
      • Audio Troubleshooting
      • Wake Word Troubleshooting
      • Log Files
      • Support Skill
      • Getting more support
  • Skill Development
    • Voice User Interface Design Guidelines
      • What can a Skill do?
      • Design Process
      • Voice Assistant Personas
      • Interactions
        • Intents
        • Statements and Prompts
        • Confirmations
      • Conversations
      • Error Handling
      • Example Interaction Script
      • Prototyping
      • Design to Development
    • Development Setup
      • Python Resources
      • Your First Skill
    • Skill Structure
      • Lifecycle Methods
      • Logging
      • Skill Settings
      • Dependencies
        • Manifest.yml
        • Requirements files
      • Filesystem access
      • Skill API
    • Integration Tests
      • Test Steps
      • Scenario Outlines
      • Test Runner
      • Reviewing the Report
      • Adding Custom Steps
      • Old Test System
    • User interaction
      • Intents
        • Padatious Intents
        • Adapt Intents
      • Statements
      • Prompts
      • Parsing Utterances
      • Confirmations
      • Conversational Context
      • Converse
    • Displaying information
      • GUI Framework
      • Show Simple Content
      • Mycroft-GUI on a PC
      • Mark 1 Display
    • Advanced Skill Types
      • Fallback Skill
      • Common Play Framework
      • Common Query Framework
      • Common IoT Framework
    • Mycroft Skills Manager
      • Troubleshooting
    • Marketplace Submission
      • Skills Acceptance Process
        • Information Review Template
        • Code Review Template
        • Functional Review Template
        • Combined Template
      • Skill README.md
    • FAQ
  • Mycroft Technologies
    • Technology Overview
    • Roadmap
    • Mycroft Core
      • MessageBus
      • Message Types
      • Services
        • Enclosure
        • Voice Service
        • Audio Service
        • Skills Service
      • Plugins
        • Audioservice Plugins
        • STT Plugins
        • TTS Plugins
        • Wake Word Plugins
      • Testing
      • Legacy Repo
    • Adapt
      • Adapt Examples
      • Adapt Tutorial
    • Lingua Franca
    • Mimic TTS
      • Mimic 3
      • Mimic 2
      • Mimic 1
      • Mimic Recording Studio
    • Mycroft GUI
      • Remote STT and TTS
    • Mycroft Skills Kit
    • Mycroft Skills Manager
    • Padatious
    • Precise
    • Platforms
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  1. Skill Development
  2. Voice User Interface Design Guidelines

Error Handling

Inevitably, the user will say something that your skill can’t handle. It’s best not to think of these as errors on the part of the user, remember there aren’t really errors in conversations. Conversations are naturally cooperative with both parties seeking to continue to a successful outcome. Keeping that in mind you should do your best to avoid Error Handling that is a dead-end.

Avoid

Speaker

User

Timer

Mycroft

I'm sorry I can't help you with that

Better

Speaker

User

Timer

Mycroft

A timer for how long?

User

5 minutes

In the first example Mycroft does not give the user any options to finish the job they set out to do. Try to avoid situations where the user has to start the conversation over.

Help, Cancel, and Stop

When designing your skill it's best to think about the universal utterances, help, cancel and stop. At any point while interacting with the user should be able to say “help” to get assistance using the skill. Even if the help is quite simple. In practice

PreviousConversationsNextExample Interaction Script

Last updated 5 years ago

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