Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
The Development Stages of a Dialogue System
Once the system's goal has been defined, for example to provide the user
with information on train timetables, and the interaction means, vocal or
multimodal, have been choosen, the designer(s) face a variety of questions
concerning, on the one hand, the phenomena that the system absolutely has to
deal with, and on the other hand, the development stages, identifying the
system abilities, dividing the system into modules, determining and building
the required resources for each module and, of course, software development.
An MMD system is a piece of software like any other, and thus it follows the
classic design stages of specifications, through which we define what
the system should do; development, during which we define how the
specifications are implemented; and then assessments, to ensure that the
system we have obtained is usable and matches the specifications [MCT 04].
These stages do not necessarily occur in a linear manner, with no possibility
of returning. Thus, we can develop a first system, assess it and depending on
the results obtained, develop a second more efficient system. Thus, Jurafsky
and Martin [JUR 09, p. 872] highlight three main phases with potential
back-and-forth movements between them: an initial phase of studying the
user, for example using interviews, and of studying the task, for example with
similar MMD systems or human dialogues; second, an implementation phase,
which can cover simulators and prototypes rather than the targeted system
directly; and third, assessments, especially iterative tests with users.
Depending on whether the cycle concerns a real system, a prototype or a
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