Many upcoming projects based on AI technology and the usage of AI tools are increasing gradually. We found many activities regarding this but now we can also see how people increase their interest to develop their skills in AI technology.
Here we come along with a talk with the consultant of a conversational project. A skillful and keen observer Jesus Martin-A consultant for conversational projects at jesusmartin.eu, also worked in the R & D department for BBVA and took over multiple projects in his tenure. He is also an ex-Amazon employee where he worked as a multi-modal-designer, covering VUI and GUI for Alexa.
He is profound at solving problems and facing challenges and converting it into opportunities. Martin is recognized by customer obsession (as he is obsessed with what his customer needs and finds out ways to come up with new ideas).
He worked on 5 multiple projects, published the most read articles o0n hot topics and performed as a good conversationalist in many international conferences.
Let’s read his insightful views!
Botsify: First of all, thank you for giving us your valuable time and speaking with botsify. From working on digital projects to the chatbot designer, tell us about your success story and about your current designation.
Jesus: Thank you for your interest.
I started as an interaction designer for graphic interfaces, but my curiosity was always pushing me to finding the boundaries of technology and human computer interactions.
In 2015 I joined the R&D department for BBVA Next where I was in charge of research for conversational interfaces. Some of my findings got quite popular and I am especially proud of my Design framework for chatbots, and my Playbook for testing chatbots. We did some great work exploring every different platform in the conversational spectrum, from chatbots, voice platforms like Alexa or Google Assistant and even our own devices like an Smart Mirror where we put together multimodality, artificial vision and NLP.
In 2018 I joined the Amazon team for France, Italy and Spain and helped over 70 Alexa Skill developers create better experiences for their customers. I guided the teams on defining use cases, understanding their user’s needs, and crafting the different interactions on their VUIs. It was an amazing trip!
In January 2020 I left Amazon and started as an independent consultant for conversational projects with my personal brand jesusmartin.eu. I also lead the Spanish chapter for the international community VoiceLunch and train others in conversational design in different Design Schools in Spain.
Botsify: To lead any project, you have to plan a systematic way. Being a product designer, what is your philosophy behind leading a successful SAAS project?
Jesus: For me there are three core elements for creating a successful product that I would summarize in: Increase your understanding on every sprint; user-technology-business; Work with the team that fits the best.
When I talk about increasing your understanding I am talking about working with hypotheses from day 0 and validating them sprint to sprint. Only if we know what are the knowledge gaps we have we can focus on creating what really matters.
Regarding the classic user-technology-business equation, I believe that success products only come when those three elements are perfectly aligned. That is something that should concern every member of the team. We need to work on products that deal with real problems from our users, what the technology can do in our interest, and with a clear idea on what will be the business model that will hold the project over time. If any of those elements fail, the entire product will fall apart.
The last item required for a successful project is related to the team working together. A combination of hard and soft skills that match together among the different members, is key for having the right space for any development.
Botsify: I saw your portfolio, you have worked on many different AI projects, tell me about your projects and your philosophy behind leading a successful project venture?
Jesus: I have to say that problem solving is what I enjoy the most in everything in my life. It is like working on a puzzle that can be solved in many different ways. It is always fun to find different ways to put the pieces together. The challenge for me is to dive deep into the problems, perfectly understand how they are impacting users and then work on different ideas that could solve them.
Besides, the best part of working with cutting edge technologies is that everything is still under construction. There are no fixed solutions and you need to learn along the way. More than ever, “fail fast” needs to be the mantra to follow. It is all about testing, failing, iterating, and learning.
Botsify: There is no business without competitors. Who do you see as your biggest competition in the world of chatbots?
Jesus: That obviously impacts more companies with a specific product on the market. However, a side effect of working with cutting edge technologies is that you see a lot of collaboration and knowledge sharing. Since we are all figuring out how to make things work, communities for sharing ideas keep growing everywhere. There is obviously competition as in any other business, but in some areas there is still room for more ideas and it’s interesting how we all can find ways to collaborate and benefit each other.
Botsify: This one is interesting! If you could change your career to anything else, what would it be?
Jesus: Right now, I wouldn’t like to be working in anything but design with a technology twist. I would obviously like to have stronger skills in some aspects that would make me a better professional, but that is something I am always working on.
However, we are living in a faster world than ever, and most of us don’t know what we will be doing in 5 years from now. Hopefully, it will require creativity and problem solving, but that can be used in any job in the world.
Botsify: Chatbot mainly works as a customer support agent, or provides information and resolves queries. Which industry benefited the most from chatbots? Tell me about your experience if you ever tried chatbot as a user.
Jesus: I have tested lots of chatbots and worked on a bunch of them, but I don’t have a clear picture on what is the best use case yet. The reports always mention customer support and automation as the top cases and that can make sense.
Regarding voice interfaces there are plenty of interesting use cases that I would keep an eye on. Entertainment, education, smart home, and automotive are my favorite ones and I truly believe that conversational products are leading a very interesting change.
Botsify: We are truly inspired by the people around us because of some reason. Who has inspired you in your life and why?
Jesus: I would say that there are two kinds of people that have inspired my career. On one hand, I have been lucky to work with some incredible people from which I have learnt tons of things. It is the people that you sit with who can help you change and learn the most. On the other hand, I could mention some well-known professionals such as Cathy Pearl and Robert Moore in the conversational sector or Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos if we speak more on a mindset level.
Botsify: Tell us your favorite place that you have on your bucket list since long and you can’t wait to go?
Jesus: I have been quite a traveler, and I love visiting places with cultures that have nothing to do with mine and with cuisines that I have never tested (the main two reasons for me to travel). However I have to say that I need to spend at least some time every year in quiet and close destinations. I am lucky to have the seaside four hours away from where I live, and spending a few days there every once in a while helps me come back down to earth.
Botsify: Any message that you would like to give to our readers?
Jesus: Conversation is the most natural form of human interaction. Understand how human conversation works and find out how your customers can benefit from that because chatbots and voice apps are going to be an everywhere interface in the coming years.
Botsify: Many chatbot platforms like Botsify are helping to optimize companies’ functional areas. Would you like to shed light on this?
Jesus: Platforms like Botsify are democratizing the technology and making it possible for anyone to work on solutions for their customers. The potential of these platforms are tremendous and we all benefit from them: teams can focus on other areas and at the end customers receive a better service.
I believe that we are living on very exciting times and Botsify is helping drive the change.
