<p>What does it actually mean to design conversationally? Not &quot;add a chatbot&quot; — but genuinely apply the principles of human conversation to the systems we build?</p><p>In this episode, host Laura Klein sits down with Erika Hall, author of Conversational Design and Just Enough Research, to re-visit a topic that&#39;s only gotten more relevant since her book came out in 2018. They dig into why language has always been an important part of any interface, what the cooperative principle of conversation can teach us about interaction design, and how the current AI moment is muddying what &quot;conversational&quot; even means.</p><p>Erika also makes a sharp distinction between AI that solves real problems and AI that performs work — and offers a theory about why so many people are reaching for answer machines right now. Plus: why the best consulting advice is often just &quot;you have to talk to each other,&quot; the role of domain expertise in getting anything useful out of an LLM, and what painting chickens has to do with learning to see.</p><p><strong>About Erika Hall</strong> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikahall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">LinkedIn</a> | <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/erikahall.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Bluesky</a></p><ul><li>Her Studio - <a href="https://www.muledesign.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Mule Design</a></li><li><a href="https://www.mulebooks.com/conversational-design" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Conversational Design</a></li><li><a href="https://www.mulebooks.com/just-enough-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Just Enough Research</a></li></ul><p><strong>Related NN/G Articles:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-chatbots-discourage-error-checking/?utm_campaign=nng-podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">AI Chatbots Discourage Error Checking</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/designing-ai-study-guide/?utm_campaign=nng-podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Designing AI Products and Features: Study Guide</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/sycophancy-generative-ai-chatbots/?utm_campaign=nng-podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Sycophancy in Generative-AI Chatbots</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-user-value/?utm_campaign=nng-podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">AI Features Must Solve Real User Problems</a></li></ul><p><strong>Try One of Our Courses</strong></p><p>→ <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/courses/designing-ai-experiences/?utm_campaign=live-online-courses&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Designing AI Experiences (Live Online)</a></p><p>→ <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/courses/human-mind/?utm_campaign=live-online-courses&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">The Human Mind and Usability (Live Online)</a></p><p>→ <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/contents/self-paced-courses/understanding-llms-a-guide-for-ux-practitioners/?utm_campaign=sp-courses&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Understanding LLMs (Self-Paced)</a></p><p>→ <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/contents/self-paced-courses/informative-microcopy-titles-headings-cards-and-more/?utm_campaign=sp-courses&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Informative Microcopy (Self-Paced)</a></p><p><br></p><p>Don’t forget to like and subscribe! ❤️</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Follow Us On:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/subscribe/?utm_campaign=nng-podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ep-60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Newsletter</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nngux/">Instagram</a></p><p><a href="https://www.threads.com/@nngux">Threads</a></p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/nielsen-norman-group/">Linkedin</a></p><p><br></p><p>📹 <strong>Post-production by</strong></p><p>Tiago Pedro (Design Assistant)</p><p>Megan Brown (Social Media Lead)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>TYXU5WMUAXAS8GTC</strong></p>