Design task-focused conversations with clarification, error recovery, action confirmation, and human handoff. Test complete conversations, including misundersta
Last reviewed: 2026-10-03
Conversational design defines how a person completes a task through dialogue. It includes the initial request, clarification, progress feedback, error recovery, and a way to leave or reach a human. Google's conversation-design material provides reusable dialogue principles; its retired Actions platform is not a deployment recommendation.
An assistant that can call tools also needs clear action boundaries. Make consequential actions understandable before execution, validate tool inputs, and distinguish a suggested action from a completed one. Evaluate complete conversations, including interruptions and corrections, rather than isolated fluent answers.
No. A fixed workflow may suit a well-defined task. Choose model-directed behavior only where it helps users and can be evaluated and bounded.