Designing Actions on Google

Creating Actions for the Google Assistant requires a breadth of design expertise (for example, voice user interface design, interaction design, visual design, motion design, and UX writing) that we’ve refined into a single discipline: conversation design.

Our goal is to help you:

  • Craft conversations that are natural and intuitive for users
  • Scale your conversations across all devices to help users wherever they are

How to use this site

Where you start and what you focus on depends on what you already know and where you are in the development process of your Action.
If you’re new to conversation design, then start with this brief introduction.
Take our crash course on designing for conversation.
Get an overview of the conversation design process.
Assess whether conversation design will supercharge your Action, making it more intuitive and efficient for users.
Start with clear, well-researched requirements to avoid the need for major changes after design and development is completed.
A persona is a design tool that helps you write conversations—learn how to create one for your Action.
Write sample dialogs to informally experiment with and evaluate different design strategies
Learn how to scale your design to help users wherever they are
Make sure that you’re using a conversational style and following some basic copy editing rules by reviewing the style guide
For guidance on writing prompts and crafting fluid conversations, start by learning about all the conversational components that make up prompts
One poorly handled error can outweigh dozens of successful interactions, so learn how to get users back on track quickly and seamlessly
Get guidance on when and how to use cards, carousels, lists, and other visual components

Other resources

For more developer-focused guidance, be sure to check out: developers.google.com/assistant.
For a tool that will let you build natural and rich conversational experiences, visit: dialogflow.com.
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What is conversation design?