Testing conversational interfaces

Our internal lab tests explore conversational interfaces for trading and prediction markets. The images show experiments in how people might examine an idea and follow it through a conversation.

These experiments are part of our work on prediction. A useful forecast should help someone think through a choice: what might happen, what they could do, and what would change their mind. We are testing how a conversation can support that process.

Following a question

A question about a market rarely ends with the first answer. Someone may want to understand the evidence, compare another possibility or return to an assumption they made earlier. Keeping that context available is a central part of these tests.

We are looking at how clearly the interface presents information and how easily a person can move between a broad question and a closer examination. The aim is to make a developing line of thought easier to follow.

From a prediction to a decision

Trading and prediction markets give us a focused starting point. Expectations change as new information arrives, and the consequences of a decision depend on the person making it. An interface needs to leave room for both the forecast and the judgement around it.

We are using this internal prototype to refine the conversation, the presentation of market information and the path from an initial question to a considered view. It is part of our ongoing work on better ways to interact with personal finance and trading.