Chatbot for locating printers on SNU Campus
Overview
Seoul National University’s campus is huge—almost too huge!
When you’re in a rush and can’t find the nearest print shop, just ask Bboba, the cute cat chatbot on KakaoTalk, for quick and easy help.
You can even get all the details you need, like prices, hours, and more!
Check out Bboba on KakaoTalk
- SNU Spring 2020
- HCI Theory and Practice
- Team Project
- Chatbot Development and Deployment
- Persona & Scenario Writing
- Character Illustration
Sujin Han
Minjung Ko
Jimin Yoon
Jihyun Hong
2020. 04 - 2020. 06
Kakao i Open Builder
Adobe Illustrator
Process
1 Problem Statement
SNU students often need to print on campus, but finding print shop info is difficult.
During our topic selection meeting, we discovered that every team member had experienced inconveniences when using campus print shops. This led us to conclude that the entire student body at Seoul National University might be facing this issue.
2 DataGathering Analysis
We conducted a survey of undergraduate students at Seoul National University who have used on-campus print shops to investigate their usage patterns and needs.
What obstacles do you encounter when using on-campus print shops?
- Lack of information
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Frequent malfunctions
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Inconvenient printing options
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Print card loss
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Inconvenience of purchasing of print card
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Inconvenience of recharging a print card
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Lack of functionality
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The drawback of being shared
- Other available options
print shop location | types of printing available | distance to print shop | payment options | card usage instructions | wait times | operating hours ...
3 Personas & User Scenario
Personas
Due to remote classes, she spent her entire first semester at home and doesn’t know the campus well. With no departmental events, she also doesn’t know many people outside of her classmates.
He has never taken classes in the Business School, so he has no information about print shops near that area. Since he has only attended classes near the College of Humanities, he also doesn’t know where to find print shop information.
illustration credit: freepik
She usually prints at home, so she hasn’t used the on-campus print shops much. Since it’s been a while since she’s been on campus, she doesn’t remember basic information like the print shop locations or how to use them.
User Scenario of Yubin Bae
At 9AM, she arrives at Building 16, the Social Sciences building, for her Communication class. She heads to the Social Sciences print shop to print out the slides the professor posted, but since it’s been a while since she was last on campus, she can’t quite remember if color printing is available there. She thinks about asking a classmate and opens KakaoTalk, but hesitates to message since she isn’t close enough with anyone to feel comfortable asking.
That’s when she remembers the Seoul National University print shop chatbot, Bboba. She opens the chatbot and types, “Is color printing available at the Social Sciences copy room?”
The chatbot quickly responds, letting her know that A4 color printing is available and even provides the price.
4 Conversational UI Design
Big-Five Factors
01
02
03
- Vocatives
Understands common abbreviations like Hakgwan, Geek Sam, and Jungdo, making it feel more like a friendly companion.
04
- Linguistic markers
05
5 Think-aloud (Paper Prototyping)
Before developing the actual chatbot, a simple flow of the service was created using a few sample screen images specifically for the think-aloud session, which was then conducted with three SNU students.
Questioning the function of the Start chatting button
The term Start chatting alone doesn’t intuitively convey the button’s purpose. Instead of feeling like a feature that provides additional information, it comes across as more of a casual chat function.
UAR 2
Uncertainty about the Operating Hours feature
When multiple print shops exist within the same college, it’s unclear which shop’s hours should be displayed to the user.
Positive feedback on Location-Based Recommendations
By integrating GPS, it quickly identifies the nearest print shop from the user’s current location and provides the route on a map along with the estimated walking time.
UAR 4
Positive feedback on the chatbot’s communication style
The friendly, cute tone and use of emoticons make users feel a greater sense of warmth and approachability from the chatbot.
Outcomes
KakaoTalk Chatbot, Bboba
Why we chose KakaoTalk as the chatbot platform :
KakaoTalk
Features
01
Bboba asks for the user’s current location and provides the locations of print shops within that specific college area. Additionally, for quick access to more details about a particular print shop, users can simply tap on each print shop’s button to view further information.
02
When the user enters the name of a print shop they’re interested in, the chatbot provides information on operating hours, prices, and additional features. After answering the initial inquiry about hours, it offers buttons for other information, allowing the user to quickly and easily access further details if needed.
03
When the user needs to perform specific tasks like purchasing/recharging a print card, binding, scanning, or copying, the chatbot lists all print shops on campus that offer those services. It also provides a map and precise locations to ensure the user can find their way easily without confusion.
Additional Feature Ideation
These are additional features we wanted to provide but couldn’t implement due to legal issues and time constraints.
- Identifying the User’s Current Location
Utilizes GPS to determine the user’s exact location and recommend the nearest print shop.
- Providing a Map to the Print Shop
Offers a map to ensure the user can easily navigate to the recommended print shop.
- Estimating Walking Time to the Print Shop
Displays the walking time to the print shop, helping the user gauge the distance effectively.
- Providing Wait Times at Print Shops
After recommending the nearest print shop, the service informs the user of the estimated wait time for using it.
- Information on Available Computers and Printers
Offers details about broken machines at the print shop, helping users avoid disruptions. If many machines are out of order, it suggests alternative print shops.
So we made a video prototype including these additional features!
Final Send-Off
Takeaways
This project deepened my understanding of how interaction design addresses real user needs. By applying conversational UI design methods, I learned the importance of user-centered processes, from research to prototyping, and how iterative feedback ensures intuitive solutions.
Introducing the chatbot to incoming students during the COVID-19 pandemic was especially rewarding. Witnessing its positive reception and increasing usage reaffirmed the value of thoughtful design in bridging the gap between technology and user needs. This experience solidified my passion for creating practical, user-focused solutions that enhance everyday experiences.