Planning Your Chatbot: Use Cases and Conversation Design

A chatbot without a plan is just a generic AI with a name. Spending ten minutes planning before you build will save you hours of tweaking later. This lesson walks you through identifying your use case, designing conversations, and writing the blueprint your chatbot will follow.

Step 1: Define Your Use Case

Start by answering three questions:

1. Who is this chatbot for? (your audience)
2. What problem does it solve? (their pain point)
3. How should it behave? (its personality and boundaries)

Combine your answers into a purpose statement:

"My chatbot helps [who] to [solve what problem] by [how it behaves]."

Examples:

• "My chatbot helps freelancers to write project proposals by asking about the project scope and generating tailored proposals in a professional tone."
• "My chatbot helps parents to plan healthy school lunches by suggesting meals based on dietary restrictions and what's in their fridge."
• "My chatbot helps real estate agents to answer client questions by referencing our property listings and company policies."

Step 2: List Core Tasks

What specific things should your chatbot be able to do? List three to five core tasks. Being specific prevents scope creep.

Example: HR Onboarding Assistant

1. Answer questions about company benefits and policies
2. Explain the first-week schedule for new hires
3. Provide links to required forms and documents
4. Describe the team structure and key contacts
5. Answer questions about office logistics (parking, badge access, dress code)

Step 3: Set Boundaries

Boundaries are just as important as capabilities. Define what your chatbot should not do:

Good Boundary	Why It Matters
"Don't give medical advice"	Avoids liability and misinformation
"Don't discuss competitors"	Keeps the conversation on-brand
"Don't generate content over 500 words"	Ensures concise, useful responses
"Don't make up information not in the knowledge base"	Prevents hallucination
"Redirect off-topic questions politely"	Keeps the chatbot focused

Example boundary instructions:

"If the user asks about topics outside of our company policies, politely explain that you can only help with HR-related questions and suggest they contact the relevant department."

Step 4: Design the Conversation Flow

Think about how a typical interaction will unfold. Map out the main paths:

Opening Message

What does the user see first? A good opening message:

• Introduces the chatbot briefly
• Lists what it can help with
• Invites the user to start

Example:

"Hi! I'm your HR Onboarding Assistant. I can help you with company policies, your first-week schedule, required forms, and office logistics. What would you like to know?"

Conversation Starters

Conversation starters are pre-written prompts the user can click instead of typing. They reduce friction and guide users to the chatbot's strengths.

Good conversation starters:

• "What benefits do I get as a new employee?"
• "Walk me through my first-week schedule"
• "What forms do I need to complete?"
• "Tell me about the office and parking"

Bad conversation starters:

• "Ask me anything" (too vague)
• "Hello" (wastes a prompt slot)
• "Help" (not specific enough)

Common Conversation Paths

Sketch two or three typical conversations:

Path 1: Benefits question

1. User asks about health insurance
2. Bot explains the options from the knowledge base
3. Bot asks if they want details on dental, vision, or retirement
4. User picks one, bot provides details

Path 2: First-week logistics

1. User asks what to expect on day one
2. Bot outlines the schedule
3. Bot asks if they need directions or parking info
4. User asks about parking, bot provides the details

Step 5: Choose the Tone

Your chatbot's tone should match your audience and context:

Tone	Best For	Example Phrasing
Professional	Corporate tools, client-facing bots	"I'd recommend reviewing section 3.2 of the policy."
Friendly	Consumer products, learning assistants	"Great question! Here's what you need to know."
Encouraging	Coaching, wellness, education	"You're making great progress! Let's tackle the next step."
Direct	Productivity tools, technical assistants	"Here's the answer. Need anything else?"
Casual	Internal team tools, creative assistants	"Sure thing! Here's what I've got for you."

Step 6: The Planning Worksheet

Fill out this worksheet before you start building. You will use this directly as input when configuring your chatbot in the next lessons.

Common Planning Mistakes

Too broad: "A chatbot that helps with everything in our company"

• Fix: Pick one department or one workflow to start with

No boundaries: Forgetting to define what the chatbot should refuse

• Fix: List at least three things your chatbot should not do

Ignoring the audience: Using technical language for non-technical users

• Fix: Picture one specific person who will use this chatbot and write for them

Skipping conversation design: Jumping straight into the builder

• Fix: Write out at least two sample conversations before building

Key Takeaway

A well-planned chatbot takes ten minutes to design and hours less to refine. Your planning worksheet—with a clear purpose, defined tasks, set boundaries, and conversation starters—becomes the blueprint you will paste directly into the builder. In the next lesson, you will turn this plan into a working Custom GPT.