Detailed Course Outline
Module 01: Introduction to Conversational Agents
Topics:
- Google’s goals for virtual agents
- Virtual agent product suites
Objectives:
- Describe the goals of virtual agent development and product suites.
Activities:
- Lab: Exploring the Conversational Agents User Interface
Module 02: Introduction to conversational design
Topics:
- Convergent and divergent approaches
- Conversation design strategy
Objectives:
- Understand virtual agent design.
Module 03: Steering bot design basics
Topics:
- Use cases
- Virtual agents
- Start pages
- Routes
- Pages
Objectives:
- Design a basic steering bot using Conversational Agents.
Module 04: Implementing bot design
Topics:
- Use case review
- Agent architecture
- Creating the virtual agent
- Creating the route
- Testing the route
Objectives:
- Create an agent, a route, intents, and pages.
- Implement routes without parameters.
- Use test agent for testing.
Activities:
- Lab: Conversational Agents: Bot Building Basics
Module 05: Entities
Topics:
- Introduction to entities
- System entity types
- Custom entity types
- Managing entities in an agent
Objectives:
- Access entity parameters.
- Create custom regular expression (RegEx) entities.
- Create custom list entities.
- Use current recommended practices for extending a system entity class.
Module 06: Parameters
Topics:
- Introduction to parameters
- Parameters from intents
- Preset parameters
- Parameters from webhooks
Objectives:
- Manipulate parameters using various methods.
Activities:
- Lab: Conversational Agents: Parameter Manipulation
Module 07: Event handlers
Topics:
- Definition of event handlers
- Page, flow event handler, and scope rules
- Form event handler and scope rules
Objectives:
- Understand event handlers and how they are used in Conversational Agents.
Module 08: Versions and environments
Topics:
- Version management in Conversational Agents
- Environment management in Conversational Agents
Objectives:
- Use version testing.
- Use environments for different audiences.
Activities:
- Lab: Conversational Agents: Managing Environments
Module 09: Testing
Topics:
- Validation
- Publication
- Simulation
Objectives:
- Validate for static analysis.
- Publish to pretest user acceptance testing (UAT).
- Simulate for unit testing.
Activities:
- Lab: Debugging the Agent Using Test Agent
Module 10: Fulfillment
Topics:
- Introduction to fulfillment
- Examples of static fulfillment
Objectives:
- Use text, conditional, and custom fulfillment.
Module 11: Integrations
Topics:
- Google Messenger
- Conversational Phone Gateway
Objectives:
- Configure Google Messenger and Conversational Phone Gateway.
Module 12: Webhooks
Topics:
- Why have a webhook?
- Types of webhooks
- Setting up a fulfillment webhook
- Modifications for a JSON response webhook
Objectives:
- Recognize the different types of webhooks.
- Set up a webhook with fulfillment response.
- Set up a webhook JSON response.
Module 13: Route groups
Topics:
- Introduction to route groups
- Managing a route group
Objectives:
- Set up a flow route group.
- Set up a session route group.
Activities:
- Lab: Configuring a Route Group for Your Virtual Agent
Module 14: Design techniques
Topics:
- The concept of a flow
- Steering bot designs
- The concept of guardrails
- Design principle
Objectives:
- Use flows to speed the development of an agent.
- Use guardrails to prevent problems in agent design.
Module 15: Generators and generative fallback
Topics:
- Overview of generators
- Overview of generative fallback
Objectives:
- Use generators and generative fallback in virtual agents.
Activities:
- Lab: Conversational Agents with Generative Fallbacks