Interaction with embodied conversational agents

Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) are computer-controlled synthetic characters that can engage in dialog with users. This tutorial will present an overview of techniques and methods relating to the design, construction, and evaluation of ECAs that interact appropriately with users. It will introduce the major technologies for controlling ECA behavior. It will then consider the problem of how to design a successful interactive interface that incorporates ECAs. Finally, it will discuss how to evaluate ECA-enhanced interfaces, including evaluation methods and factors that can influence the evaluation.