Conversation UI: UX Beyond the Screen

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As digital experiences grow more advanced, a new kind of interface is emerging, conversation. Conversation UI (CUI) allows users to engage with products and services through natural language, not complex menus or overwhelming forms. Whether through chat or voice, CUIs are helping brands shift from screen-driven control to dialogue-driven assistance, opening the door to new users and underserved segments.

At GDD, we explored this transformation through two distinct chatbot experiences:

• Luna – A full-fledged multilingual insurance chatbot for Wingsure, focused on enabling smallholder farmers in India to navigate crop insurance with ease.
  
  
• Wash Genie – A smart assistant embedded within the Havells One App to simplify cycle selection in Lloyd IoT-enabled washing machines.
  

While both are built on conversational logic, Luna reimagines the entire product experience as a conversation, whereas Wash Genie simplifies a specific task through chat. Together,

they showcase how CUIs can go beyond the screen, empowering users, removing barriers, and building trust.

Luna – Conversational UX for Insurance Inclusion

Purpose

For most smallholder farmers in India, insurance remains either misunderstood or completely invisible. The challenges they face are layered - many don’t know where or how to apply for crop insurance, and often assume it’s automatically included with their crop purchase. Even when they do buy insurance, they’re unsure how or when to file a claim, or which plan is right for their crop, season, or region. Most critically, they don’t fully understand the benefits insurance provides, which leads them to avoid it altogether.

In this ecosystem of low awareness, poor guidance, and fragmented communication, Luna becomes the missing link:

A personalized multilingual chatbot that offers clear, contextual guidance throughout the insurance journey, onboarding, policy purchase, document submission, and claims.

Design Philosophy

• Human-first, not form-first: Users talk to a guide, not fill out static forms.
  
• Voice + Vernacular: Designed for farmers across India in their native language.
  
• Visual + Assistive UX: Combines visual prompts and smart suggestions to reduce effort.
  
• Education through Conversation: Luna explains what insurance is, why it matters, and how to use it.
  
• Guided, Not Rushed: Luna automates intelligently, but lets users control the pace.
  

Luna’s End-to-End Flow

1. Onboarding & Language Selection
Luna greets users in their native language and introduces herself as their insurance guide. For many users, this is their first encounter with insurance explained in a language and tone they trust.

2. Conversational KYC Collection
Luna collects Aadhaar and bank details via voice/chat and scan/upload.
For users unfamiliar with KYC processes, Luna visually demonstrates how to scan required documents and gives edit control after autofill.

3. Policy Awareness & Purchase Guidance
Luna asks questions about crop, region, and past insurance (if any), and explains what kind of insurance is suitable like PMFBY or weather-linked plans. She demystifies concepts like premium subsidy, farmer vs. government share, and seasonal timelines empowering users to make informed decisions.

4. Claims Assistance
If a crop failure is reported (satellite/drone data or weather alerts), Luna proactively informs the user and helps initiate a claim. She guides the user through photo/video upload, calculates the estimated claim, and provides real-time status tracking. This breaks the long-standing confusion around how, when, and where to file a claim, even after the policy is purchased.

Luna’s Core Capabilities

• Multilingual voice + chat interface
  
• KYC capture with document scanning and image processing
  
• Plan recommendation engine with match score
  
• Claim status alerts and tracking
• Dynamic button suggestions and quick replies
• Offline resilience with retry logic for poor network areas
• Contextual micro-education integrated throughout journey

UX Process Behind Luna

Designing Luna wasn’t about following a rigid playbook, it was about understanding where users really struggle and making the journey easier, one step at a time.

We started by talking to a few farmers we had access to, just to get a sense of how they were currently dealing with crop insurance. These conversations highlighted the confusion around where to apply, what plans were available, and how claims actually worked.

From there, we kept the UX process simple and focused on clarity:

• Mapped out the full journey from onboarding to claims, identifying points where users typically drop off or feel unsure.
  
• Simplified language and flows, making sure every step could be followed even by someone new to apps or digital systems.
  
• Tested flows with real people, especially the visuals and prompts, what worked, what didn’t, and where users hesitated.
  
• Focused heavily on reducing confusion, building trust with confirmations, and using tone that feels more like a helpful person than a system.
  

We didn’t have a massive research team or field study. But by listening to real users and iterating with that in mind, Luna was shaped to be practical, approachable, and truly useful in everyday life.

Wash Genie – Task-Level Chat UX

While Luna transforms the entire product journey into a conversation, Wash Genie solves a single complex decision task through a CUI.

What It Does

In the Havells One App, Wash Genie asks the user about fabric, dirt level, and load size and auto-selects the perfect washing cycle. It reduces the risk of wrong choices, saves water and time, and boosts confidence for new users who don’t understand cycle names like "Cotton Eco" or "Spin + Rinse".

Future of CUI: Where Luna and Wash Genie Go Next

Luna’s Next Phase:

• Voice-first interface for hands-free flows
  
• Predictive prompts based on crop + weather patterns
  
• Embedded content on agri best practices, subsidies, and alerts

Wash Genie’s Evolution:

• Voice-triggered cycle start and selection
  
• Personalized wash routines over time
  
• Smart nudges for service or water savings
  

Both chatbots reflect how conversation can replace complexity, through the comfort of guidance, rather than the pressure of control.

Design Takeaways

1. CUI = Awareness + Action
   Luna proves that CUIs are not just assistants they can be educators and enablers.
   
   
2. Design for the Unaware
   UX should not assume intent. Luna teaches why insurance matters before asking which plan to choose.
   
   
3. UI Doesn’t Mean Screen
   Through voice, visual prompts, and adaptive flow, CUIs make UX feel personal and human, not transactional.
   
   
4. Think Multi-Level
   From Wash Genie’s micro-assistance to Luna’s macro-enablement, CUIs must scale in depth, not just steps.
   
   
5. Trust is Built in the Flow
   When people feel guided and understood, they don’t just complete tasks they build habits.
   
   

Conclusion

Conversation UI is not just a tech upgrade, it’s a UX leap. From explaining first principles to simplifying expert tools, CUIs create space for confidence, clarity, and connection.

Luna brings the invisible world of insurance into farmers’ hands, with voice, visuals, and step-by-step care.
Wash Genie quietly simplifies appliance control, making smart homes smarter for everyone.

As we design for a future beyond screens, the best interfaces won’t look like apps.
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They’ll feel like someone who’s right there with you, asking the right questions, at the right time, in the right tone. That’s the true promise of UX beyond the screen.