NUS CS3249
Conversational User Interface (aug 2026)

Welcome to CS3249. This course aims to provide students with technical skills and hands-on experience in user interface development. It primarily focuses on the design and implementation of the Conversational User Interface (CUI) and its integration into multimodal systems. 

The topics train students to conceive, prototype, implement, and evaluate these interfaces, covering foundational conversation-design principles, the application of Large Language Models (LLMs), dialogue management, and iterative usability testing. Selected advanced topics such as multi-agent interaction and the development of intelligent user interfaces are also covered. Throughout the course, an emphasis is placed on responsible AI considerations, including the study of ethics, bias, and privacy in user interface design.

NUS MOD: https://nusmods.com/courses/CS3249/conversational-user-interface

Please email Prof. Yi-Chieh Lee (yclee@nus.edu.sg) if you need to apply for a prerequisite waiver.

Aims

1. Students will gain technical skills and hands-on experience in user interface development.

2. Students will understand user interface models, the psychology of humans and computers, and usability testing.

3. Students will be trained to prototype, implement, and evaluate UIs, covering conversation-design principles, natural-language understanding, and dialogue management.

Structure

The course is organized into four main modules:

Module 1: Foundations of CUI

Students establish core knowledge in conversational interface history, taxonomy, and design principles. This phase grounds students in communication theory and information architecture specific to conversational systems.

Module 2: Technical Implementation of CUI

The technical core introduces LLMs, multimodal interaction, and multi-agent architectures. Students progress from understanding LLM integration to building sophisticated conversational agents with memory, planning, and tool-use capabilities.

Module 3: Evaluation and Testing of CUI

Students learn comprehensive evaluation methodologies, from system-level testing to user studies. This phase emphasizes both technical robustness and user experience validation.

Module 4: Ethics and Future Directions

The course concludes with critical examination of responsible AI practices, addressing bias, privacy, anthropomorphism, and agency. Students explore emerging trends and speculative futures for conversational interfaces.

Credits & Workload

• CS3249 is a 4 Modular Credit course. 

• Anticipate ~10 hours/week of commitment, including 2 hours of lectures, 1 hour of tutorial/presentation, and self-study time. 

• The workload involves individual assignments and critiques, a group project and presentations.