A framework of conversational recommender system based on user functional requirements

Specifying requirements based on technical features of the product are frequently difficult for most customers in purchasing a multi-function and multi-feature products. A more natural way to identify customers´ needs is by asking what they really want to use with the product they are looking for. To address this issue, we propose a framework of conversational recommender system that is based on user functional requirement. This framework covers ontology structure and interaction mechanism that can explore user´s preference from their functional requirements. The ontology is composed of three different interacting hierarchical classes: functionality requirement class, component class and product class. Interaction in this system is performed through question-answering dialogue, product recommendation and explanation, similar to the interaction between customer and professional sales support.