Best practices for using custom requirement types

To ensure that Coleman Digital Assistant understands the input when using custom requirement types, use these best practices.

Evaluate the correct requirement type to use from these three different categories:

  1. Static data set: If a requirement is one of a static data set such as LOC1, LOC2, LOC3, a Restricted Custom requirement type is the best option.
  2. Standardized data set: If a requirement follows a general format such as three capital letters followed by a number such as LOC1, POC2, HCM3, use an Expanded Custom requirement type. You can provide examples of this format in order to accept varieties of that same format as input. For example:
    • ABC9 is valid.
    • HBO MAX 9 is invalid.
  3. Small dynamic data set: If the other 2 options are not viable, the best recommendation is to look up the available options and insert them into a Dynamic Multiple Choice prompt. Then the user can directly select the answer rather than a potential misunderstanding. A multiple choice prompt allows up to 250 options.

    Consider checking the number of options planned on being dynamically prompted. If possible, attempt a secondary lookup with a search parameter to help narrow the size of the options being prompted. This can alleviate having to prompt for too many options.

    For example, prompt for the first requirement. If 200 options are detected, prompt the user for a second requirement such as region. Re-run the search with the additional parameter to result with 50 options, which will then be dynamically prompted.

If none of these 3 options are viable, then evaluate the objective of the skill. It may be a better experience to navigate the user to a page to fulfill the skill instead of navigating through a requirement that is often misunderstood.