Conversation Interface
The conversation interface is the heart of Talk Buddy - where you practice speaking with AI in a completely visual, text-free environment designed to feel natural and immersive.
Interface Overview
When you start a practice session, you enter the conversation interface:
Clean, Minimal Design
- Full-screen experience: Removes distractions to focus on speaking
- No text elements: Purely visual feedback during conversation
- Central voice wave: AI presence represented by animated voice waves
- Single interaction point: One large button for speech input
Voice Wave Animation
Visual Representation
The conversation interface centers around a voice wave animation consisting of:
- 7 vertical bars arranged horizontally
- 4px width per bar with 4px gaps between them
- Blue color (#3B82F6) for consistent visual theme
- Smooth transitions between different states
Animation States
Idle State
When: Waiting for interaction, conversation hasn’t started
Visual:
- Bars at minimal height (10% scale)
- Low opacity (30%)
- Still/static appearance
Meaning: AI is ready and waiting for you to begin
Thinking State
When: AI is processing your input and generating a response
Visual:
- Subtle random wave movement
- Medium opacity (50%)
- Gentle, slow animations (3-second cycles)
- Staggered timing across bars (0.1s delays)
Meaning: AI is “thinking” about how to respond
Speaking State
When: AI is delivering its response (text-to-speech active)
Visual:
- Dynamic wave patterns simulating voice activity
- High opacity (80%)
- Multiple animation patterns (1.3s-1.7s cycles)
- Natural variation between bars
Meaning: AI is actively speaking to you
Animation Details
Smooth Transitions
- Duration: 0.3 seconds for state changes
- Easing: Smooth ease transitions
- Transform origin: Center-based scaling
- Performance: Hardware-accelerated with
will-change: transform
Natural Variation
Speaking state uses multiple animation patterns:
- speaking-wave-1: 20%-90% height variation
- speaking-wave-2: 25%-100% height variation
- speaking-wave-3: 33%-110% height variation
- speaking-wave-4: 50%-120% height variation
Different bars use different patterns with varied timing for realistic effect.
User Controls
Location: Bottom center of screen
Function: Press and hold to speak, release to stop
Visual Feedback:
- Color changes when pressed
- Slight scale animation on activation
- Clear pressed/unpressed states
Alternative Interaction
Some users may prefer tap-to-start/tap-to-stop recording mode instead of push-to-talk.
Status Indicators
Timer: Shows session duration (top-left)
End Session: Button to conclude practice (top-right)
Conversation Flow
1. Session Start
- Voice wave appears in idle state
- AI delivers initial message (speaking state)
- Wave returns to idle, waiting for your response
2. Your Turn to Speak
- Press and hold the microphone button
- Speak clearly into your microphone
- Voice wave remains in idle (you’re speaking, not AI)
- Release button when finished
3. AI Processing
- Wave enters thinking state
- Your speech is transcribed
- AI generates contextual response
- Processing time varies (typically 2-5 seconds)
4. AI Response
- Wave enters speaking state with dynamic animation
- AI’s response is played through text-to-speech
- Animation reflects the “voice activity” of the AI
- Returns to idle when AI finishes speaking
5. Conversation Continues
The cycle repeats, creating natural back-and-forth dialogue.
Visual Design Principles
Accessibility
- High contrast: Blue on light background for visibility
- Clear states: Distinct visual differences between idle/thinking/speaking
- Smooth motion: Animations are smooth and not jarring
- No flashing: Avoids problematic rapid flashing patterns
- Hardware acceleration: Uses CSS transforms for smooth animation
- Minimal DOM: Single component with CSS-only animations
- Low CPU impact: Optimized animation patterns
- Responsive: Adapts to different screen sizes
User Experience
- Intuitive feedback: Visual state clearly indicates what’s happening
- Engaging: Dynamic animations keep the interface alive and responsive
- Focused: Minimal distractions from the conversation practice
- Professional: Clean, modern design suitable for business/educational use
Comparison with Traditional Chat
Why Voice Waves Instead of Text?
Text-based chat problems:
- Temptation to read responses instead of listening
- Focus on writing rather than speaking
- Breaks immersion in conversation practice
- Reduces authentic speaking practice
Voice wave benefits:
- Forces active listening to AI responses
- Maintains focus on spoken communication
- Creates immersive conversation experience
- Better simulates real-world conversations
Technical Implementation
CSS Animations
The voice wave uses pure CSS animations for performance:
- Keyframe animations for each state
- Transform scaling for height changes
- Opacity transitions for state changes
- Staggered delays for natural variation
React Component
interface VoiceWaveAnimationProps {
state: 'idle' | 'thinking' | 'speaking';
className?: string;
}
The component renders 7 bars and applies appropriate CSS classes based on the current state.
State Management
Conversation state determines animation:
- Component receives state prop from parent
- CSS classes applied automatically
- Smooth transitions handled by CSS
Customization Options
Future Enhancements
While currently using a blue theme, the system is designed to support:
- Color themes: Different color schemes
- Animation styles: Alternative wave patterns
- Accessibility modes: Reduced motion options
- Size variations: Different scales for various screen sizes
Troubleshooting
Animation Not Smooth
- Check if browser supports CSS transforms
- Verify hardware acceleration is enabled
- Close other resource-intensive applications
States Not Changing
- Verify conversation state is updating correctly
- Check console for JavaScript errors
- Ensure CSS is loading properly
- Reduce browser zoom level
- Close unnecessary browser tabs
- Use Chrome or Firefox for best performance
The voice wave animation creates an engaging, immersive conversation experience that keeps you focused on speaking practice rather than reading text. This visual approach better simulates real-world conversations! 🎤
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