Google assistant, knowledgeable hipsters, and SXSW
SXSW 2020 has been cancelled, which is truly unfortunate in many respects. Hundreds of small businesses and thousands of individuals rely on SXSW every year for a large part of their income, so if you have a moment and care to help those in need, please consider donating here. Our SXSW update to the Google Action is still in place, containing references to unofficial activities happening around town starting Friday March 13th – Saturday March 21st, 2020.
I’ve enjoyed experimenting over the years with two voice platforms — the Google Assistant and Amazon Echo. You may have seen some of my early explorations on Medium and Smashing Magazine, or you may have attended a SXSW workshop in the past. My latest project has been creating a fun suggestion tool for something to do when visiting certain cities. It’s called Personal Hipster and is available on the Google Assistant.
If you have a Google Home or the Google Assistant installed on your phone, you can try it out! Just say, “Hey Google, talk to personal hipster.” Currently, the application will help you find something to do within the week, along the lines of food, happy hours, and music. The following cities are currently supported:
- Austin
- Boston
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Indianapolis
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Nashville
- New York City
- Portland
- San Antonio
- Seattle
- St. Louis
- San Diego
- San Francisco
Austin & SXSW 2020
If you live in Austin, or traveled here despite the SXSW cancellation, you can use Personal Hipster to find unofficial SXSW events, starting on March 13th. You can get information on unofficial SXSW parties, screenings, showcases, and comedy related events. Pick Austin as your city and it will ask you if you are attending (unofficial) SXSW!
One last thing — if you are interested in voice applications, hopefully you might have the chance to virtually build one with us! thirteen23 will be holding a SXSW workshop (at this point, TBD) on VUI best practices, as well as building an actual Alexa Skill for the Amazon Echo.
thirteen23 is a digital product studio in Austin, Texas. We are an award-winning team specializing in human-centered design. Together with our clients, we conceive, design, and develop intelligent software. Ready to build the next big thing? Let’s talk.
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