NOW IN PRINT
Build Talking Apps for Alexa
Creating Voice-First, Hands-Free User Experiences
Craig Walls has a knack for making learning fun with hands-on projects. If you’ve ever thought about building an Alexa skill, you’ll want to pick up Craig’s book, now in print from The Pragmatic Bookshelf:
For decades, voice-enabled computers have existed only in the realm of science fiction. But now the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) lets you develop your own voice-first applications. Leverage ASK to create engaging and natural user interfaces for your applications, enabling them to listen to users and talk back. You’ll see how to use voice and sound as first-class components of user-interface design.
Craig starts with the essentials of building Alexa voice applications, called skills, including useful tools for creating, testing, and deploying your skills. From there, you’ll define parameters and dialogs that will prompt users for input in a natural, conversational style.
Integrate your Alexa skills with Amazon services and other backend services to create a custom user experience. Discover how to tailor Alexa’s voice and language to create more engaging responses and speak in the user’s own language. Complement the voice-first experience with visual interfaces for users on screen-based devices. Add options for users to buy upgrades or other products from your application. Once all the pieces are in place, learn how to publish your Alexa skill for everyone to use.
Create the future of user interfaces using the Alexa Skills Kit today.
You may also enjoy the following talking app tutorial articles on Medium:
