Build Talking Apps for Alexa: Creating Voice-First, Hands-Free User Experiences

Voice recognition is now mainstream with Alexa and other voice assistants. Develop your own voice applications for Amazon Alexa with the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK). Learn techniques for building conversational user interfaces and dialog management, and integrate with existing applications and visual interfaces. The future of human-computer interaction is voice, and we'll help you get ready for it.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 10 May 2022
Publisher: The Pragmatic Programmers

Voice recognition is finally here! Alexa and other voice assistants have become increasingly popular and mainstream. Are your apps ready for voice interaction? Learn how to develop your own voice applications for Amazon Alexa.

Start with techniques for building conversational user interfaces and dialog management. Integrate with existing applications and visual interfaces to complement voice-first applications.

The future of human-computer interaction is voice, and we'll help you get ready for it. For decades, voice-enabled computers have only existed in the realm of science fiction. But now, the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) allows you to 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.

We'll start with the essentials of building Alexa voice applications, called skills, including useful tools for creating, testing, and deploying your skills. From there, you can 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!

What You Need:

You will need a computer capable of running the Alexa Skills Kit. You'll also need an Amazon Echo device or another device that supports Alexa voice commands. Additionally, you'll need access to the internet and a developer account with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Developing voice applications for Amazon Alexa can be a fun and rewarding experience. With the right tools and techniques, you can create applications that are both useful and engaging for users. By leveraging the power of voice and sound, you can create user interfaces that are more intuitive and natural than ever before.

So, if you're ready to take your apps to the next level, start developing your own voice applications for Amazon Alexa today!

ISBN-13: 9781680507256