Alexa Skills for the Unskilled

GOTO Chicago 2017

In a world buzzing with Internet of Things (IoT) technology, it is impossible to escape the influence of Smart devices. When you enter a home and wonder if the 47-year-old version of Marty McFly is going to emerge from the next room, you cannot help but wonder what life will look like in even just 10 years to come. Fortunately, Smart devices like Amazon Echo enable you to play a part in that future, offering the public the tools, resources, and even fun incentives for contributing to the IoT world through voice recognition technology. The only obstacle standing in the way is the learning curve for developing on Echo.

This presentation will demonstrate how Alexa, the voice service that powers Amazon Echo, works. We’ll start by covering several details you need to know before working with Alexa, including many design and legal considerations for making a skill. Then, we’ll go through the steps for making a skill, from start to finish.

Participants will be given the tools to create a basic skill and will even be able to walk away understanding how to make more complex skills. Content will be delivered in such a manner that the level of prior experience does not matter.