This presentation is from a one-day bootcamp guides you through creating an Alexa Skill (interactive voice application) running on serverless AWS services (Amazon DynamoDB and AWS Lambda).

1. Skill Building 101

2. DEMO
Space Facts

3. Build the Fact Skill
github.com
/alexa
/skill-sample-nodejs-fact

4. Project Structure
/SpeechAssets
/IntentSchema.json
/SampleUtterances.txt
/src
/index.js

5. Build
Space Facts

7. Alexa Enabled Apps
Roger, Lexi, Reverb.ai

8. alexa, open piano facts
wake word skill (invocation) namelaunch
Conversational
model

9. alexa, open piano facts
wake word skill (invocation) namelaunch
Conversational
model
open, begin, start, launch, ask, tell

10. alexa, open piano facts
wake word skill (invocation) namelaunch
Conversational
model
describe a chord in the key of G
Utterance
Slot Slot
how fast is allegro tempo
Utterance
Slot

11. alexa, open piano facts
wake word skill (invocation) namelaunch
Conversational
model
describe a chord in the key of G
Utterance
Slot Slot
how fast is allegro tempo
Utterance
Slot
Describe
Intent
HowFast
Intent

12. Conversational
model
DescribeIntent describe a {musicthing} in the key of {key}
DescribeIntent what is a {musicthing} in the {key} key
HowFastIntent how fast is the {tempoName} tempo
HowFastIntent how quick is the {tempoName} tempo
HowFastIntent what is the tempo for {tempoName}
Sample Utterances

13. UNDER THE HOOD OF ASK
A closer look at how the Alexa Skills Kit process
a request and returns an appropriate response
You Pass Back a Textual or
Audio Response
You Pass Back a Graphical
Response
Alexa Converts Text-to-Speech
(TTS) & Renders Graphical
Component
Respond to Intent through
Text & Visual
Alexa sends Customer
Intent to Your Service
Your Service
processes
Request
User Makes a
Request
Audio Stream is
sent up to Alexa
Alexa Identifies Skill & Recognizes
Intent Through ASR & NLU

14. ASR – Automatic Speech
Recognition
• The Echo hears an audio
stream of up to 8
seconds.
• Alexa first hears a bunch
of syllables.

15. ASR – Automatic Speech
Recognition
fȯr tē tīmz
• Forty Times?
• For Tea Times?
• For Tee Times?
• Four Tee Times?

16. ASR – Automatic Speech
Recognition
• Homonyms sound the same!
• Must train Alexa with Intents and Samples
• Define structure and Slot locations

17. ASR  NLU Natural Language
Understanding
CalendarLookupIntent
Slot: BeverageType
Slot values:
• Tea, Coffee, Mocha, Chai
Samples:
For {BeverageType} Times
I want {BeverageType} Times

18. Alexa Service, Inputs and Outputs
• Audio In
• Intent, Slot out
Intent,
Slot
Sample Utterances
Slots
Intent
SKILL CONFIGURATION SKILL CODE

19. Your Code
• Sees only two things:
• INTENT
• SLOT VALUE
Can maintain state via session
attributes

20. Intent Schema
• 1 or more INTENTS
• 0 or more SLOTS

21. Sample Utterances

22. Built-In Slot Type
AMAZON.NUMBER
AMAZON.US_CITY
AMAZON.US_STATE
AMAZON.US_FIRST_NAME
AMAZON.DATE
AMAZON.DURATION
AMAZON.TIME

23. Custom Slot Type
LIST_OF_COLORS

25. AWS Lambda Functions
• Serverless
• Free
• Receive JSON, return JSON
• Respond to Events
• Node.JS, Python, Java, C#

26. AWS Lambda Console

27. AWS Lambda Console

28. AWS Lambda Console

29. AWS Lambda Console

30. AWS Lambda Console

32. Build
Hello World

33. What is a slot?
Variable
Parameter
Wildcard

34. Skill Language Model (VUI)
Slot(s)
Sample Utterances
Lambda Code
Intent Schema

35. Intent Schema

36. Custom Slot Values
LIST_OF_ANIMALS
bear
bird
duck
horse
frog
cat
dog
sheep
fish

37. Sample Utterances
ISeeIntent I see a {Color} {Animal}
ISeeIntent My {Animal} is {Color}

38. I see a red bird

39. Built in Slot Types

40. Single word slot
ISeeIntent {Animal}
ISeeIntent I have a {Animal}
ISeeIntent I have an {Animal}

41. LITERAL!?
ISeeIntent I have a {Animal}
ISeeIntent I have an {Animal}
“I have a red hot chili pepper!”
Animal =
red hot chilly pepper

42. How do I receive my slot?
if(event.request.intent.slots.Color.value) {
myColor =
this.event.request.intent.slots.Color.value;
say = "you said ” + myColor;
} else {
say = "you must provide a color";
}

43. alexa-sdk

44. AWS Lambda Console

45. alexa-sdk
• Included with the Fact Skill blueprint
• Supports saving your session attributes in
DynamoDB

46. QUESTIONS?
ASK