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Alexa Development Skills Go the No-Code Route
Amazon previously published documentation for developers interested in coding up Alexa skills for the company's cloud-based voice service that lets users create natural voice experiences to interact with Amazon technology.
The guidance was aimed at beginner and advanced-level developers, detailing how to create projects from simple quiz games to decision trees.
Now, the company has simplified the process even further with no-code Amazon Alexa Skill Blueprints.
While previously developers could avail themselves with documentation contained in the Alexa Skills set -- a collection of self-service APIs, tools, code samples and more available on the new developer console -- such skills can now be set up in minutes with a 1-2-3 process:
- Pick a blueprint
- Fill in the blanks
- Use your skill
Dozens of such blueprints are now available, ranging from houseguest guides that provide information about a home and the surrounding neighborhood to sci-fi interactive stories.
"The skills and responses you create with Skill Blueprints will be available instantly on all Alexa-enabled devices associated with your account," Amazon's Brian Crum said in a post last week. "The Skill Blueprints announced today are for personal use only, and are not published to the Alexa Skills Store. Skills Blueprints are available today to customers in the U.S."
About the Author
David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.