3 Running a voice-first application – and noticing issues
This chapter covers
- Creating and testing a simple voice-first interaction
- Code samples for a simple Amazon Alexa custom skill and Google Assistant action
- Introduction to the architecture that incorporates Google Assistant
- Pros and cons of relying on tools for voice development
In the previous two chapters, you were introduced to voice interaction technology and the reasons why some things are harder to get right than others for humans and machines in conversational interactions. Now it’s time to jump in and get your own quick voice-first interaction up and running. No doubt you’re eager to ‘get real’ so let’s get your hands dirty with something concrete, for now staying with the same familiar food domain. It’s a convenient test bed for introducing the core concepts – finding a restaurant is probably something you’re familiar with, and it covers many voice-first stumbling blocks. The basic task of finding a restaurant may seem simple, but you’ll see that things get complicated pretty quickly. So, we’ll start with this relatively simple example. When you expand functionality to deal with real user needs, you’ll stray from the ‘Happy Path’ quickly. For now, let’s get you started before worrying too much about real life.