1.
Aniruddha Chakrabarti
AVP and Chief Architect, Digital, Mphasis
@anchakra | Linkedin.com/in/aniruddhac | slideshare.net/aniruddha.chakrabarti/
Amazon Alexa
Amazon Echo, Tap and Dot

2.
Agenda
• What is Echo and how does it work
• Echo, Tap and Echo Dot
• Alexa Voice Service (AVS)
• Alexa Skill Kit (ASK)
• Custom Alexa Skill

3.
Echo/Alexa Product Line
Amazon Echo Amazon Tap Amazon Echo Dot Echo enabled third party devices

4.
What is Amazon Echo
• Hands-free speaker you control with your
voice.
• Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service to
play music, provide information, news, sports
scores, weather, and more - instantly. All you
have to do is ask.
• Echo has seven microphones and beam
forming technology so it can hear you from
across the room - even while music is playing.
• Echo is also an expertly tuned speaker that
can fill any room with 360° immersive sound.
• When you want to use Echo, just say the
wake word "Alexa" and Echo responds
instantly.

5.
Echo Details
• Echo needs to be always connected to power outlet (does not have battery)
• Always need to be connected to net (through a high speed router) to be functional
as all of it’s power comes from cloud.
• Echo is always on – using wake word (by default “Alexa”) wakes it up

6.
Echo Dot and Tap
• Has a tiny speaker, otherwise same
as Echo – so called Echo Dot
• Typically you'll hook Dot up to your
own audio setup (via out jack
or Bluetooth), so you can use Alexa
with your existing speakers.
• The tiny speaker won't output much
audio - it's only for Alexa voice
feedback (which, again, requires Wi-
Fi).
• Portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
enabled speaker
• Unlike Echo, Tap is wireless & must
be set into the included cradle in
order to charge
• The Tap isn't an always-on, so you
can't say "Alexa" to wake it and
instead need to press the
microphone button on the front.

7.
Amazon Echo & Alexa History
• Sept ‘14 - Amazon Echo was launched by Amazon
• June ‘15 – Echo became widely available in US
• March ‘16 - Amazon unveiled the Amazon Echo Dot and Tap
• Amazon opened the API (Alexa Skill Skit and Alexa Voice Service) allowing
developers to build new skills
• Sept ‘16 – Echo and Dot is now Availabile in white color
• Sept ‘16 - Echo became available outside US in UK and Germany

8.
How does Echo work
Alexa Enabled Device /
Alexa Endpoint
Amazon - Echo, Dot, Tap
Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick
3rd Party – Triby, Pebble Watch
Req. Voice Stream
Resp. Voice Stream
Services /
Data Sources
"Alexa, what’s
the time?"
“ . . . ”
User
Amazon Alexa Service
Wikipedia, Weather service,
Time service, Traffic update
service, Weather service,
Music service, News service,
etc.

9.
What is Alexa
• Alexa is the brain behind Alexa devices like Echo, Dot, Tap and other 3rd party
Alexa enabled devices.
• Alexa is the voice service that powers Amazon Echo, provides capabilities, or skills,
that enable customers to interact with devices in a more intuitive way using voice.
• Alexa is similar to Siri, Cortana or ok google/google home.
• Alexa runs in the cloud – the device streams info to Alexa service running in the
cloud.
• Amazon is continuously improving and enhancing Alexa - so it is always getting
smarter. The more customers use Alexa, the more she adapts to speech patterns,
vocabulary, and personal preferences.

10.
Skills
• Functionalities or capabilities built by third party to extend core skills of Alexa and
build new customer experiences.
• Think of Skill in Alexa as an app in mobile parlance
• Skill logic could be developed in any language & web stack (Java, Node.js, Python,
C#, Go, PHP)
• Skills could be hosted in cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Heroku, PCF,
other PaaS or IaaS) or in your data center / on prem. (internet reachable)

11.
Type of Skills
• Out of the box skills
developed by
Amazon that comes
pre-built when you
purchase the device
• Time, Weather,
News, Wikipedia,
Traffic, Music, …
BUILT IN SKILLS
• Anything that is not
covered by Built in
Skill
• Food delivery,
Request Taxi, Game,
CUSTOM SKILLS
• Skills to control
smart home devices
like lights,
thermostats, router,
freeze, car, any
smart home
automation/IOT
device
SMART HOME SKILLS
• For building Flash
Briefing skills which
delivers pre-
recorded audio clips
and text-to-speech
(TTS) updates to
customers.
• Examples include
updates from
popular
broadcasters and
blogs, recent
headlines, weather
• Each Flash Briefing
skill contains one or
more content feeds.
FLASH BRIEFING SKILL
Third PartyAmazon

12.
Alexa Cloud Services
ALEXA VOICE SERVICE (AVS)
Scalable cloud service that adds voice-enabled experiences to any
connected product (like Echo). Alexa Voice Service performs speech to text
(and vice versa), Natural language processing (NLP) and other functions.
ALEXA SKILL KIT (ASK)
Collection of self-service APIs, tools, documentation and code samples that
make building new Alexa Skills easy and fast.

13.
+
Settings in Developer Portal (Invocation Name, Name, Skill Type, Endpoint, Publishing Info)
Amazon Developer Portal
Custom Skill Components
Intents
(Intent schema)
Sample Utterances
(Text file)
Slots
(Text file for Custom Slots)
Skill Code (Node.js / Java / Python / C# / Go)
Cloud (AWS / Azure / Google Cloud / Private Cloud/datacenter)
Interaction Model

14.
Intents
INTENTS
• What the user specifically wants the skill to do. You map the user's spoken intents
to intents your service can handle.
• Intents are specific requests, questions or commands. e.g. "Alexa, Ask Alarmy to
set the alarm for 7:30 am."
• All Skills have intents – a skill at min should have one intent
• Skills typically have multiple intents
• Each intent maps to a method in your code that is called
E.g. CapitalOne has built a Alexa skill for their customers which support these intents
• Account balance
• Last transactions
• Credit card statement (amount due, payment date)
• Pay credit card bill

15.
Intents (Cont’d)
BUILT IN INTENTS
• Intents that are often used are already defined by Amazon
• Allows users to engage with different skills in a consistent way
• Using built-in intents for these types of common actions is useful for several
reasons:
• You do not need to spend the time writing sample utterances for the intent.
• Users can use common, consistent phrases to access the intent across skills. This makes it
easier for users to work with your skill.
• Your skill gets the benefit of any future updates to the Alexa service that improve recognition
and utterances for these intents.
• E.g. -
• StopIntent, CancelIntent, HelpIntent, YesIntent, NoIntent, RepeatIntent, StartOverIntent, …
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexaskills-kit/docs/implementing-the-built-in-intents

16.
List of built in intents
Intent Common Utterances Purpose
AMAZON.CancelIntent •cancel
•never mind
•forget it
Either of the following:
•Let the user cancel a transaction or task (but remain in the skill)
•Let the user completely exit the skill
AMAZON.HelpIntent •help
•help me
•can you help me
Provide help about how to use the skill. See “Offer Help for Complex Skills” in the Voice
Design Best Practices for guidelines about help text.
AMAZON.NextIntent •next
•skip
•skip forward
Let the user navigate to the next item in a list.
AMAZON.NoIntent •no
•no thanks
Let the user provide a negative response to a yes/no question for confirmation.
AMAZON.PauseIntent •pause
•pause that
Let the user pause an action in progress.
AMAZON.PreviousIntent •go back
•skip back
•back up
Let the user go back to a previous item in a list.
AMAZON.RepeatIntent •repeat
•say that again
•repeat that
Let the user request to repeat the last action.
AMAZON.ResumeIntent •resume
•continue
•keep going
Let the user resume or continue an action.
AMAZON.StartOverIntent •start over
•restart
•start again
Let the user request to restart an action, such as restarting a game or a transaction.
AMAZON.StopIntent •stop
•off
•shut up
Either of the following:
•Let the user stop an action (but remain in the skill)
•Let the user completely exit the skill
See below for more about canceling and stopping.
AMAZON.YesIntent •yes
•yes please
•sure
Let the user provide a positive response to a yes/no question for confirmation.

17.
Slots
SLOTS
A variable passed to the intent – like when to set alarm, city for weather etc.
BUILT IN SLOT TYPES
Amazon.Date, Amazon.Duration, Amazon.Number, Amazon.US_City,
Amazon.Four_Digit_Number, Amazon.Time, Amazon.US_State,
Amazon.US_First_Name, …
CUSTOM SLOT TYPES
Used for items that are not covered by Amazon’s built-in set of types and is
recommended for most use cases where a slot value is one of a set of possible
values. Examples –
• List of signs (Horoscope)
• List of non US cities
• List of services (Ola Prime, Ola Micro, Ola Mini, Ola Auto, Ola Shared)
• List of stock exchanges (NASDAQ, London stock exchange, NSE, Tokyo stock exchange, Shanghai)

18.
Parsing Invocation Name, Intent and Slots
Alexa, ask Schneider for nearest distributors in London
Alexa, ask DigiSure for status of my last vehicle claim
Alexa, ask MyWeather for temp (No slot type specified – city is
inferred as current location of user)
Wake
Word
Invocation
Name
Intent Slot
Wake Word could be configured to
Alexa, Amazon or Echo

19.
Solution Elements
VUI
• Design Voice User Interface (VUI) & Invocation Name
• Decide Intents to be supported, Develop Intent Schema (.json)
Speech
• Define sample phrases / sample utterances
• Define slot types
Build
• Build your code (Node / Python / Java)
• Host your code (AWS Lambda / Other PaaS options)
Portal
• Define your app/skill in amazon developer portal
• Define interaction model, link your skill to code hosted in cloud
Test
• Test your skill – echoism.io emulator and device (Echo/Dot/Tap)
• Submit your skill for certification
Before you start, refer Voice Design Handbook and Voice Design Best Practice

20.
Voice User Interface (VUI)
• Design the voice experience – voice experiences are different than web & mobile
experience
• Think about a core functionality that you want to build first – your skill should do
one thing very well, rather than attempting multiple things
• Later add additional functionality iteratively
• User empathy

21.
Invocation Name
• Invocation name is how Alexa identifies the capability a user wants
• Often this is the name if the Skill, though they could be different.
• Should uniquely identify your skill, should be catchy and easy to remember and b/w
1 – 3 words (Guidelines)
Alexa, ask Schneider for nearest distributors in London
Alexa, ask DigiSure for status of my last vehicle claim

22.
Other settings in Amazon Dev Portal
• Contains other settings like Skill type (Custom / Smart Home / Flash Briefing),
Name, Language supported, App Id (auto generated) etc

23.
Other settings in Amazon Dev Portal
• Contains Invocation
Model
• Intent Schema,
• Custom Slot Types
• Sample Utterances

24.
Handling Requests Sent by Alexa
• Verify that the Request is Intended for Your Service
• To do this validation, every request sent by Alexa includes an application ID. You
can check this ID to ensure that the request was intended for your service.

25.
Request Types
• Launch Request
• Intent Request
• Session Ended Request
• Session Started
• AudioPlayer Requests
• PlaybackController Requests

26.
Request Types
LaunchRequest
• Your service receives a LaunchRequest when the user invokes the skill with the
invocation name, but does not provide any command mapping to an intent.
• User: “Alexa, talk to Daily Horoscopes” / “Alexa, open Daily Horoscopes”
• Skills that just do one thing (such as telling a joke), the service can take action
without requesting more info from user. Services that need more info from user
may need to respond with a prompt.
• Maps to onLaunch() in Java SDK
• A LaunchRequest always starts a new session

27.
Request Types
IntentRequest
• Your service receives an IntentRequest when the user speaks a command that
maps to an intent.
• The request object sent to your service includes the specific intent and any defined
slot values.
• Maps to onIntent() in Java SDK
• An IntentRequest can either start a new session or continue an existing session,
depending on how the user begins interacting with the skill:

28.
Request Types
SessionEndedRequest
• Your service receives a SessionEndedRequest when a currently open session is
closed for one of the following reasons:
1. The user says “exit”.
2. The user does not respond or says something that does not match an intent defined in your
voice interface while the device is listening for the user’s response.
3. An error occurs.
• Maps to onSessionEnded() in Java SDK

29.
Request Types
AudioPlayer Requests and PlaybackController Requests
• Your service receives the AudioPlayer and PlaybackController requests only if you
are using the AudioPlayer interface to stream audio.
• Alexa sends AudioPlayer requests to notify your service about the current status of
the playback.
• The PlaybackController request are sent when the user interacts with the device
using hardware buttons, such as a remote control.

30.
Intent Schema
{
"intents": [
{
"intent": "MTriviaIntent"
},
{
"intent": "AMAZON.HelpIntent"
},
{
"intent": "AMAZON.StopIntent"
},
{
"intent": "AMAZON.CancelIntent"
}
]
}
{
"intents": [
{
"intent": "SchneiderSearchIntent",
"slots": [
{
"name": "City",
"type": "LIST_OF_CITIES"
}
]
},
{
"intent": "HearMore"
},
{
"intent": "DontHearMore"
},
{
"intent": "AMAZON.HelpIntent"
},
{
"intent": "AMAZON.StopIntent"
},
{
"intent": "AMAZON.CancelIntent"
}
]
}
London
Coventry

31.
Sample Utterances
MTriviaIntent a fact
MTriviaIntent a mphasis fact
MTriviaIntent a emphasis fact
MTriviaIntent tell me a fact
MTriviaIntent tell me a mphasis fact
MTriviaIntent tell me a emphasis fact
MTriviaIntent give me a fact
MTriviaIntent give me a mphasis fact
MTriviaIntent give me a emphasis fact
MTriviaIntent tell me trivia
MTriviaIntent tell me a mphasis trivia
MTriviaIntent tell me a emphasis trivia
MTriviaIntent give me trivia
MTriviaIntent give me a mphasis trivia
MTriviaIntent give me a emphasis trivia
MTriviaIntent give me some information
MTriviaIntent give me some mphasis information
MTriviaIntent give me some emphasis information
MTriviaIntent tell me something
MTriviaIntent give me something
SchneiderSearchIntent get nearest distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get me nearest distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get best distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get me best distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get me {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent top {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get top {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get me top {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent nearest {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get nearest {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent top distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get top distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent best distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent get best distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent for nearest distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent for distributors in {City}
SchneiderSearchIntent distributors in {City}
HearMore yes
HearMore yep
HearMore yeah
HearMore sure
HearMore yes please
HearMore affirmative
DontHearMore no
DontHearMore nope

32.
Alexa Custom Skill - Reference Architecture
Echo/Dot Device
AWS Lambda
(Server-less compute in cloud)
Req. Voice Stream1
2 5
REST service
Resp. Voice Stream
Services
On Prem./Hosted/Cloud
API Gateway &
Management
"Alexa, ask Digi
Bank for …"
“ . . . ”
User Alexa Voice Service (AVS)
(Cloud)
3
• Identifies skill name
• Analyzes & understands the req.
• Sends the custom Alexa skill a
structured representation of user’s
req. Custom Alexa Skill
+ Alexa Skill Kit
4
6
7
8
9
• Your custom Alexa skill receives
the req.
• Processes the req. and returns text
(image – opt) response
• Alexa converts the returned
text to speech
• Streams to Echo/Dot device

33.
FedEx (Last Mile) – Alexa Reference Architecture
Echo/Dot Device
Azure (Azure Functions)
Req. Voice Stream
1
2 5
REST service
Resp. Voice Stream FedEx Last Mile
Services
Cloud
FedEx API
Gateway
"Alexa, ask
FedEx for …"
“ . . . ”
User Alexa Voice Service (AVS)
(Cloud)
3
• Identifies skill name
• Analyzes & understands the req.
• Sends the custom Alexa skill a
structured representation of user’s
req.
FedEx Last Mile
Custom Alexa Skill
+ Alexa Skill Kit
4
67
8
9
• Your custom Alexa skill receives
the req.
• Processes the req. and returns text
(image – opt) response
• Alexa converts the returned
text to speech
• Streams to Echo/Dot device
Cloud

34.
Hosting Options
AWS (AMAZON WEB SERVICE)
• AWS Lambda (Recommended, SSL key not required & provides a seamless integration)
• Java Servlet on EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)
• AWS Elastic Beanstalk
AZURE
• Azure Functions
• Azure Web App Service
GOOGLE CLOUD PLATFORM (GCP)
• Cloud Functions
• App Engine
HEROKU
• Heroku Dynos
OWN / ON PREM.
• Anything that is internet reachable and returns JSON over HTTP on port 443 (SSL). Need to have a trusted
certificate
Note: Using Non AWS hosting would require SSL Keys.

35.
AWS Lambda
• Server-less compute option from AWS
• Event driven - executes code on demand as specified event is triggered
• Allows scaling without thinking of servers or nodes
• Low cost compared to other compute options
• To host Alexa skill, Lambda code should be hosted in N.Virginia / US East location

36.
Azure Functions
• Server-less compute option from Azure - Event driven, compute-on-demand
• Expose Functions as HTTP API endpoints
• Scale Functions based on customer demand
• Very similar to AWS Lambda and GCP (Google) Cloud Functions
• Supports a variety of languages, including JavaScript, C#, Python, and PHP

37.
Request JSON
• Session detail
• User detail
• Request detail
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/docs/alexa-skills-kit-interface-reference

38.
Session

39.
Request - LaunchRequest

40.
Request - IntentRequest

41.
Request – IntentRequest (Cont’d)

42.
Request - SessionEndedRequest

43.
Response JSON
• Response - Text that Alexa says back to
the user. Could be text or SSML
• Reprompt – Text Alexa says back to the
user, if user does not respond. Could be
text or SSML
• Graphic Card details (title, text, image) –
Appears in companion app
• Session Attributes
• Should the session be ended
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/docs/alexa-skills-kit-interface-reference

44.
Voice design best practices
Getting Information from the User
• Make It Clear that the User Needs to Respond
• Don’t Assume Users Know What to Do
• Clearly Present the Options
• Keep it brief
• Avoid Overwhelming Users with Too Many Choices
• Offer Help for Complex Skills
• Ask Only Necessary Questions
• Obtain One Piece of Information at a Time
• Use the Amazon Alexa App to Enhance Discovery
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/docs/alexa-skills-kit-voice-design-best-practices

45.
Voice design best practices
Presenting Information to the User
• Make Sure Users Know They are in the Right Place – Set the right context while
responding
• Present Information in Consumable Pieces – Use pagination where more
information need to be presented
• Write for the Ear, not the Eye – make the interaction as verbal as possible, users
should feel that they are talking with another human being
• Avoid Technical and Legal Jargon
• Use Text-to-Speech Effectively
• Use SSML where required
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/docs/alexa-skills-kit-voice-design-best-practices

46.
Interaction patterns - One shot model vs Dialog model
User – Alexa, ask MyWeather
whether it would rain in Bangalore
tomorrow
Alexa – There is a 60% chance that
it would rain in Bangalore tomorrow
User – Alexa, open MyWeather
Alexa – Welcome to MyWeather. For
which city you are looking for
weather predictions?
User – Bangalore
Alexa – for which date?
User – tomorrow
Alexa - There is a 60% chance that it
would rain in Bangalore tomorrow
ONE SHOT MODEL DIALOG MODEL

47.
Hello World Alexa Skill (Node.js)
exports.handler = function( event, context ) {
var response = {
outputSpeech: {
type: "PlainText",
text: "Hello World"
},
card: {
type: "Simple",
title: "Hello World",
content: "Alexa Skills Kit"
},
shouldEndSession: true
};
context.succeed( { response: response } );
};

48.
exports.handler = function (event, context) {
try {
console.log("event.session.application.applicationId=" + event.session.application.applicationId);
if (event.session.application.applicationId !== "amzn1.echo-sdk-ams.app.[unique-value-here]") {
context.fail("Invalid Application ID");
}
if (event.session.new) {
onSessionStarted({requestId: event.request.requestId}, event.session);
}
if (event.request.type === "LaunchRequest") {
onLaunch(event.request, event.session,
function callback(sessionAttributes, speechletResponse) {
context.succeed(buildResponse(sessionAttributes, speechletResponse));
});
} else if (event.request.type === "IntentRequest") {
onIntent(event.request, event.session,
function callback(sessionAttributes, speechletResponse) {
context.succeed(buildResponse(sessionAttributes, speechletResponse));
});
} else if (event.request.type === "SessionEndedRequest") {
onSessionEnded(event.request, event.session);
context.succeed();
}
} catch (e) { context.fail("Exception: " + e); }
};
If it’s a new session, initialize the session, etc…
More on request handling …
Verifying that the Request is Intended for Your Service
Occurs when user launches a skill without an intent
Occurs when user specifies an intent
Occurs when session ends

49.
function onIntent(intentRequest, session, callback) {
console.log("onIntent requestId=" + intentRequest.requestId +
", sessionId=" + session.sessionId);
var intent = intentRequest.intent,
intentName = intentRequest.intent.name;
// Dispatch to your skill's intent handlers
if ("MyColorIsIntent" === intentName) {
setColorInSession(intent, session, callback);
}
else if ("WhatsMyColorIntent" === intentName) {
getColorFromSession(intent, session, callback);
}
else if ("AMAZON.HelpIntent" === intentName) {
getWelcomeResponse(callback);
}
else if ("AMAZON.StopIntent" === intentName || "AMAZON.CancelIntent" === intentName) {
handleSessionEndRequest(callback);
}
else {
throw "Invalid intent";
}
}
More on request handling …

50.
Response - Speech
• Text
• SSML

51.
How to respond
function getColorFromSession(intent, session, callback) {
var favoriteColor;
var repromptText = null;
var sessionAttributes = {};
var shouldEndSession = false;
var speechOutput = "";
if (session.attributes) {
favoriteColor = session.attributes.favoriteColor;
}
if (favoriteColor) {
speechOutput = "Your favorite color is " + favoriteColor + ". Goodbye.";
shouldEndSession = true;
} else {
speechOutput = "I'm not sure what your favorite color is, you can say, my favorite color is red";
}
// Setting repromptText to null signifies that we do not want to reprompt the user.
// If the user does not respond or says something that is not understood, the session will end.
callback(sessionAttributes,
buildSpeechletResponse(intent.name, speechOutput, repromptText, shouldEndSession));
}

52.
How to respond
function buildSpeechletResponse(title, output, repromptText, shouldEndSession) {
return {
outputSpeech: {
type: "PlainText",
text: output
},
card: {
type: "Simple",
title: "SessionSpeechlet - " + title,
content: "SessionSpeechlet - " + output
},
reprompt: {
outputSpeech: {
type: "PlainText",
text: repromptText
}
},
shouldEndSession: shouldEndSession
};
}

53.
SSML - Speech Synthesis Markup Language
Tags Description Usage
Speak Root element of an SSML document. When
using SSML with the Alexa Skills Kit,
surround the text to be spoken with this tag
<speak>
This is what Alexa sounds like without any SSML.
</speak>
audio Lets you provide the URL for an MP3 file
that the Alexa service can play while
rendering a response.
<speak>
Welcome to Car-Fu.
<audio src="https://carfu.com/audio/carfu-welcome.mp3" /> You
can order a ride, or request a fare estimate. Which will it be?
</speak>
break Represents a pause in the speech. Set the
length of the pause with the strength or time
attributes.
<speak>
There is a three second pause here <break time="3s"/>
then the speech continues.
</speak>
p Represents a paragraph. This tag provides
extra-strong breaks before and after the tag.
<speak>
<p>This is the first paragraph. There should be a pause
after this text is spoken.</p>
<p>This is the second paragraph.</p>
</speak>
phoneme
s Represents a sentence. This tag provides
strong breaks before and after the tag.
This is equivalent to:
- Ending a sentence with a period (.).
- Specifying a pause with <break
strength="strong"/>.
<speak>
<s>This is a sentence</s>
<s>There should be a short pause before this second
sentence</s>
This sentence ends with a period and should have the same
pause.
</speak>

54.
SSML - Speech Synthesis Markup Language
Tags Description Usage
say-as Describes how the text should be
interpreted. This lets you provide additional
context to the text and eliminate any
ambiguity on how Alexa should render the
text. Indicate how Alexa should interpret the
text with the interpret-as attribute.
• characters, spell-out: Spell out each letter.
• cardinal, number: Interpret the value as a cardinal number.
• ordinal: Interpret the value as an ordinal number.
• digits: Spell each digit separately .
• fraction: Interpret the value as a fraction. This works for both
common fractions (such as 3/20) and mixed fractions (such as
1+1/2).
• unit: Interpret a value as a measurement. The value should be
either a number or fraction followed by a unit (with no space in
between) or just a unit.
• date: Interpret the value as a date. Specify the format with the
format attribute.
• time: Interpret a value such as 1'21" as duration in minutes
and seconds.
• telephone: Interpret a value as a 7-digit or 10-digit telephone
number. This can also handle extensions (for example,
2025551212x345).
• address: Interpret a value as part of street address.
w Similar to <say-as>, this tag customizes the
pronunciation of words by specifying the
word’s part of speech.
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/docs/speech-synthesis-markup-language-ssml-reference

55.
Response – Graphic Card
• Interactions between a user and an Alexa device can include home cards displayed
in the Amazon Alexa App, the companion app available for Fire OS, Android, iOS,
and desktop web browsers.
• These are graphical cards that describe or enhance the voice interaction. A custom
skill can include these cards in its responses

56.
Response – Graphic Card
• Simple Card - Displays plain text. You provide text for the card title and content.
• Standard Card - Also displays plain text, but can include an image. You provide the
text for the title and content, and the URL for the image to display.
• LinkAccount Card - Special card type only used with account linking. This card lets
users start the account linking process.

57.
Type of Intents
• Get the time
• Get weather update
• Get traffic update
• Play music
• Get the news briefing
• Get account balance, get last
transactions, get credit card bill
(CapitalOne)
• Track order status (Dominos)
• Get nearest distributors (SE)
• Check the shipment status (FedEx)
• Set the timer
• Send a meeting request
• Send an email
• Make a reservation for dinner
• Buy something from Amazon
• Book a ride (Uber)
• Pay last credit card bill
(CapitalOne)
• Order a pizza (Dominos)
ASKING DOING