Build It Like A Coder

You may not be a person who codes, but you can still create your very own ‘skills’ and ‘actions’ on alexa and google, and share it with the world.

- Nidhi Singal

They are all over the place – on smart speakers, smartphones and synced with a lot many smart appliances. They can talk to us, fetch us information and carry out tasks as bidden. They are the voice-controlled virtual assistants, which are steadily growing in number. Of course, there is no Siri for Android users. But Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, Lyra, Robin and their ilk are doing an excellent job. Look around, and you will find thousands of apps doing the same or more. The only problem: Finding those apps can be difficult. Even if you manage to download them all, running different apps for different tasks is not exactly convenient. Also, let us not deny it; you have always looked for new applications for new kinds of tasks and new ways of interaction. But you are not that tech wizard who can make it happen. You do not even know how to code.

That should not be a problem in an era of short-cuts and quick fixes. In fact, tech giants like Google and Amazon are helping non-techies build their very own voice apps by using precoded templates. Imagine publishing a personalised platform that will allow you to share your hobby, nay, passion, with netizens far and wide. If you are a budding author, share an audio clip featuring your latest poem or short story. Or if you fancy yourself as a quiz master, create hard-to-crack trivia. Now that you know the potential, let us create some new activities on Alexa and Google (they call these activities skills and actions, respectively).

CREATING ‘SKILLS’ ON ALEXA