Amazon has today launched a neat new feature for Alexa users in the US who want to expand the array of Skills and Responses on offer. With the new ‘Skill Blueprint’, Alexa users can now program their own customised experiences without the need to learn to program.
Skill Blueprint lets you create responses to questions like ‘Who’s the best father in the world’ or create a skill filled with information for someone like a baby sitter that can be called with a command like ‘Alexa, open My Sitter’. The range of things Skills Blueprint can do also includes creating your own trivia games, stories, jokes and more.
Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Amazon Alexa said
You don’t need experience building skills or coding to get started—my family created our own jokes skill in a matter of minutes, and it’s been a blast to interact with Alexa in a totally new and personal way.
Creating new skills appears to be quite easy, with Skills and Responses you create showing up instantly on the devices associated with your account. The process is controlled through the Amazon Skills Blueprint portal at blueprints.amazon.com. Once you’re there you can browse through more than 20 Skill Blueprints in four categories – Fun & Games, At Home, Storyteller, and Learning & Knowledge – to find what you want. You can customise each Blueprint to suit your needs, and then push it to your devices.
The list of Skills Blueprints provided by Amazon includes:
At Home
- Custom Q&A: Customize responses to your questions
- Houseguest: Make your guests feel at home with quick access to important info
- Babysitter: Help your sitter find things, remember steps and get important info
- Pet Sitter: Help your pet sitter care for your favorite animal
Fun & Games
- Family Jokes: Create a list of your favorite jokes for when you need a laugh
- Trivia: Create your own multiple choice trivia game on any topic
- Inspirations: Curate a list of your favorite inspirational quotes
- Family Trivia: Play together and brush up on family history
- Bachelorette Party: Play to find out how well the bride’s friends know her
- Birthday Trivia: Play to see who knows the birthday girl or boy best
- Burns: Roast your friends and family with lighthearted burns
- Compliments: Flatter your favorites with a list of custom compliments
- Double Trouble: Find out which couple knows each other best with this customizable game
- First Letter: Play a game of categories starting with a certain letter
Storyteller
- Adventure: Write an adventure story where your child is the hero
- Fairy Tale: Customize an interactive prince and princess-themed tale
- Sci-Fi: Create an interactive story with a far-out theme
- Fable: Create a short narrative with a moral of the story
Learning & Knowledge
- Flash Cards: Study, test yourself, and master any subject by voice
- Facts: Keep a list of facts on your favorite topic, all in one place
- Quiz: Challenge yourself and others with a customizable quiz
There’s no word on when this will expand to more regions, but it looks like a lot of fun and we’re hoping it’s sooner rather than later.
