Become an Amazon Alexa Skill Developer!

Join a free workshop hosted by Galvanize and Amazon to learn more about building applications for Alexa! Students will learn to create applications for a voice user interface (VUI) and prepare for the jobs of tomorrow in AI, VUI design, and voice computing.

What is Alexa?

Alexa is Amazon’s voice service and the brain behind millions of devices including Amazon Echo. Alexa provides capabilities, or skills, that enable customers to create a more personalized experience. There are now more than 10,000 skills from companies like Starbucks, Uber, and Capital One as well as innovative designers and developers. You, too, can build engaging skills and reach millions of customers with the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK). ASK is a collection of self-service APIs, tools, documentation, and code samples that makes it fast and easy for you to add skills to Alexa. With ASK, you can leverage Amazon’s knowledge and pioneering work in the field of voice design. Attend this workshop to learn how to create compelling voice experiences for Alexa.

In this workshop, you’ll learn:

• Introduction to Alexa Skills Kit
• Introduction to basic concepts like intents, utterances, and slots
• How to build your first skill
• How to leverage AWS Lambda
• How to set your skill up for successful certification

Agenda:

• Welcome and Intro to Alexa (20 mins)
• What are Skills and How do they Work? (20 mins)
• Building your first Skill! (40 mins)
• Intents, Utterances, and Slots (20 mins)
• Build a second skill! (40 mins)
• Advanced concepts, persistence, states, SDK (20 mins)
• Closing, and networking (20 mins)

What should I do prior to arrival?

1. Sign up for an Amazon developer account (free)
2. Sign up for an Amazon Web Services (AWS) account (free but credit card required for signup)
3. Download and install Node.js (optional, but recommended)
4. Browse the Alexa GitHub repository

What should I bring?

Your laptop and charger. Tablets do not provide the multi-tab capabilities you will want.

Why should I learn to create Alexa skills?

• With this workshop, you will learn about voice user interfaces (VUI) and will gain experience with three services: Amazon’s Alexa Skills Kit, AWS Lambda (part of Amazon Web Services), and the Node.js backend JavaScript framework.
• Second, once certified, your new skill will be published in the Alexa skills store, so others can use it on devices with Alexa.
• Finally, the way humans interact with machines is at an inflection point, and conversational artificial intelligence (AI) is at the center of the transformation. Alexa, the voice service that powers Amazon Echo, enables customers to interact with the world around them in a more intuitive way, using voice. Get ready for the future of user experience.

About the Alexa Skills Kit

Alexa is Amazon’s voice service and the brain behind millions of devices including Amazon Echo. Alexa provides capabilities, or skills, that enable customers to create a more personalized experience. There are now more than 10,000 skills from companies like Starbucks, Uber, and Capital One as well as innovative designers and developers.

The Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) enables designers, developers, and brands to build engaging skills and reach millions of customers. ASK is a collection of self-service APIs, tools, documentation, and code samples that makes it fast and easy for you to add skills to Alexa. With ASK, you can leverage Amazon’s knowledge and pioneering work in the field of voice design.

Learn more about the Alexa Skills Kit.

About Galvanize

Galvanize is the premiere dynamic learning community for technology. With campuses located in booming technology sectors throughout the country, Galvanize provides a community for each the following:

• Education - part-time and full-time training in web development, data science, and data engineering

• Workspace - whether you’re a freelancer, startup, or established business, we provide beautiful spaces with a community dedicated to support your company’s growth

• Networking - events in the tech industry happen constantly in our campuses, ranging from popular Meetups to multi-day international conferences

To learn more about Galvanize, visit galvanize.com.