As we do #VoiceFirst development for platforms such as Amazon Alexa and Actions on the Google Assistant, we often find patterns in how we should interact with users between sessions, and the information we need to store to keep track of these interactions. Mark shares with Allen a library he has begun for Jovo 4 to assist with some of these patterns and goes into detail about the first of these - a way to manage a randomized list of items so our visitors get a new item each time. References: jov...
May 26, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 96
It's that time of year again! Google I/O! When Google rolls out the latest tools and products for developers and everyone else to use. While Allen couldn't be there in person this year, he answers Mark's questions about what Google is doing in the #VoiceFirst space in general and with the Google Assistant, Actions on Google, App Actions, and the Matter protocol specifically.
May 19, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 95
With a basic understanding of how multivocal helps you create a configuration-driven #VoiceFirst app, Allen and Mark discuss how a configuration-driven content management system for multivocal ties it all together for designers, developers, and content creators.
May 12, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Allen has been talking about multivocal for years, but what is it, and what does it do for developers? He and Mark talk about some of the underlying concepts about the multivocal library, how #VoiceFirst developers use it with platforms such as Amazon Alexa and Actions on Google, and how it can use Firebase Firestore for configuration and what this means as part of a content management system.
May 05, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Recently, AWS announced that their Lambda functions could now be invoked directly via HTTP, rather than having to go through another AWS service to access it. Mark and Allen compare this (and Lambda in general) to Google Cloud Functions, which offer similar features, and why these are both important tools in the #VoiceFirst toolbelt.
Apr 28, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 92
In the last episode, Mark demonstrated some of his work on Jovo that would lead towards a #VoiceFirst CMS integration, and Allen commented "now all you need is a UI to manage the content". This week - Mark delivers by exploring how to use Sanity.io, a "headless CMS" to build the UI that will feed into the configuration.
Apr 21, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Ever have one of those weekends where you have a programming idea, and you just can't get it out of your head, so you decide to code it? We all have! Mark had some ideas for how to create a Content Management System (CMS) built on top of Jovo, and he had to call Allen to share the idea and some early experiments with it. Along the way, we discuss some of Jovo's core concepts and set the stage for a #VoiceFirst CMS.
Apr 14, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Based on a question from Dana Gibson, Mark and Allen discuss some of the complexities when it comes to building Actions on Google for Assistant or Alexa Skills that access a database. From dealing with the asynchronous operations to making sure we complete the queries as quickly as possible, from SQL to tools like Firebase, Dynamo DB, and Air Table, we explore some tips and traps about databases in a #VoiceFirst world.
Apr 07, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 89
An important feature in Account Linking with both Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant is how they both integrate with existing authorization systems using the OAuth2 protocol. But OAuth2 can be tricky sometimes, as Mark and Allen relate with some tales of woe as they've tried to integrate OAuth into their #VoiceFirst skills and actions. Definitely some weird stuff happening!
Mar 31, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 88
With another week to ponder the implications (and implementation), Mark and Allen are both pretty excited to discuss some thoughts around what a #VoiceFirst CMS might look like and how it would work with the Actions for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Specifically, we dig a little bit into what Multivocal and Jovo are currently doing to make things easier on developers and content creators and what more needs to be done.
Mar 24, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Allen and Mark continue their conversation about Content Management Systems in a #VoiceFirst world and how developers could use a CMS to both simplify their development, empower the content authors and conversation designers, and lower the cost of updating Google Assistant actions and Alexa skills. Some products discussed: sanity.io Graph CMS Leximic multivocal Jovo
Mar 17, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 86
When it comes to #VoiceFirst applications, we often say that "content is king". But creating great conversations are also part of the content, and require close collaboration between the content author, the conversation designer, and the developer. Frequently updating the content can make for a better Alexa skill or Google Assistant action, but could be complicated. Mark and Allen discuss how (and why) to make this easier using a voice-oriented Content Management System (CMS). Some products disc...
Mar 17, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 85
What #VoiceFirst technology would we use to build an Alexa Skill or Google Assistant Action that allows us to chat with our friends? That's the question that Allen and Mark try to answer. Along the way, we learn about various technologies, tips, and tricks that we can use across an assortment of voice apps that we may build. (But should we even try to make this?)
Mar 03, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Let's get this #VoiceFirst app going! Mark and Allen chat about some of the complexities when it comes to starting your Google Assistant Action or Alexa Skill - either as the start of a conversation, through a "deep link" invocation, or as a "one shot" question or command. While it seems like it should be straightforward, things aren't as easy as they seem! What tricks and tools do we have at our command?
Feb 24, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Frequent listener JT asked us to explain what "modality" means. Good question, JT! Allen and Mark tackle the question to try and explain it, how it is important in #VoiceFirst development, and discuss some thoughts about where this important consideration may shape our Google Assistant actions and Alexa skills in years to come.
Feb 17, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Mark and Allen take a look at one of the foundational technologies for Alexa Skills and Google App Actions (and all of the modern web) - HTTP. Although originally standing for the HyperText Transfer Protocol, these days it has grown to support a wide range of uses, including the REST protocol, which many #VoiceFirst apps use to make information available for users.
Feb 10, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Mark is joined by guest host Eliza Camber, an Android developer and Google Developer Expert for the Google Assistant, to discuss what App Actions for the Google Assistant on Android are, how they bring the power of #VoiceFirst features to new and existing Android apps, how they compare to Alexa's mobile features, and how mobile devices can help future assistants with the thorny question about context.
Feb 03, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Voice AI technology is popping up in all sorts of different places, but one place that has gotten lots of news recently has been seeing #VoiceFirst processing at fast food drive-throughs. Allen and Mark ponder this from a number of different angles, both technological and legal, and explore where developers play a role as this becomes more widespread.
Jan 27, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Ever have one of those days (or weeks) as a developer where things don't just go wrong, they go badly wrong? Allen and Mark talk about some of their worst experiences as developers, from annoying bugs to accidentally deleting databases, and how they recovered. Most importantly - they remind us to remember the successes - not just the failures. #VoiceFirst
Jan 20, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Mark and Allen discuss what being a senior Software Developer looks like, for them, on a day-to-day basis, and compares how it may differ for #VoiceFirst and more conventional software projects.
Jan 18, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 77
A surprising amount of major #VoiceFirst development requires accessing other resource files your Alexa skill or Google Assistant action may need. From audio files to your privacy policy, there are all sorts of files that need to be available, and it can sometimes be confusing when they're not. Allen and Mark discuss some of the most likely scenarios and where to start looking for solutions.
Jan 10, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Mark and Allen are joined by friends from around the world via Twitter Space in a live episode to discuss what 2021 looked like for Amazon Alexa and Actions on Google Assistant development, and what 2022 looked like in the #VoiceFirst arena.
Jan 09, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Happy Holidays, everyone! Mark and Allen take a quick look back to see what gifts the #VoiceFirst developer community has gotten for Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.
Dec 23, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 74
While your first experiments with #VoiceFirst development may be a solo project, bigger and more elaborate projects will be done as part of a team. While we've often talked about the role of conversation designers as part of that team - what are the other team members? Allen and Mark share our experiences being part of different teams, both in how they work and how large they are, and what roles, from PM to Help Desk (and payroll!), are needed to make high quality and long lasting Amazon Alexa s...
Dec 16, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Mark and Allen continue their dive into some of the words we use as we develop #VoiceFirst. In this episode: Jovo Multivocal ASR NLP NLU Intent Slot Slot type / Entity / Entity Type / Custom Entity Alexa Conversations Action Builder scenes Context Fallback No match In Skill Purchases Account Linking APL Display Templates Cards Web API for Games Interactive Canvas...
Dec 09, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 72
We use a lot of strange terms in the #VoiceFirst world, so Mark and Allen start diving into some of what them mean and what they mean to us as developers. In this episode: Smart Speakers Smart Displays VoiceFirst Ambient Ubiquitous Amazon Echo Google Home Amazon Alexa Google Assistant FarField microphone Wake word Persona first party (1P) third party (3P) Skills Actions Capsules Voice apps App Actions Conversational actions Dialogflow v1, v2, ES, CX, API.AI Action Builder gactions Console Webhoo...
Dec 02, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 71
We just want to take a moment to thank members of the #VoiceFirst community, those who make developing for Alexa and the Google Assistant better, and especially you, our listeners, for being here during the past year.
Nov 25, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 70
The concept of an Intent in the #VoiceFirst world seems straightforward - it is what a user is trying to express. But how Amazon Alexa has implemented the concept is slightly different than how the Google Assistant and Dialogflow have. Allen and Mark explore some of these differences as Allen works to prepare multivocal, a development library, for use with Alexa. Find out more: multivocal.info
Nov 18, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 69
It is difficult to believe that the Google Home launched just over 5 years ago, and Alexa just celebrated its 7th birthday. Allen reminisces about his first steps writing for the Google Assistant with info about how he created a #VoiceFirst presentation, where his voice changed the slides, and how things have evolved since. Learn more: http://ifttt.com http://slides.com http://PubNub.com https://firebase.google.com/docs/database...
Nov 11, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Ever have an idea that you just can't shake? Mark had an idea for an APL processor based on the PostCSS processor, but it wasn't quite working out the way he expected it to, so he and Allen chat about it a bit. But in between when they first discuss it, and when they return to record another episode - he's resolved the problems and released it. Get some insight into both phases of this process. More about PostAPL: https://github.com/postapl #VoiceFirst
Nov 04, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 67
