As building an Alexa skill is ambitious and my technical skills only extend so far, I have watching tutorials on how to do so and taken the assistance and advice from one of my work colleagues who understands programming and coding. He has assisted me in researching and understanding how to build this skill and provided me with the best approaches. With his assistance, the skill has managed to be built through Alexa skill developer. Some of the images featured in this blog demonstrate some of the steps required.
I have created a database with the size, product type, brand, if it is recyclable and code to apply to Alexa’s smart skill in order for her to relay the information. This is first created in Microsoft Excel and then inputted into the Alexa skill online. This database has been designed to later be applied to other assistant technology such as Apple’s Siri or Google Home. I have also designed screen cards for the Alexa show home screens in order to provide deaf people with the same experience with Alexa’s recycling skill.
I have also created a complimentary game that will be sent to the users connected Amazon account’s default address once they use Alexa’s Smart Cycle recycling skill. This game provides them with 4 material cards of which then can be matched to the blanks on the 15 question cards. This is a fun way of educating people on the benefits of recycling and how they could make a difference by recycling just one or more products. The game continues to be consistent with the branding, as advised by the brand guidelines.
