I’ve been part of a small team who've spent the last 4 months building the first official “BBC Skill” for Alexa devices, which is due to go live at the end of November. Along the way we’ve gained a tonne of insights about designing for voice interactions, and specifically about designing for such a new, emerging platform where all the affordances you’re used to leaning on as a designer do not exist. It’s been a learning curve with some very cool moments, some not so cool moments, and some “why on earth would you do it like that?!?” moments. In this lightning talk I'll share a few of them and give you some insights into how to get the most out of the platform.

1. Barry Briggs | @quiffboy | @todo_london | 1st Nov 2017
What I learned while
designing for voice
Voice UI

2. Senior UX Architect
@ BBC
@quiffboy
Voice UI

4. 5 things…
Voice UI

5. Voice UI
Thing 1:
It’s not very
conversational.
Voice UI

6. Voice UI
Alexa, play
Radio 1 Xtra
Playing
BBC Radio 1 Xtra
Radio 1 Xtra plays
¸¸.•*¨*•♫

7. Voice UI
Alexa, ask the thermostat
to turn the heating up
OK
Heating is
turned up

8. Voice UI
Thing 2:
It’s like the early
days of apps.
Voice UI

9. developer.amazon.com/alexa-skills-kit
Voice UI

10. Voice UI
Thing 3:
The English language
sucks, and Alexa hates
your accent.
Voice UI

11. Alexa,
ask
the thermostat
to
turn the heating up
Voice UI

12. Alexa,
ask
the thermostat
to
turn the heating up
Voice UI

13. Alexa,
ask
the thermostat
to
turn the heating up
Voice UI

14. Alexa,
ask
the thermostat
to
turn the heating up
Voice UI

15. Voice UI
Thing 4:
Brevity trumps wit,
and Alexa isn’t funny.
Voice UI

16. This is the BBC. I can play all
your favourite BBC radio
stations and podcasts. What
would you like to hear?
Voice UI

17. This is the BBC. I can play all
your favourite BBC radio
stations and podcasts. What
would you like to hear?
Voice UI

18. This is the BBC. What would
you like to hear?
Voice UI

19. Voice UI
Thing 5:
Script your interactions,
test them with people,
amend them.
Voice UI

20. Low fidelity:
Hilary Brownlie’s “Talking Forms”
Presentation/workshop
Low-to-medium fidelity:
Ben Sauer’s “STFU: Test Your Voice App Idea in Less Than An Hour”
Presentation/prototyping tool
Medium-to-high fidelity:
developer.amazon.com
Alexa Skills Kit Voice Simulator
Voice UI

21. Voice UI
Bonus thing:
Other voice assistants
are available.
Voice UI

22. Voice UI
Fin.
Thank you.
Voice UI

23. Oh, and
we’re hiring!
Voice UI