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Max Eichbaum
Product Design
Work
About
Skill Flow Builder (SFB)
</iframe<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script></div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-f48bce1d6bf0065a5511"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Problem</h2><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Most Alexa games aren’t very fun. They are confusing to interact with and very buggy.</p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Discovery</h2><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">First, I interviewed skill makers to learn more about what was hampering their productivity, collaboration, and iteration. I also interviewed game makers on other platforms to learn about their process. I prototyped various solutions and content formats (including CSV, word, and custom syntaxes). Then, I put the concepts in front of skill developers, testers, designers, and writers for feedback. I planned and executed individual feedback sessions, a hackathon, and a formal external beta program. I expanded the feature set and refined the syntax based on customer feedback and collected more feedback. I learned that:</p><ol data-rte-list="default"><li><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I learned early on that the greatest impediment to productivity, collaboration, and iteration was that there was no one place where the holistic experience was defined. It was defined in abstract pieces, separated out into the interaction model, individual lines of content, and flow logic written in programming languages. It was near impossible to look at the code of a skill and understand what it was supposed to do. Therefore, the first step was to provide a high-level language where a user could define the whole experience in one place and then automated processes would abstract away the interaction model, content, and logic behind the scenes. We call this format Alexa Branched Content (or .abc files) which form the core language of Skill Flow Builder.</p></li><li><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I interviewed select teams responsible for top Alexa Skills and learned that they tended to be multidisciplinary, including developer, writer, voice designer, visual designer, and QA roles. Each role wanted to be able to work on their own area of concern, without requiring assistance or blocking each other. Therefore, I designed a syntax that clearly separated each area of concern, while being simple enough to scan and understand the overall flow. A writer can just focus on the “say” sections, a visual designer can focus on the “show” sections, a voice designer can tune the “hear” sections, and a developer can build extensions to add complex functionality.</p></li><li><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I also learned that there were many many opportunities to improve overall productivity in skill authoring. We added features such as snippets, voice model generation, and a testing framework to speed up overall skill development. </p></li><li><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Finally, I learned that working in vs-code intimidated many designers and writers. They also needed flow diagrams and a simulator to aid in rapid iteration without needing to deploy. Therefore, I designed the SFB Editor application for Mac and PC. It is simple to install and empowers non-technical users to rapidly iterate on voice experiences with very little on-boarding. </p></li></ol><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Goal</h2><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Increase skill creator productivity and enable teammates of all technical ability to iterate rapidly on the holistic experience.</p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Solution</h2><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I designed a new domain specific markup and programming language for voice experiences. I iterated on the structure, syntax and core features with user feedback from hackathons and betas. Based on early feedback, I designed an editor application so that less technical users could onboard with minimal setup. I added a flow diagram and simulator to the application to aide in rapid iteration and QA. </p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">REsult</h2><ul data-rte-list="default"><li><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">80+ SFB authored Alexa Skills published as of Dec 2021 including <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/27/21196735/amazon-alexa-covid-19-coronavirus-diagnosis-advice-symptoms-risk-factors-travel" target="_blank">Alexa COVID-19 Self-Checker</a>, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Paizo-Alexa-Games-Starfinder/dp/B082SZRSRJ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Starfinder&qid=1585933107&s=digital-skills&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Audible-Choose-Your-Own-Adventure/dp/B07N6R87RH?sa-no-redirect=1" target="_blank">Choose Your Own Adventure</a>, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Electronic-Arts-The-Sims-Stories/dp/B07VX8KJJ4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sims%20stories&qid=1585934546&s=digital-skills&sr=1-1&swrs=2BD6C813BB308E21A3A2F2581C0C0796" target="_blank">The Sims Stories</a>, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Wanderword-Cursed-Painting/dp/B0833DJ4TD/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Cursed%20Painting&qid=1585934508&s=digital-skills&sr=1-1">Cursed Painting</a>, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Doppio-Games-The-3-Challenge/dp/B07YTV91CY?sa-no-redirect=1" target="_blank">The 3% Challenge</a>, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-The-Great-Game/dp/B085W8B1Y1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Sherlock%20Holmes%3A%20The%20Great%20Game&qid=1585934597&s=digital-skills&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Great Game</a></p></li><li><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Press: <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2019/07/23/amazons-skill-flows-builder-simplifies-story-based-game-development-for-alexa/">VentureBeat</a>, <a href="https://voicebot.ai/2019/06/06/alexa-conversations-to-automate-elements-of-skill-building-using-ai-and-make-user-experiences-more-natural-while-boosting-discovery/">VoiceBot.ai</a>, <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614006/alexa-tell-me-about-the-rise-of-voice-powered-gaming/">MIT Technical Review</a> </p></li><li><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Awards: <a href="https://www.digitalbookworld.com/single-post/2019/09/11/2019-DBW-Awards-Winners">Best Software in Publishing</a> by <a href="https://www.digitalbookworld.com/">Digital Book World</a></p></li></ul> </div> </div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-block-type="5" id="block-7419c75304f00000a041"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:2500px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element has-aspect-ratio " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:63.55999755859375%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png" data-image-dimensions="2500x1589" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Screen Shot 2020-04-02 at 3.40.14 PM.png" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png" width="2500" height="1589" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585931995088-ZHP4A3GKNI5GQYEUW8V4/Screen+Shot+2020-04-02+at+3.40.14+PM.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> </figure> </div> </div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1585929838377_33516"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:2500px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element has-aspect-ratio " style=" position: relative; 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padding-bottom:63.55999755859375%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png" data-image-dimensions="2500x1589" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Screen Shot 2020-04-03 at 9.42.07 AM.png" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png" width="2500" height="1589" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d96978edf2ed817c71bb1e4/1585932175754-ZBND7P56NL7D7OCCYR8F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-03+at+9.42.07+AM.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> </figure> </div> </div></div><div class="sqs-block button-block sqs-block-button" data-block-type="53" id="block-eaea5f5f59353105a8eb"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-block-button-container sqs-block-button-container--center" data-animation-role="button" data-alignment="center" data-button-size="medium" data-button-type="primary" > <a href="https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/docs/alexa/custom-skills/understand-the-skill-flow-builder.html" class="sqs-block-button-element--medium sqs-button-element--primary sqs-block-button-element" target="_blank" > Skill Flow Builder on developer.amazon.com </a> </div> </div></div></div></div></div> </section> <div class="extra-wrapper page-footer"> <div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12 empty" data-layout-label="Footer Content: Skill Flow Builder" data-type="block-field" id="page-footer-5e875dab50dbb567ce7ff935"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-12 span-12"></div></div></div> </div> <div class="page-divider"></div> <footer id="footer"> <div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-1 columns-1 empty" data-layout-label="Footer Content" data-type="block-field" data-updated-on="1585849797450" id="footerBlock"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-1 span-1"></div></div></div> </footer> </div> <div></div> <script src="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ta/4fd1028ee4b02be53c65dfb3/1361/scripts/site-bundle.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script data-sqs-type="imageloader-bootstrapper">if(window.ImageLoader) window.ImageLoader.bootstrap({}, document);</script><script>Squarespace.afterBodyLoad(Y);</script> </body> </html>
