PodLib One
Curated collection of podcasts episodes via Google Assistant
Making an experience that works well on smart speakers like Google mini and home is humbling. I had no idea how different the approach needed to be.
I kinda glad I didn't know how difficult it would be because not sure how eager I would have been to take it on. I have learned a lot in this process.
Heres to being foolish.
One of the hardest parts of doing this project has been all the grimy parts that people will never see. For instance, securing all of the API calls that power the webpage and Google Action are imperative to the successful launch of this platform.
Created a lite CMS to help with the curation process. The easier it is to add to my collection of episodes. So far so good
Finally back to where I was with my Alexa Skill. A working prototype this time with Google Assitant. Primarily focused on the Google Assitant interface on the phone.
Soon after making an end to end proof of concept in Amazon Echo voice ecosystem. I purchased a Google Pixel . Based on a confluence of ideas I decided to move my project over to the Google Assistant platform.
Here are my reasons...
Omnipresence
The Amazon Echo is primarily a voice assistant that is tied to an Echo device. Alternatively Google Assistant has a chat interface that integrated directly into to the Google Assistant app as well as the physical voice devices.
Real World usage
When I initially built my Echo proof of concept I was a lot more stationary. I was helping out with my 1 year old daughter this is no longer typical of my routine and probably is not for most people. We need content where we are.
DialogFlow
One of the main reasons I was drawn to chat interfaces and voice first experiences was Dialogflow (https://dialogflow.com/). The interface allowed me to understand the concepts of intent and fulfillment. While the Alexa skills interface has greatly improved Dialogflow is still the standard for me. This would allow me to really put this tool to use.
After wrestling with the Aks SDK I finally have something that works from end to end. Its powered by the Wordpress Rest API through AWS lambda.
We got two Amazon Echo dots and some curiosity. Started development on a skill that surfaces a curated list of noteworthy podcast episodes.
So I got an idea and when I get ideas I buy domains. This is of those ideas and one of those domains
Comment