Ah, Christmas—a time to unwind, enjoy festive treats, and perhaps indulge in some holiday movie marathons. For Alexa developers, it’s also a moment to reflect on the past and envision a future where the must-have voice assistant of 2017 can regain its spotlight in 2023. Here’s my wishlist for Amazon’s Alexa platform, hoping it lands on the nice list:
1. Let Developers Run Ads:
- Users may not be thrilled about ads on their Alexa devices, but what if developers could run them within their skills? Allowing developers to implement ads, with Amazon managing the sale and provision, could mitigate negative sentiment directed at individual developers. It’s a win for Amazon (revenue cut), developers (monetization), and users (access to skills without direct payments). This move could reignite excitement in the developer ecosystem.
2. Bring Multimodal to the Mobile App:
- While I’ve been cautious about multimodal experiences, seeing the success of SoundHound’s Dynamic Interaction demo has shifted my perspective. The crucial step for Alexa is to integrate multimodal experiences into the mobile app. Ensuring that every Alexa user has at least one screen could incentivize developers to invest more in adding visuals to their skills. Additionally, promoting the app as a primary means of accessing Alexa could expand the user base and use cases.
3. Enable an Actual Voice-First Account Linking Process:
- Voice-first account linking has been a persistent item on developers’ wishlists. The current ‘voice-forward’ account linking process announced at Alexa Live seems convoluted. Amazon should strive for a more seamless voice-first account linking process or, at the very least, make the existing process more user-friendly. As voice experiences are inherently ephemeral, a streamlined linking process is crucial for delivering meaningful value to users.
As we wrap up another year, these wishes aim to enhance the Alexa developer experience and bring back the excitement that surrounded the platform in its early days. Here’s hoping that Alexa developers find these enhancements under their virtual Christmas tree and that the voice ecosystem continues to evolve and captivate users in the coming year. Merry Christmas and happy coding! 🎄🎁
