We are excited to announce that now anyone can create and publish an Alexa skill on the India Alexa Skills Store, using the Alexa Skill Blueprints. Skill Blueprints enable you to create and share customized Alexa skills simply by filling in the blanks to one of the dozens of easy-to-use templates. Now, anyone, even with no coding skills, can publish skills created using Alexa Skill Blueprints to the Alexa Skills Store in US and India for customers to discover, use, and review.

Alexa Blueprints are available in India across six different categories: Greetings and Occasions, Communities and Organizations, Fun and Games, Learning and Knowledge, At Home, and Storyteller. To get started, here’s how you could use these templates and further customize Alexa to your liking:

Your Very Own Storyteller

Budding authors can share their talents for the written word and publish their short stories or poems with our category of Storytelling blueprints, including the Fable, Sci-Fi, and Adventure blueprints and many more. You can build immersive storytelling experiences by taking inputs like character name, from the listener, and also adding the necessary pauses to build an engaging story telling session.

Learning Simplified

Whether you are a parent helping your child study, or an educator looking to teach students your way, these blueprints could be easy tools for you. Tutors can use the Flashcards, Facts, and Quiz blueprints to help students use Alexa to help them learn new concepts, retain information, and prepare for that next exam. You only need to provide the desired learning content into the skill template without the need for any coding, and you can make learning a fun experience for everyone.

Distribute Audio Content in Minutes

Universities and spiritual organizations can now use the new University and Spiritual Talks blueprints to make their live and recorded audio content accessible on Alexa-enabled devices. Just add your audio feed URL to the Skill Blueprint, customize the welcome and exit messages for your skill, and simply submit your skill for certification. If you are a broadcaster, news agency or a content-heavy organization that wants to share their products or services via Alexa, just leverage the new Flash Briefing blueprint to offer fresh daily and weekly content to your customers in India. Once your skill is reviewed and published to the India Alexa Skills Store, customers can access your live and recorded content, just by asking Alexa.

Blueprints at Home

Alexa Skill Blueprints makes it easy for anyone to build an Alexa Skill. You can start right at home with the Houseguest Blueprint to welcome guests with a guide to your home and neighbourhood. Be it finding things at your home, steps to perform chores, or even emergency contact information, Alexa can help your guests. You only need to enter information your home guests may need, into the blueprint template and you are ready to go. You can also leverage the Roommate Blueprint to set your own rules between roommates.

Fun with Blueprints

You can build your own private Blueprints for you and your family members. Choose from a wide range of Blueprints including Inspirations, Family Trivia, Couples Quiz, Birthday Trivia, and more, to engage visitors in a fun and entertaining manner. You can choose to keep the skill private, which can only be used by users through your Alexa account, or even share the Alexa skill privately with friends and family.

How to Get Started with Alexa Skill Blueprints

Follow these three steps to start creating your skill with Skill Blueprints:

• Select your Blueprint template. Visit blueprints.amazon.in to browse through the list of Skill Blueprints that meets your needs.
• Click on the template to read its description, including the steps you will go through to create the skill. Notice the Play button and progress bar. This lets you hear a sample of a skill created with that blueprint.
• Make it your own by adding your own content. Each blueprint comes with pre-filled content that can be used as-is or customized as you like. You can create, modify and test the skill until you are satisfied with your content.
• Complete your skill and decide whether to keep your skill personal to Alexa-enabled devices associated with your Amazon account, share it with friends and family, or publish it so anyone can discover, use, and review your skill.

There is no limit to the number of skills you can create. Visit blueprints.amazon.in to start building your Alexa skill today. Getting started is as simple as filling in the blanks. We can’t wait to see what you create.