Best practices

Follow these best practices when you design user experiences:

• Think voice-first. If this is hard, think voice-only. Start to add functionality already captured by gradually adding visuals.
• Because users can leave the “happy path” at any time within the skill dialog, you must handle user “errors” gracefully.
• APL helps to reduce the amount of voice user interface that is necessary. Screen availability adds to and enhances the experience. Determine early whether your skill takes advantage of the unique benefits of voice for an input modality. For example, how does the voice experience differ from the mobile app?
• A good exercise is to start with a description of the problem the skill is meant to solve and at least three phrases you would expect the user to say to the skill.
• Complex skills can be hard for your customers to use. Try to limit the number of intents when possible.