We are happy to announce that you can now test how your Alexa skill will display on Echo Spot without owning a device. You can access the Echo Spot display, in addition to the Echo Show display, on the Test page of the Alexa developer console. The Echo Spot display expands the Alexa simulator testing capabilities, which include testing your Alexa skills through text, voice, and now display for both Echo Show and Echo Spot. You can test your Alexa skills that use the display interface by enabling the Echo Show and Echo Spot Display options to see how your Alexa skill responses will appear on these devices.

A graphical user interface (GUI) can be a great complement to the voice-first user experience, and Echo Show and Echo Spot have opened up a new world of possibilities for what you can do with voice on devices with a display. Use these devices to extend your voice experience to show more information or allow touch for interactions like picking from a list and watching videos.

Tips for Designing Engaging Voice-First Experiences on Devices with Screens

For skill developers, voice-enabled devices with a screen create unique opportunities to reimagine voice innovations. When building Alexa skills for Echo Show and Echo Spot, here are some tips for designing voice-first experiences that prove engaging across all Alexa-enabled devices:

1. Voice needs to be the primary interaction method with Alexa, even when designing for devices with screens. Consider the display as a way to enhance your skill. Design your voice interaction first, then think about how you can enhance the conversation with visuals.
2. It is essential that you choose the right templates, allowing you to develop visual experiences that work across devices.
3. When designing for multimodal devices, it is important that your content is easy to consume. Consider brevity, arrangement, and pacing when you are writing your dialogue and designing your visuals.

Learn more about VUI & GUI best practices to build skills for Echo Show and Echo Spot.

Get Started with the Voice Design Guide

We have updated the Amazon Alexa Voice Design Guide with additional design practices and guidelines to teach you how to build compelling experiences across voice and graphical user interfaces. This includes using imagery, video, and formatted text in the new visual templates. The guide is also an excellent resource for voice design basics, providing a thorough overview of the design process, conversational voice experiences, and how to apply fundamental Alexa concepts.

Build Engaging Skills, Earn Money with Alexa Developer Rewards

Every month, developers can earn money for eligible skills that drive some of the highest customer engagement. Developers can increase their level of skill engagement and potentially earn more by improving their skill, building more skills, and making their skills available in the US, UK, and Germany. Learn more about our rewards program and start building today. Watch our on-demand webinar for tips to build engaging skills for Echo Show and Echo Spot.