Table of Contents
Introduction
This blog explains how to customize your conversation with Amazon Alexa using Blueprints and enable it for your Alexa which can be accessed through your Alexa enabled device. This is a part of the blog - Cue System for Anosmia and Smart WheelChair #5 - Exploring Amazon Alexa.
Video
The video below explains how to create a skill using the Amazon Alexa Skill Blueprints and access it through Alexa. The Alexa enabled device used is the Amazon Echo Dot. You can use your own Alexa enabled device to follow along with the instructions. Detailed steps with screenshots have been provided below this video.
Steps - Blueprints
1. Go to the site https://blueprints.amazon.com/
2. Sign in using your Amazon account email and credentials.
3. On successful login, you will be directed to your homepage [as shown below]. This page will have many options through which you can create a skill and have a customized conversation with Alexa. This walkthrough will be on creating a 'Custom Q&A' skill and use it with Alexa.
Note: There is a message in the home page which says the language needs to be changed to 'English US' if you need to access the skill created. To change Alexa enabled device's language follow the instructions in this link.
4. Click the 'Custom Q&A' option [boxed in red below]. You will be directed to the page where you can create custom questions which you can ask Alexa and it will respond with the answers you have entered and saved in this page.
5. On the 'Custom Q&A ' page you will have the below:
- Option to 'Make your own' Custom Q&A.
- Hear a sample of custom Q&A.
- Instructions on 'How to create' and ' How to use'.
6. Click the 'Make your Own' button to create custom Q&A skill for Alexa. You will be directed to a page with Q&A pre-populated. You can either delete them all and add from scratch (or) continue adding your questions and answer. Alexa will respond only when your question is exactly the same as you have saved here.
- On top of the page, you have the name of the skill through which you can let Alexa know that it should be ready to answer your questions. In this case, the name is 'My Questions Two'.
- Click the '+ Add Q&A' button to add a new Q&A.
- Click the 'Next: Update Skill' once you have completed your Q&A and proceed to create/ update skill.
7. On successful completion, you will be directed to the below page with confirmation [see below screenshot] that your skill is ready to use.
Steps - Alexa App
1. Open your Alexa App and go to Menu by clicking the Menu button 
2. Click Skills and you will be directed to the screen where you can enable your developed skills (or) choose from a variety of skills that is already available.
3. Click on 'Your Skills' on top of the below screen, to see the list of skills which has been enabled and skills you developed that can be enabled. You can also disable skills here.
4. Click on 'Dev Skills' to be directed to the screen where the skills you have developed will be shown. Click the skill which needs to be enabled which in this case is 'My Questions Two'.
5. Click the 'Enable' button to enable the skill. In order to let Alexa know that it has to respond to your custom Q&A, ask Alexa as below,
Alexa, Open [Skill name here - My Questions Two]
[After Alexa completes narrating an introduction and asks you to ask the question]
Alexa, ... [Your question here as you have saved - What is element fourteen community?] ...
Top Comments