Engaging with the Google Assistant

GDG Boston

15 Nov 2017

Audio Credit:  CBS Studios

Plan of Action

10:00 - 11:00    What is this? Why do we care?

11:00 - 12:00    High level view of building actions.

12:00 - 12:30    Using Dialogflow to build actions.

12:30 - 13:00    Firebase Overview.

13:00 - 14:00    Lunch!

14:00 - 15:00    Guided code lab.

15:00 - 17:00    Self-paced code lab / open coding.

17:00 - 17:15    Wrap-up / raffle!

Allen Firstenberg

Software developer / Consultant

 

Google Developer Expert for Assistant, IoT, Wearables, Identity

 

http://spiders.com/

http://prisoner.com/

 

http://prisoner.com/ubi/

Tell me about you

• Mobile or web?
• Alexa or Assistant?
• Mac vs Windows?
• JavaScript?
• Student?

What are we talking about?

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios / Paramount

What is the Google Assistant?

A conversation

between you and Google that helps you get things done

in your world.

Where do we find the Assistant?

Photo Credit:  Google

Everywhere!

Assistant SDK

Where do we find the Assistant?

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios / Paramount

What are Actions on Google?

Actions on Google is the API

that lets you engage in conversations

with other services

through the Google Assistant.

Dialogflow

Interactive

Direct

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Transactional

Smart Home

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Where Actions Run

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Privacy and Security

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios / Paramount

Assistant vs Alexa

Questions?

Break Time!

How do we build an Action?

• Design
• Develop
• Deploy

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

What Personality Should it Have?

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Build a Script

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

• Keep in mind how people talk - not how they write.
• Don't make "audible buttons".
• Users may not respond for many reasons.
• There are no errors.
• Users have intent - help them get there.

Input Processing

Fulfillment

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Intents, Parameters,

Context, and Memory

Processing

Response

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Testing

Other Surfaces

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Other Important Bits

Discovery

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Who Cares?

Firebase

• Functions
• Database
• Hosting

Dialogflow

Actions Console

Assistant Simulator

Google Analytics

Chatbase

Dashbot.IO

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios

Summary

• Voice is a new and powerful tool
• Think outside the dialog box
• Develop a personality
• Script the conversation
• Context is Queen
• Separate your request and response from your business logic
• Start with voice - and then go further

 

Keep talking to others - we're all still learning!

Questions

https://spiders.com/

https ://prisoner.com/ubi/

 

https://developers.google.com/actions

Stack Overflow: actions-on-google

https://g.co/actionsdev

Photo Credit:  CBS Studios / Paramount