Amazon Skills Kit

Amazon today is rolling out the biggest makeover for its

Alexa Skills Kit Developer Console – the console where

voice app developers create their skills – since its debut

back in 2015. The new console has been redesigned with

a focus on improving developer workflows, says Amazon.

It now offers separate sections for “build,” “test,” “launch,”

and “measure” – meaning developers can create skills in

a visual interface, test their performance, push them live,

then see how consumers respond in order to make

Adjustments.

The redesign comes at a time when a number of third-

party companies have stepped in to address issues that

Amazon’s own toolset has been lacking. For example,

Sayspring created a visual interface for designers to

prototype their voice apps ahead of coding, and YC-

backed Storyline allows for Alexa skill development

without coding.

While Amazon’s own developer console doesn’t address

those exact same use cases, there is a bigger emphasis

on visualizing the flow of the conversation with Alexa than

in the previous version.