You don’t need to be a coder anymore to write some Skills for Amazon’s Echo and other Alexa devices. A new feature called Alexa Blueprints provides more than 20 templates for writing out your own voice commands and responses.
For instance, the Flash Cards template lets you fill out questions and answers for studying, while the “My Sitter” template lets the babysitter get information on things like the Wi-Fi password or meal instructions. You can even create custom burns (or, conversely, compliments) for friends and family.
Obviously there are limits to this system. If you want to write a skill that connects with online services or offers media playback, you’ll probably need some coding knowledge. Still, it could be a neat tool for creating simple diversions or serving up household information, and Amazon says it will add even more templates over time.
Head to blueprints.amazon.com to start making some skills.
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