V.u.x. World

Today, we're discussing why you should separate voice app content from your code and logic with Jargon founders, Milkana Brace (CEO) and Jonathan Burstein (CTO).Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioJargonSeparating content from code is a practice that not only makes it easier to manage your VUX in general, but also paves the way for internationalising your Alexa Skill or Google Assisntant Action for other countries. Jargon's SDK does the former (separating code from content) and their transcreation services do the latter (internationalise your skill or action for other languages.Internationalising Alexa Skills and Google Assistant Actions: the land grabThis January, Google announced that Google Assistant will be available on over 1 billion devices. Amazon report to have now sold over 100 million Echo devices. Yet, 90% of all smart speaker activity is conducted in English. That's despite Alexa having a decent presence across Europe, Asia and South Am

For the first episode of 2019, Dustin and I chat to long time fan of the show, hardcore Wu-Tang fan and resident UX research expert at AnswerLab, Chris Geison, about the ins and outs of UX research for voice.As Principle UX Researcher at AnswerLab, Chris and his colleagues work with Fortune 100 companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook, specialising in helping them learn how people use technology so that they can design the right product for the right use case.Chris joins us today to share some of the research that AnswerLab have conducted on user behaviour and voice, as well as talk us through the different types of UX research he uses, what each type is good for and how you can conduct user research for voice yourself.This episode builds on concepts we've discussed previously with Ben Sauer (voice first product strategy), Konstantin Samoylov and Adam Banks (voice first user research), and Sam Howard (voice first user testing).Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBr

Merry Christmas VUX World fans, today we're diving deep into dialogue design and discussing some of the nuances and details you need to think about to craft compelling and frictionless dialogue in your voice experiences, with Rebecca Evanhoe.We're also taking a look back through 2018 and discussing our favourite events, skills, actions and devices, as well as looking forward to what's in store for 2019.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioLinksFollow Rebecca on TwitterConnect with Rebecca on LinkedInBuy Erika Hall's book on Conversation DesignMusic credit: Have Yourself a Merry Funky Christmas by DKSTR See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we're joined by VAICE co-founder, Sina Kahen to discuss the importance of emotional intelligence and how you can design EQ into your voice experiences using the 6 'First date' principles.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioOur guestSina Kahen is an Imperial College MBA student working in the biotechnology and voice technology industries. He is currently co-founder and product manager at VAICE, a pro-bono consulting group that helps brands discover the benefits of voice and conversational AI, from strategy to experience. His recent work involves identifying the challenges presented after the recent wave of voice technology, and aiming to solve them with his understanding of behavioural science, biomimicry, and philosophy.LinksVisit the VAICE websiteConnect with Sina on LinkedInFollow Sina on InstagramConvenience-First: Bursting the Voice-First BubbleWired for SpeechWally Brill on persona design See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-ou

On this week's Rundown, we're catching up to run through AWS re:Invent, Amazon's biggest event of the year, and discuss everything voice-related that occurred. We'll also weave in some of the latest news happenings and analyse the implications and opportunities for the industry.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioLinksDustin's recap write ups of days one, two, threeand fourAmazon reminders APIFreebox, the French set-top box with AlexaAlexa extends audio sample length from 90 seconds to 240 seconds27 Amazon Polly voices made availableNews anchor text-to-speech voice See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we're speaking with Jon Chu, COO, Jetson AI, all about the Jetson platform and voice shopping and ordering in the restaurant, retail and hospitality space.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioLinksVisit the Jetson.ai websiteFollow Jetson on Instagramand TwitterConnect with Jon on LinkedInEmail jon@jetson.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today, we're joined by Ammi Systems CEO, Stephen Milner, and CTO, Marcus Finlay, to discuss voice in the enterprise and how their new voice assistant, Uma, is set to revolutionise productivity at work.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioVoice in the enterpriseThis episode advanced on some of the concepts we discussed with Shawn Kanungoand discusses working examples of how Uma is helping people be more productive at work.After 2 years in the making, Uma will be officially launched at MAD//Feston November 28th in London. The team at Ammi are offering some free tickets to VUX World listeners, so if you'd like to come and see the launch of Uma, see what she's all about and witness MAD//Fest, then just reach out to us on Twitter.LinksCheck out Uma BookVisit the Ammi Systems websiteFollow Ammi on TwitterConnect with Stephen on LinkedInConnect with Marcus on LinkedInCheck out MAD//Fest See acast.com/privacy for privacy and op

We're honoured to be joined by Paul Jackson, Senior Designer at the BBC, to discuss how the Beeb are approaching VUI design, with a particular focus on designing Alexa Skills for kids.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioVUI design for kidsThe BBC is killing it in voice right now. It's one of the only companies with a full in-house voice and AI team and it consists of tens of people. It's investing heavily on what it believes is the future of content. This week, we're lucky enough to step inside the BBC and see how it's approaching voice design.We speak to Senior Designer on the Voice and AI team, Paul Jackson, about his experience in creating the CBeebies Alexa Skill and how you can apply the learnings to your voice user experiences, regardless of whether you're creating for kids or not.We discuss:The make-up of the BBC's Voice and AI teamHow the BBC are thinking about and approaching voiceThe challenges of Natural Language Understanding with kidsU

Samsung has opened up Bixby to developers, so we've rounded up two Samsung Bixby Developer Experts, Bob Stalzberg and Roger Kibbe, to get to the heart of what this means for the voice community.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioLinksFollow Bob on TwitterFollow VoiceXP on TwitterVisit the VoiceXP websiteFollow Roger on TwitterFollow VoiceCraft on TwitterVisit the VoiceCraft websiteCheck out the Samsung Bixby Developer Portal  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Discussing the latest insights and research in voice SEO and showing you how you can get discovered on Google Assistant, with the MD of Rabbit and Pork, John Campbell.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioVoice SEOVoice SEO is a roaring-hot topic. All the top marketing and business publications have been writing about the importance of voice searchall year. But, little has been documented on how to actually do anything about it. Until now.John Campbell is the Head of SEO at Roast, London, and has more recently become the founder and MD of a new voice agency, Rabbit and Pork.John's experience in the SEO field is serving him ideally in breaking into the voice assistant space. Through using traditional SEO tools and techniques, John has been experimenting with ways in which brands can be found on voice assistants, and he joins us this week to share what he's learned recently.It'll blow your mind.In this episodeIn this episode, you'll learn some pra

This week, Dustin Coates and I discuss the importance of sound design in voice experiences with the founder of Man Made Music, Joel Beckerman.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioSound design for voice experiencesMan Made Music were voted the third most innovative company in music, behind Apple and Spotify. Its founder; author and composer, Joel Beckerman, has scored experiences for the worlds most iconic brands, including AT&T, Disney, Nissan, Mercedes, Southwest Airlines and IMAX, to name a few.On this episode, Joel joins us to discuss:The importance of scoring experiences, such as theme parks and electric carsBranding opportunities within sound designSonic cues and subtletyUser centric sound designWhat's missing from most voice experiences?What happens when you recreate the sound scapes for three Alexa skills?Are smart speakers changing audio branding?What's involved in creating a sonic identity?The importance of a brand anthemHow brands can

Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioVUI design for the elderly10,000 people turn 65 every day in the USA and the UK has an ageing population, too. In America, the over 65s control over 70% of the country's discretionary spending. The opportunities in providing value to the once-termed 'silver surfers' could be hugely profitable, and Heidi Culbertson has her finger right on the pulse.Over the last 2 years with Ask Marvee, Heidi has trained and tested voice experiences with literally thousands of older people. Today, Heidi joins us on the show to share with you what she's learned.In this episode, we discuss:Why voice for the older generation is so importantWhat opportunities exist in providing value to older people both on the B2C and B2B sideHow Ask Marvee is helping the older generation's wellbeingHow to segment and target this market (they're not all the same)What's different when designing a voice experience for the elderlyVUI design best practic

A deep dive into the three pillars of conversation design: psychology, technology and creative writing, with Robocopy's Hans Van Dam.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioConversation designConversation design is more than simply putting some words on a page and hoping for the best. The assembly of words is only part of the job of a conversation designer.To design natural conversations that mimic what we're accustomed to having with our fellow homo sapiens, it takes an understanding of the three pillars: psychology, technology and writing.In this episodeThis week, we're joined by Hans Van Dam, founder of conversation design agency, Robocopy, and creator of top conversation design training program, conversationalacademy.com, to be taken through the details of what it takes to design great conversational experiences.Hans takes us through:Why understanding the technology is important. Human and computer brains are different. Appreciating what'

Translating the recent happenings in voice news into insights and recommendations for designers, developers and brands. As ever, lots has been occurring recently. In this episode of the rundown, we discuss:The state of voice assistants by Adobe and how we're seeing increased usage in the 'third category'. That is, people are using more in-depth functionality on their voice assistants. That opens doors for richer voice experiences and suggests that customers can handle more complex, transactional interactions.The picture of voice shopping - thanks to Charlie Cadburyfor sharing - and how voice is being used, not just for making transactions, but throughout the purchase journey and after sales as well. This looks at voice commerce in a more broader setting and shows that there's opportunities for brands in and around the shopping experience, not just at the transactional end.Alexa for business room booking and whether the productivity gain will be worth climbing into bed with Amazon

Pulse Labs founders, Abhishek Suthan and Dylan Zwick share their advice on VUI design best practice that they've learned from conducting voice first usability testing with over 120 brands.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioThe search for VUI design best practiceIn web design, there are standards. Common design patterns and best practice that you'll find on most websites and apps.The burger menu, call to action buttons, a search bar at the top of the page. These have all been tried and tested and are par for the course on most websites.In voice, that best practice is still to be worked out. And today's guests have begun to uncover it.Pulse Labs is a voice first usability testing company. They conduct global remote user research by testing voice experiences for brands. Think of it almost like usertesting.com, but specifically for voice.After working with over 120 brands, the founders; Abhishek Suthan and Dylan Zwick, have stumbled upon some of the m

This week, we take a deep dive into voice first social networks and messaging, as we explore whether these platforms are poised for success or doomed to fail. We also discuss some of the challenges in building a voice first product, including the limitations of the tech stack and how VUI design is a way of compensating for this.To take us through the world of voice first social, we're joined by Daniel Gonzalez, co-founder of voice first messaging platform, SoundBite.Where to listenApple podcastsSpotifyYouTubeCastBoxSpreakerTuneInBreakerStitcherPlayerFMiHeartRadioIn this episode, we discuss:The current state of play in social voice, how most voice first social platforms are using an old social media model and how SoundBite differs.Design challenges in designing social voice platforms, multi modal implications and perfecting a narrow use-case.Details of the inherent technology challenges built into today's voice assistants and how to compensate for it with VUI design.The future of the voice assistant technology

Voice first technology has the potential to transform organisations. Join Dustin and I as we dig into how voice is being used to create efficiencies within businesses with Silver founder, Shawn Kanungo.Silver, an agency based in Canada, is helping organisations use voice to streamline business processes, access line of business systems and improve productivity. We speak to the founder, ex-Deloitte digital transformation guru and speaker, Shawn Kanungo, to find out how it's done.In this episode, we discuss:How voice plus other exponential technologies will disrupt every industry & government agenciesWhat voice looks like when it's combined with robotic process automation (RPA) and moreWhat does voice mean for a digital transformation strategy for an enterprise?How Silver take a human-centered approach to voice by doing ethnographic researchOrganisational culture and whether workers are ready for enterprise level voiceThe future of voice and whether we'll see a billion dollar company built on a voice platfo

It's been a busy few weeks with both of the top two voice assistant platforms announcing new devices and software improvements, but what does it all mean for brands, designers and developers?Google Home Mini becomes top selling smart speakerThat's right, the Google Home Mini smart speaker outsold all other smart speakers in Q2.Google's intense advertising over the summer months looks like it could be starting to pay off. It still isn't the market leader. Amazon still holds that spot, for now.Takeaway:At the beginning of this year, Google Assistant was a nice-to-have feature in your voice strategy. Google's progress over the summer and the recent sales of the Google Home Mini now mean that obtaining a presence on Google Assistant is unavoidable for brands looking to make serious play in this space.We discuss whether you should use a tool like Jovo for developing cross-platform voice experiencesor whether you should build natively.Dustin's pro tip:If you need access to new feature updates as and when

This week, we're speaking to serial entrepreneur, Yann Lachelle, COO at Snips, about the privacy by design alternative to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.Privacy is a hot topic. With the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the introduction of GDPR in Europe, people are becoming more aware and more concerned with how companies are using their data.On the enterprise-side, one of the challenges preventing companies from implementing voice is the apprehension towards sending sensitive data to Amazon or Google.Enter, SnipsThe Paris-based startup is bringing a privacy-first approach to their voice assistant. We speak to Snips' COO Yann Lachelle about the details and how you can use itIn this episodes, we discuss:What Snips is and its position in the marketWhy privacy is a concern for consumers and companiesSnips' approach to voice and privacyEdge computing and how Snips is tackling securityOpen sourcing the backend of the Snips assistantBlockchain and decentralising the voice ecosystemOur guestYann Lachelle is a

This week, Dustin and I catch up with John Kelvie, CEO and founder of Bespoken, and learn all about the three types of testing that can help you create and sustain great voice experiences.We discuss:Unit testing:how to test your code locally without having to deploy into the cloud and test through your smart speaker or phone. This can save developers a whole load of time and effort in the development phase.End to end testing:how to automate testing of utterances and intents to make sure you're returning the correct response to the various utterances that can be fed through your skill or action. This saves the QA folks time as you no longer need to fire up your skill or action and physically test every possible utterance.Continuous testing:making sure that your continue to keep on top of the ever-changing AI operating systems and ensuring your skill or action is always operating as intended.We also discuss the convergence of usability testing and technical testing and how they can play together, as well as hea