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Voice User Interface Projects
Voice User Interface Projects

Voice User Interface Projects: Build voice-enabled applications using Dialogflow for Google Home and Alexa Skills Kit for Amazon Echo

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Voice User Interface Projects

Building an FAQs Chatbot

This chapter introduces Dialogflow, which is the cornerstone of creating voice-enabled applications. In order to demonstrate Dialogflow's functionalities, you will learn how to build a voice-enabled Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) chatbot. Dialogflow is a platform that processes the natural language spoken by a user and then converts it into intents so that a programming language, such as Node.js, Java, or C#, can understand it. In order to build voice-enabled applications for Google Home, Google Assistant, and Google Auto, Dialogflow will be used exclusively. In a similar way, later in this chapter, you will learn about Amazon's natural language processing platform, Alexa Skills Kit (ASK), in order to build a voice application for Amazon Echo products.

You will first learn how to set up a project in Dialogflow, then be familiarized with Dialogflow...

Why an FAQs chatbot?

FAQs are typically text-based, with questions and their answers. The questions most frequently posed to companies by their customers are usually posted, along with the company's answers, on the company website or mobile application, in the help page section, for other customers to be able to search through them. Sometimes, the company provides a search function on the website, allowing customers to type in keywords related to their questions, which displays the answers as search results. However, none of the preceding methods can compete with the speed and efficiency voice-enabled FAQs can provide. For example, take a look at a typical FAQs section in the GEICO insurance mobile application, which is shown in the following screenshot. There are 11 categories, and there are between 2 to 12 questions per category. It would take a long time for customers...

Introduction to Dialogflow

Here's a brief history of Dialogflow. In 2012, Speaktoit received venture capital to create a platform for building natural language user interfaces. In 2014, Speaktoit released Api.ai, allowing developers to build voice user interfaces for Android, iOS, HTML5, and Cordova (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogflow). In 2016, Google acquired Api.ai and in 2017, Api.ai was rebranded to Dialogflow. Since then, Dialogflow has continued to add new features at lightning speed in order to compete with the counterpart technology of Amazon's Alexa. Dialogflow's strength lies in its ability to perform natural language processing through the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, the core engine behind creating voice user interfaces. As a developer, you will never have to worry about the complexity of natural language processing, machine...

About an FAQs chatbot

For the FAQs chatbot, I will choose the Presidents of the USA as a topic. I will gather various fun facts about U.S. Presidents from https://millercenter.org/president and turn them into questions and answers that the user can ask the FAQs chatbot. Later, in the following section where you create your first intent, you will learn how to build templates to generalize user questions for the FAQs in order to create intents.

The following are sample facts about the first U.S. President, George Washington:

{
"fullName": "George Washington",
"birthDate": "February 22, 1732",
"dateDate": "December 14, 1799",
"birthPlace": "Pope’s Creek, Virginia",
"education": "The equivalent of an elementary school education",
"religion": &quot...

What is Google Assistant?

Google Assistant is a platform where you can create and deploy voice-enabled applications. Google Assistant is available on all Android 6.0 devices or higher, including mobile phones, tablets, Google Home, and Google Auto. For all new Android devices, Google Assistant comes pre-installed. In this section, you will learn how to deploy and test FaqChatBot on your iPhone or Android phones.

Installing Google Assistant on iPhone and Android

Follow the Google instructions on installing Google Assistant on your iPhone or Android device at http://bit.ly/2sEKMXS. After installing Google Assistant, link your Google account that you used to set up your Dialogflow account to Google Assistant. First, open Google...

Machine learning in Dialogflow

Processing human conversation into something that machines can understand is challenging. Even today, with all the technology that's available, natural language processing is still a big challenge. Google has been in the business of natural language processing since day one, through Google Search. Google Search is all about natural language processing, where keywords or phrases are converted into meaningful machine-understandable forms, and then the backend server returns search query results to the user. Similarly, Dialogflow takes care of all the complexities of machine learning behind the scenes to process natural language and even add artificial intelligence to train data so that machines can become smarter over time. For example, whenever a user speaks, their voice is transcribed and then processed by Dialogflow and then matched against...

Summary

In this chapter, you learned about Google's natural language processing platform and applied it to building voice user interfaces for FaqChatBot. Then, you learned how to configure and deploy to Google Assistant on iPhone or Android. Finally, you learned how to tweak machine learning configuration in Dialogflow, and also how to train data to make the Dialogflow agent smarter.

In the next chapter, you will learn how to build voice-enabled applications using a built-in Node.js server in Dialogflow. You will also learn about new Dialogflow features, such as webhooks and fulfillment, and more advanced topics on context and entities will be introduced.

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Key benefits

  • •Target multiple platforms by creating voice interactions for your applications
  • •Explore real-world examples of how to produce smart and practical virtual assistants
  • •Build a virtual assistant for cars using Android Auto in Xamarin

Description

From touchscreen and mouse-click, we are moving to voice- and conversation-based user interfaces. By adopting Voice User Interfaces (VUIs), you can create a more compelling and engaging experience for your users. Voice User Interface Projects teaches you how to develop voice-enabled applications for desktop, mobile, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This book explains in detail VUI and its importance, basic design principles of VUI, fundamentals of conversation, and the different voice-enabled applications available in the market. You will learn how to build your first voice-enabled application by utilizing DialogFlow and Alexa’s natural language processing (NLP) platform. Once you are comfortable with building voice-enabled applications, you will understand how to dynamically process and respond to the questions by using NodeJS server deployed to the cloud. You will then move on to securing NodeJS RESTful API for DialogFlow and Alexa webhooks, creating unit tests and building voice-enabled podcasts for cars. Last but not the least you will discover advanced topics such as handling sessions, creating custom intents, and extending built-in intents in order to build conversational VUIs that will help engage the users. By the end of the book, you will have grasped a thorough knowledge of how to design and develop interactive VUIs.

Who is this book for?

Voice User Interface Projects is for you if you are a software engineer who wants to develop voice-enabled applications for your personal digital assistant devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, along with your car’s virtual assistant systems. Some experience with JavaScript is required.

What you will learn

  • •Understand NLP platforms with machine learning
  • •Exploit best practices and user experiences in creating VUI
  • •Build voice-enabled chatbots
  • •Host, secure, and test in a cloud platform
  • •Create voice-enabled applications for personal digital assistant devices
  • •Develop a virtual assistant for cars
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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Jul 31, 2018
Length: 404 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781788473354
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Product Details

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Length: 404 pages
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ISBN-13 : 9781788473354
Vendor :
Google
Languages :
Concepts :

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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
Introduction Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building an FAQs Chatbot Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building a Fortune Cookie Application Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Hosting, Securing, and Testing Fortune Cookie in the Cloud Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Deploying the Fortune Cookie App for Google Home Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building a Cooking Application Using Alexa Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Using Advanced Alexa Features for the Cooking App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Migrating the Alexa Cooking Application to Google Home Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building a Voice-Enabled Podcast for the Car Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Hosting and Enhancing the Android Auto Podcast Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
(1 Ratings)
5 star 0%
4 star 100%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 0%
Mr. M. Barlow Aug 12, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
A well written informative book, but my fault, not exactly what I was looking for. I am still looking for a more practical book dealing with both hardware issues as well as software. I need to apply VUI to an existing embedded system, and can't seem to find the right information as yet.
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