A custom skill with an age-specific interaction attempts to discern whether the user is of the appropriate age before permitting them to explore its core functionality. This tutorial which serves the purpose of creating an interaction flow for a custom skill that is age-dependent is initiated via the Launch interaction. When executed, it checks whether the user is 21 years or older through Yes/No validation as well as captures the user input values to be stored in the system via Save Settings component for the saved results to be checked only once within the custom interaction model.
This guided, step-by-step instructional tutorial offers assistance in building a tailored flow for a custom skill that is age-specific. The enumerated steps are outlined in a simplified manner to help you comprehend how the value once saved can be called to action at any time during or beyond an active session of the skill to present a curated voice response depending on whether the user is a new or existing one.
Prerequisites
- VOGO Voice account: https://www.vogovoice.com/
- Access rights to the Interactions section.
- Access rights to the Interaction builder platform.
Steps to create an interaction flow
a) New user
Let’s walk through the steps to build an interaction model for an age-specific skill to check if the user is 21 years or older before permitting him to experience the functionality of the custom skill.
- Log into your VOGO Voice account to be directed to VOGO Voice Management Console (https://account.vogovoice.com)
- Navigate to Interactions on the vertical bar displayed on the left-hand side of the Dashboard.
Dashboard > Interactions - Click on the Open button of the default Launch interaction card to be directed into the Interaction builder platform.
4. In the flow diagram area you will be able to see the Start and Response component.
5. Roll the mouse over the Response component to see the voice, computer and camera icon on the top right-hand side of the component.
6. Clicking on the Voice icon opens up a Speak pop-up window with a field titled Say wherein you need to type the voice action intended to be spoken to the user in regard to Age check.
Say: Welcome to the Custom SKill. Before we can allow you to play the word game we require an age verification.
7. Check the checkmark box in the Expect Response and type in the suitable Prompt message seeking confirmation regarding the age of the user.
Prompt: Are you twenty one years old or older?
The same message will be replicated in the Reprompt field.
8. Choose the predefined expectations Yes or No by clicking on Set Yes/No next to Expectations. This is to verify the user’s consent to proceed further with the interaction flow.
See the screenshot below to know about the messages to be populated in the Response card.
9. Drag and drop the Save Settings component onto the flow canvas.
10. Chain the anchor symbol of Yes on the Response card to the Save Settings component stating that if the response of a user is ‘yes’ with respect to Age check he will be directed to the Response card pathing from the Save Settings component.
11. Configure the Save Settings component by adding the key-value pair.
1. Add an arbitrary name to identify the value stored and assign a corresponding value to be called to function anytime within or beyond a session. Here, let the key be ofAge and the value is true. Set the data typeto string.
To know more about different data types, click here.
12. Drag and drop 2 more Response cards onto the flow canvas.
1. Link one of the Response cards to the Save Settings component and the other Response card to the anchor symbol of No on the existing Response component.
2. The Response card chained to Save Settings should have a voice message welcoming the user to the skill.
Say: Welcome to the Custom Skill.
Prompt: Let’s find some exciting word games to test your vocabulary. What’s your favorite word game? Scramble or Crossword.
Reprompt: What’s your favorite word game? Scramble or Crossword.
3. The other Response card chained to No should have a graceful fall back informing the user that he won’t be able to experience the functionality of the skill.
Say: Word games are exciting, but unfortunately you are not of the age to tackle its complexity.
The screenshot below captures the aforementioned interaction flow.
Steps to create an interaction flow– Existing user
Let’s take a detailed look at the steps to integrate a Check variable and Add Variables component into the interaction flow to compare and evaluate the value stored in Save Settings so that if the skill is invoked by an existing user, the interaction flow is carried over skipping the Yes/No age validation questions.
- Drag and drop the Check variable component into the flow diagram area.
- Unlink the Start component from the Response card by clicking the delete icon placed in the middle of the chain and connect the Start component to Check Variable.
3. Configure the Check Variable component with a test condition to evaluate the value stored in the system through Save Settings.
1. Populate the left and right-hand side of the Configuration window as in the screenshot shown below. Set the data types accordingly based on the inputs.
2. If the test condition returns True (i.e. the user is an existing one who is 21 years or older), the subsequent pathing will be linked to Then, and if False (i.e. new user) chain the Response card unliked from the Start component to Otherwise.
4. Drag and drop the Add Variables component onto the flow diagram area.
5. Chain Add Variables to the anchor symbol of Then on the Check Variable component.
1. Configure the Add Variables card by adding the key-value pair as shown below to create a resultant response for an existing user. Set the data type as Boolean for the value true.
👍 Note: The purpose of configuring the Add Variables component is to call to action the value assigned using the variable name in the subsequent Response card linked to it, to define an appropriate welcome back voice message for the existing user.
6. Link Add Variables to the Response card chained to Save Settings.
1. Input the appropriate syntax in the Say field as shown below to deliver a suitable voice message depending on whether the user is a new or existing one.
Say: {{#if var.Veteran}}Welcome Back!{{else}}Welcome to the Custom Skill.{{/if}}
Prompt: Let’s find some exciting word games to test your vocabulary. What’s your favorite word game? Scramble or Crossword.
Reprompt: What’s your favorite word game? Scramble or Crossword.
The screenshot below captures the aforementioned interaction flow for an existing user.
👍 Note: To test the functioning of the interaction on your device you have to deploy the custom skill to facilitate the skill with the new edits. To accomplish this, click on the Deploy button seen at the bottom of the Skill Settings pop-up window.
To know how to deploy a custom skill visit https://university.vogovoice.com/kb/deploying-a-skill/
Congratulations! You have successfully created an interaction for Age check on your skill.