20 Amazon Alexa Interview Questions and Answers

If you are interviewing for a position that involves working with Amazon Alexa, you can expect to be asked questions about your experience and skills with the platform. In this article, we review some of the most common Amazon Alexa interview questions and provide tips on how to answer them. With a little preparation, you can confidently showcase your qualifications and land the job you want.

Amazon Alexa Interview Questions and Answers

Here are 20 commonly asked Amazon Alexa interview questions and answers to prepare you for your interview:

1. What is Amazon Alexa?

Amazon Alexa is a voice-activated assistant that is used to control smart devices and provide information in response to questions or commands.

2. Can you explain the difference between Alexa, Echo and Amazon Dot?

Alexa is the voice-activated assistant that powers Echo and Amazon Dot. Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice. Amazon Dot is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, send and receive messages, provide information, read the news, set alarms, and more.

3. How do you create a custom skill for Alexa?

You can create a custom skill for Alexa using the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK). With the ASK, you can build skills, which are like apps, that enable customers to interact with Alexa in a more natural way using voice.

4. Can you explain what AWS Lambda is?

AWS Lambda is a serverless computing platform that allows you to run code without provisioning or managing servers. Lambda takes care of all the administration of the underlying infrastructure, so you can simply focus on writing code.

5. Is it possible to set up an intent without defining any sample utterances? If yes, then how?

Yes, it is possible to set up an intent without defining any sample utterances. You can do this by using the built-in intents that are provided by Amazon Alexa. These intents cover a wide range of common utterances, so you should be able to find one that covers the functionality you are looking for.

6. What are some of the typical actions performed by Lambda functions in context with Alexa skills?

Lambda functions can be used to perform a variety of tasks in the context of Alexa skills. Some of the most common actions include retrieving data from an external data source, processing user input, and generating responses to user requests.

7. In which language can you write code for Alexa Skills?

You can write code for Alexa Skills in any language that you want, as long as it can be run on an Amazon Echo device.

8. What happens when you try to invoke an existing session from a new device?

If you try to invoke an existing session from a new device, the new device will take over the session and the old device will be logged out.

9. What’s the significance of user ID in context with Alexa?

The user ID is used to keep track of individual users and their preferences. This allows Alexa to provide a personalized experience to each user, based on their past interactions and preferences.

10. What are some other APIs that are available as part of the Alexa Skill Kit?

Some other APIs that are available as part of the Alexa Skill Kit include the following:

– The Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) API allows you to control aspects of Alexa’s speech such as pitch, rate, and volume.
– The AudioPlayer API lets you play audio content from a streaming service or your own content hosted in the cloud.
– The Display Interface API lets you render visual content on devices with a screen, such as the Amazon Echo Show.

11. Is there a way to interrupt or cancel an ongoing request-response cycle in a skill?

Yes, you can interrupt or cancel an ongoing request-response cycle in a skill by using the Alexa.CancelIntent or Alexa.StopIntent intents.

12. What are some examples of built-in intents?

Some examples of built-in intents for Amazon Alexa include the following:

– AMAZON.CancelIntent
– AMAZON.HelpIntent
– AMAZON.StopIntent
– AMAZON.NavigateHomeIntent
– AMAZON.MoreIntent
– AMAZON.NavigateSettingsIntent
– AMAZON.PageUpIntent
– AMAZON.PageDownIntent
– AMAZON.ScrollUpIntent
– AMAZON.ScrollDownIntent

13. Which intents require slot values?

Intents that require slot values are typically those that involve some sort of action that needs to be taken, such as ordering a product or booking a reservation. In these cases, the slot values are used to provide information about what specifically is being ordered or reserved.

14. What are some of the common errors you might encounter while using Alexa?

Some common errors you might encounter while using Alexa include:

– “Alexa, stop.”
– “Sorry, I didn’t understand what you said.”
– “I’m having trouble connecting to the internet.”
– “I’m having trouble connecting to your device.”
– “I’m having trouble playing music from your device.”

15. How many endpoints are supported by each custom skill?

Each custom skill can support a maximum of 50 endpoints.

16. What are some ways to test your Alexa Skill before making it publicly available?

You can test your Alexa Skill by using the Alexa Simulator in the Amazon Developer Console, by using an Echo device connected to your Amazon Developer account, or by using the Alexa Skill Testing Tool.

17. How do you handle multiple requests during a single interaction with Alexa?

You can handle multiple requests during a single interaction with Alexa by using the following:

– The canHandle() method to check if the skill can handle the incoming request
– The handle() method to handle the request and return a response
– The shouldEndSession flag to indicate whether the skill should end the session after handling the request

18. What is the maximum number of users that can be created through a single account?

You can create up to 100 users through a single account.

19. What are some situations where you would want to use the “stop” command instead of the “cancel” command?

The “stop” command is used to end an interaction with Alexa, while the “cancel” command is used to cancel a specific action. For example, if you are in the middle of ordering a product from Amazon and you change your mind, you would use the “cancel” command to cancel the order. However, if you just want to end your conversation with Alexa and do nothing else, you would use the “stop” command.

20. What do you understand about voice-based user interfaces?

Voice-based user interfaces are a type of user interface that allows users to interact with a device using their voice. This can be used for a variety of tasks, such as controlling a device, accessing information, or even making a purchase. Voice-based user interfaces are becoming increasingly popular as they can be more convenient and easier to use than traditional user interfaces.