Updated: April 14, 2023
Key takeaways
Customers don’t have much time to listen to, understand, and respond to prompts that include a list of options. There are a few strategies you can follow to avoid overwhelming your listener with such information.
Need quick advice?
View the Checklist for designing lists for tips to help customers navigate your skill’s lists with ease.
In this section:
Often your customer will need to hear a list of options, whether they’ve just launched your skill, performed a search, or are browsing a library of content. Listen to the following examples of lists customers might encounter on Alexa.
Navigating a menu:
Customer: Alexa, open Planet Facts
Alexa: Hi there. Welcome to Planet facts, with facts, trivia, and jokes that are out of this world. I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want to learn about?
Customer: More
Alexa: I can also tell you about Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Mercury. Which would you like?
Performing a search:
Alexa: That’s all I have about Mercury. I can tell you about any of the other planets in the solar system. Which would you like?
Customer: How about Earth’s neighbors?
Alexa: Would you like Venus, or Mars.
Browsing content:
Alexa: I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want to learn about?
Customer: Help
Alexa: You’re playing Planet Facts. My facts, trivia, and jokes are out of this world. You can ask me for a fact, to play trivia, or tell a joke. Which planet do you want to learn about?
Customer: Play trivia
Alexa: Ok. Trivia for which planet?
Playing trivia:
Alexa: Ok. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. True or False?
Customer: …
Alexa: I didn’t catch that. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system.. Do you think that’s true, or false?
Customer: False!
Alexa: This one is true! Even though it’s not the closest planet to the sun (that’s Mercury), Venus is still the hottest planet in our solar system. Temperatures can reach 870 degrees. That’s hot enough to melt lead! Want another?
After they’ve heard a list, customers only have about 8 seconds to understand their options, make a decision, and state it clearly back to Alexa. Keep in mind that lists are written for customers to hear, rather than for customers to read. Follow a few best practices so the listener can make their selections quickly and with confidence.
Checklist for designing lists:
Will your skill surface lists to your customer? If so, check your script to see if it’s easy for your customers to understand their options and make quick decisions.
▢ Include a preamble that informs the customer of context such as number of items in the list, conveys understanding of what the customer said, or states an assumption that was made
▢ Surface options in order of contextual relevance wherever possible
▢ Paginate long lists. Indicate the pagination to the customer in some way verbally & visually
▢ Differentiate responses that include a list for devices with and without screens
▢ Create verbally distinct labels for list items
▢ Include a short (350-400ms) break between list items
▢ Support common commands like “next” “more” “go back” and “repeat”
▢ Allow customers to select options using ordinals (“1, 2, 3” or “A, B, C …”)
▢ Allow customers to select options using natural language, including synonyms and partial titles
▢ Prompt customers for their choice after reading their options
▢ Follow up to disambiguate if the customer makes a selection that could indicate more than one of the options
Dos & Don'ts
Do: Include a preamble to your list. The preamble may inform the customer of the number of items in the list, repeat what they asked for, or clearly state an assumption that was made. Do convey what the system understood as well as any constraints applied to the results.
Customer: What trivia packs do you have?
Alexa: I have lots of trivia packs. You might like “All about Pluto,” a trivia pack of 100 more questions about the defunct planet, and more. What would you like?
Don’t: Just read out the options
Customer: What trivia packs do you have?
Alexa: I found “All about Pluto,” and “Famous astronauts,” and “Lunar launches,” and “Super satellites,” and “Space mega pack,” and “Space discoveries,” and –
Customer: Alexa, stop!
Do: Surface options in order of contextual relevance and most imporant. What is your customer most likely to want at that time? Which is most important?
Customer: Alexa, start Seattle Super Trivia
Alexa: Welcome back to Seattle Super Trivia. You can play today’s challenge, play one of your trivia packs, and more. What would you like?
Customer: What else can I do?
Alexa: You can also buy game cheats, or buy trivia packs. What do you want to do?
Don’t: Be tempted to include all possible options in one list. (See FAQs below for guidance on the optimal number of items in a voice list)
Customer: Alexa, start Seattle Super Trivia
Alexa: Welcome back to Seattle Super Trivia. You can play today’s challenge, play one of your trivia packs, or buy items like game cheats and trivia packs. What would you like to do?
Do: Paginate long lists and indicate the pagination to the customer
Alexa: Alright. Earth! Home sweet home. Did you know your globe is wrong, and Earth isn’t a perfect sphere? Gravitational forces make it more oblong-shaped. Want to hear a joke about Earth?
Customer: No
Alexa: No problem. Want to play a trivia question about Earth?
Customer: No
Alexa: “Ok. I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want to learn about?”
Customer: More
Alexa: I can also tell you about Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Mercury. Which would you like?
Do: Differentiate your response for devices with and without screens. You do not need to read as much of, or even any of, the list when customers are using a device with a screen, and when their request includes “show me.”
This VUI read to the customer without a screen …
Customer: Alexa, open Planet Facts
<audio src="soundbank://soundlibrary/video_tunes/video_tunes_02"/>
Alexa: Hi there. Welcome to Planet Facts. I have facts, trivia, and jokes that are out of this world. I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want to learn about?
Customer: I want to play trivia
Alexa: Ok. Trivia for which planet?
Could sound like this to the customer when the list and additional detail is being displayed on screen
Customer: Alexa, open Planet Facts
<audio src="soundbank://soundlibrary/video_tunes/video_tunes_02"/>
Alexa: Hi there. Welcome to Planet facts. My facts, trivia, and jokes are out of this world. What planet do you want to learn about?
Customer: I want to play trivia
Alexa: Ok. Trivia for which planet?
Do: Create verbally distinct names for list items. Offer simple, brief options
Alexa: “Welcome back to Live Wire. You can listen to News, Best of Live Wire, or Podcasts. Which would you like?
Don’t: Create a tongue twister of options
Alexa: “Welcome to Live Wire. where you can hear Live Wire News from around the world, Best of Live Wire, or Live Wire Podcasts, and more Live Wire content. What do you want to listen to today?”
See the FAQs below for tips on creating voice-friendly labels.
Do: Insert breaks between list items. Include comma and a 350-400ms break between list items
Customer: Alexa, open Planet Facts
<audio src="soundbank://soundlibrary/video_tunes/video_tunes_02"/>
Alexa: Hi there. Welcome to Planet facts, with facts, trivia, and jokes that are out of this world. I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want to learn about?
Customer: More
Alexa: I can also tell you about Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Mercury. Which would you like?
Don’t: Create a breathless response that leaves out commas and breaks
Customer: Alexa, open Planet Facts
<audio src="soundbank://soundlibrary/video_tunes/video_tunes_02"/>
Alexa: Hi there. Welcome to Planet facts, with facts trivia and jokes that are out of this world. I can tell you about Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter and more. Which do you want to learn about?
Customer: More
Alexa: I can also tell you about Saturn Uranus Neptune and Mercury. Which would you like?
Tip: Use SSML to change Alexa's speech
For more information on how to customize the way Alexa reads your dialog, including specifying breaks, rate of speech, and even enthusiasm, check out the SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) reference.
Do: Allow customers to browse your paginated list with commands like “next”, “more”, “go back”, and “repeat.” Allow them to select options using ordinals
Alexa: That’s all I have about Mercury. Which planet would you like to learn about next?
Customer: What planets are there?
Alexa: I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want?
Customer: More
Alexa: I can also tell you about Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Which would you like?
Customer: Go back
Alexa:I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want to learn about?
Customer: Repeat that please
Alexa: I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want to learn about?
Customer: Help
Alexa: You’re playing Planet Facts. I have facts, trivia, and jokes that are out of this world. You can ask me for a fact, to play trivia, or to tell a joke. Which planet do you want to learn about?
Do: Prompt the customer to make a decision after reading the options so customers know it’s their turn to speak
Alexa: I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more. Which do you want to learn about?
Don’t: Prompt the customer to make a choice before listing the options
Alexa: Which do you want to learn about? I can tell you about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and more.
Do: Allow customers to select options from a list using natural language, including synonyms and partial titles
Alexa: Ok. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. True or false?
Customer: I think that’s true
Alexa: Correct! This one is true! Even though it’s not the closest planet to the sun (that’s Mercury), Venus is still the hottest planet in our solar system. Temperatures can reach 870 degrees. That’s hot enough to melt lead! Want another?
Customer: Yes
Alexa: Ok. The high carbon dioxide content of its atmosphere makes the air pressure on Venus much higher than that of Earth. Is Venus … a. 95 times heavier and Earth; b. 63 times heavier; or c. 200 times heavier?
Customer: uh … I think it’s 200.
Alexa: The answer is A. The carbon dioxide atmosphere of Venus creates 95 times the pressure on its surface than Earth. And to make Venus even more inhospitable, Its clouds are made of sulfuric acid!
Don’t: Force customers to use a specific utterance or phrase to select options
Alexa: Ok. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. True or false?
Customer: I think it’s true
Alexa: Sorry. I didn’t recognize that answer. Please say “True or False”
Customer: True
Alexa: This one is true. Even though it’s not the closest planet to the sun (that’s Mercury), Venus is still the hottest planet in our solar system. Temperatures can reach 870 degrees. That’s hot enough to melt lead! Want another?
Customer: Yes
Alexa: Ok. The high carbon dioxide content of its atmosphere makes the air pressure on Venus much higher than that of Earth. Is it … a. 95 times heavier; b. 63 times heavier; or c. 200 times heavier?
Customer: uh … I think it’s 200.
Alexa: Sorry. I didn’t recognize that answer. Please say “A, B, or C.”
Customer: C
Alexa: The answer is A. The carbon dioxide atmosphere of Venus creates 95 times the pressure on its surface than Earth. And to make Venus even more inhospitable, Its clouds are made of sulfuric acid!
Do: Follow up to disambiguate if the customer makes a selection that could indicate more than one of the options
Customer: Alexa, open My Flight Finder
Alexa: Welcome back to My Flight Finder. Where to?
Customer: Find me a flight to Washington
Alexa: Are you flying to Washington, D.C., or Washington State?
Customer: DC please
Don’t: Make an assumption and select for them when there’s more than one plausible match for what the customer said
Customer: Alexa, open My Flight Finder
Alexa: Welcome back to My Flight Finder. Where to?
Customer: Find me a flight to Washington
Alexa: I found a few airports in Washington, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, Seattle Tacoma International Airport, and 17 more. Which would you like?
FAQs about lists
Q: Do the names of the options matter? Do I need to optimize them for voice?
A: Yes. To improve accuracy for the customer’s understanding (and Alexa’s), avoid list item names that are more than a few words long, rhyme, alliterate, or read like a tongue twister. Avoid naming list items with similar and shared terms. Names of items in a list should be verbally distinct.
Q: How many items should I include in a list"?
A: That depends on the number of items in your list, and how complex each item is. You may want to read out long, complex list items that have many elements one at a time, while you can read out up to 5 distinctive, one-word list items without confusing most listeners.
Q: Do I need to read out ordinals for customers? (“The first one is …” or “Number 1 is …” or “A … B…”)
A: That depends on the kind of experience you’re creating. If the names of the list items may be difficult to hear as distinct options, must be long, complex, or include multiple components, you may want to include ordinals. With a preamble that specifies the number of items in a more simple list, ordinals may slow down the conversation. And of course, if you’re creating a quiz/trivia-stye experience, you’ll want to make it easy and accurate for a player to select their answer with ordinals.
In this list, ordinals help the customer understand and select options:
Alexa: Ok, last question. When was the city of Seattle founded? Was it … A. 1861. B. 1902., or C. 1792?
In this list, the ordinals are unnecessary and tiresome to listen through
Alexa: I found a few airports in Washington, D.C. The first is Reagan National Airport. The second is Dulles International Airport. The third is Baltimore/Washington International Airport. I also found 5 more. What would you like?
Q: How should I prompt customers a second time to choose from a list after they reach an error? Should I repeat the whole list again?
A: That depends on the number of items and complexity of your list, and how complicated or important the decision may be for the customers. For complex scenarios, you may want to include more information about your list before repeating it in full, or, for simple scenarios, you may not need to repeat any of the items and a simplified re-prompt will do.
This list repeats in its entirety after an error because the customer likely forgot their options (or didn’t understand them)
Alexa: Ok, last question. When was the city of Seattle founded? Was it … A. 1861. B. 1902., or C. 1792?
Customer: …
Alexa: I didn’t catch that. When was the city of Seattle founded? Was it … A. 1861. B. 1902., or C. 1792?
This list doesn’t need to repeat everything after the error. It’s awkward to repeat the whole greeting in this scenario.
Do:
Customer: Alexa, open My Flight Finder
Alexa: Welcome back to MyFlight Finder. Where to?
Customer: …
Alexa: I didn’t catch that. Where are you flying?
Don't:
Customer: Alexa, open My Flight Finder
Alexa: Welcome back to My Flight Finder. Where to?
Customer: …
Alexa: Welcome back to My Flight Finder. Where to?
Tip: Include a hint in your APL design
For devices with a screen, put a hint at the bottom of the display that gives the customer an example of what they can say to select an option in your list. Learn how to use the AlexaFooter responsive component.