“Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” Alexa Quiz
Inventing an audio prototyping solution at the dawn of smart speakers (and laughing all the way)
Opportunity
Extend NPR’s reach into smart homes, engaging a tech-savvy audience with interactive content through Alexa.
Strategy
Keep it simple yet engaging. We aimed to mirror the original show’s charm and wit in a game format that anyone could jump into easily, ensuring the voice commands were intuitive and the content was spot-on NPR style.
Outcomes
NPR took its first step into the smart speaker space, and used what it learned to create a sharp content strategy to deliver to-the-minute news to Alexa audiences
>25% quarter-over-quarter audience growth; tens of thousands of weekly recurring visitors
Webby’s People's Voice Winner - Apps and Software Technical Achievement
Named one of Amazon’s top skills for 2019
My Roles
Accountable for smooth handoff and QA to game development vendor
Responsible for leading research, defining product strategy and designing early UX
Process
Wizard of Oz-style setup to test the quiz with DC-area fans of the show
The project kicked off with deep-dive brainstorming sessions alongside key stakeholders to solidify the game’s direction and essential features. In a creative twist, I worked with show writers to craft the game flow, then engineered a soundboard-style prototype using PowerPoint—a tool not traditionally meant for audio prototyping. This approach proved resourceful and scrappy, allowing us to swiftly embed and update audio clips, a necessity given the technical limitations in 2018.
With the clock ticking, we progressed rapidly to usability testing. I recruited Alexa users from the DC area, who were avid listeners of the show, to participate in user interviews. These sessions utilized a Wizard of Oz setup, where I manually controlled the PowerPoint prototype to simulate real Alexa interactions. This not only amazed participants with the illusion that the skill was fully operational but also fostered an environment where they felt comfortable engaging with the prototype. This iterative process of building, testing, and refining based on audience feedback helped us craft a user-friendly and compelling final product.
Deliverables I Created
User archetypes
Multiple prototypes
Research insights & recommendations
Tools I Used
Powerpoint
Research hardware (video camera, Alexa speaker)
Skills I Applied
(Scrappy) Prototyping
Game design
Conversational design
Product strategy
User interviews
Usability testing
Qualitative data analysis
Cross-disciplinary collaboration
Reflections & Lessons
Although the project was ultimately sunset in mid-2020, it taught me a lot about user expectations for voice interfaces and the unique challenges of bringing a radio show format into an interactive voice experience. This project also taught me the importance of flexibility in prototyping, as I adapted PowerPoint into an unconventional but effective tool for our needs.
Collaborating with comedy writers was an enlightening experience that combined technical usability with the art of humor, crucial for the voice-activated format. These experiences underscored the value of adaptability and humor in UX design, especially in projects that blend entertainment and technology.
