The UX of Internet of Things

Designing interaction for Interaction of Things. Differences between designing for digital and designing for Internet of Things. Useful methods. Challenges posed by a mix of digital and physical.

1. Dave, 
 my milk is going The UX of Internet of Things
2. Tommy Sundström • UX and strategy, at Helt Enkelt • Användbarhetsboken/The usability book • Worked in Internet of Things projects 
 for smart offices and heart monitoring • Writing a book on Internet of Things
3. What is 
 the Internet of Things?
4. Mobile phone Network Basic components of a thing Brain 
 Processor & Model Muscles 
 Actuators Senses
 Sensors
5. Sensors • Things are aware of their environment 
 and/or of their internal state
6. Processor/Model • Sensor data is useless • Needs to be translated • Making sense of data is much harder than collecting it
7. Actuators (Ställdon) • Some things are able to change physical reality • Many things ”borrows” the users muscles
8. Network • All things are connected to the Internet • …or something equivalent (military, medical)
9. The things are not what they seem
10. A thing…
11. …a team • The function is often built using a team of physically separated components • Sensors • Hubs • Actuators • User interfaces (often perceived as the ”thing”)
12. …the real thing • The extension of a ”traditional” IT system • Input directly from physical reality 
 (GPS-position of bus) • Acts directly on physical reality 
 (once we have self driving buses) • Interface adapted the situation
13. New UX challenges • Less administrative input—systems will ”read” physical reality themselves • …and output—systems will act on physical reality themselves • Essential parts of UX ”hidden” in the model
 (if the model is not correct, it cripples user experience) • More information & interaction • …in the most appropriate form, when needed, 
 using the most efficient channel
14. types of things 4
15. Data
 harvester
16. Big Data User
17. Marketing • Targeted advertising—everywhere
 (Image: Personalized billboard from Coca-Cola) • Detailed information on every aspect 
 of the customer’s life • Detailed information on how the product is used • …and in what environment
18. Data fetichism • Lazy visionaries—Internet of Things will be like Google • Marketing • It is assumed that collecting a lot of data atomagically will produce knowledge • Optimization of products, workflows and organisations

19. UX challenges • No one likes a spy – be invisible or at least discrete • …or give more than you take
20. Data harvester • Observes – in order to big data-analyze • Typically asynchronous – results of the analyze is not used in the situation • Marketing (learn about the user) • Optimization • Monitoring & Maintanance (including many health applications) • Typically totally dependent of the Internet
21. Interactor
22. • Engages the user • Acts by persuading the user to act. 
 The user is the actuator. • Shopping. Your history and how you move in the store effects what offers are shown on in store screens—and on the web
23. The intelligent city • Find a parking spot
24. Quantified self (Self discipline) • Training • Eating • Sleeping
25. Everywhere-shopping • Amazon Dash (button, automatic, bar-code reader, voice order)
26. Entertainment • Interconnected toys • Virtual reality • Cyber sex
27. UX challenges • Engagement • By being useful or fun
28. Super powers
29. New senses • Absolute orientation • Simultaneous translation • Remote touch • Mind controlled flight
30. UX challenges • Translating data into the most useful, intuitive form • Making the interface fit the situation
31. Robot
33. Robot • Acts independently • Home automation • Self driving cars • Industrial production • Self-checkout in supermarkets
34. UX challenges • Finding the best way for the user to express what she wants the machine to do • Sometimes: Learning from user behavior
35. In the industry “Internet of Things” is just a new name for something that they’ve been doing for a long long time
36. UX
37. If you start with 
 a technical perspective Sensor → Processor → Actuator ”Let’s…
38. …build a tea kettle you can control from your phone!!”
39. …build a fart-meter”
40. Internet of Things 
 is the new Second Life • A symbol of the future • Attracts early adapters, 
 for whom the technology is the value
 • Early success can be a trap • Early adapters likes to configure 
 & are willing to invest time • Mainstream consumers are not
41. How do we avoid building the Internet of 
 Stupid Things?
42. Methods
43. Start with 
 user & business goals Sensor → Processor → Actuator = Product
 Why? For whom? ← Business/User goals ← What functionality? ← What model? ← What data? ← What sensor? Ideal, but not innovative
44. Tech is often the source of ideas • You won’t get an idea like this, 
 if you start with user needs • Possibility-driven design • When technology develops rapidly,
 user needs can not be the creative driver
45. Technology inspires User-orientation gives focus
46. Understand the user, 
 and the environment
47. Environment • Is the user doing something else at the same time? • Social context—other people can often see you when using a thing • Shared usage—things are often used by several persons • A swarm of things—your thing is not the only one wanting the users attention
48. User journeys*, 
 experience maps * Setup is often a frustrating part of the experience
49. Service design 
 & touchpoints • Many things are parts of a larger context or service • Medical • iBeacons (in-store offerings on the phone)
 • Service design & touchpoint maps 
 are methods to cover the full context
50. System thinking • The coffee maker in Oxford—probably the first Internet of Things-thing • You can see if there is any coffee, before you go to the kitchen • But—new coffee is mostly made by someone who comes to the kitchen and discover that there is none • Result: Empty most of the time • We’re not designing things, we’re designing systems
51. Prototyping 
 Arduino 
 + 3D-printers 
 makes high-fi 
 prototypes fairly cheap
52. But never underestimate the power of quick prototyping

53. Things already sold will be the Google Analytics of IoT design • …if they call home and report usage patterns With remote configuration they can be used for A/B testing
54. Return of the waterfall Production starts
55. The end of agile? • Physical production often has many dependencies 
 (specially for consumer products) • Christmas • Production slots • Features (described in documentation, retailer info, marketing material etc.) • Continuous development hard • Distinct product generations 
 (the marketing logic of something new and shiny)
56. Agile philosophy still useful when 
 prototyping & for products 
 that essentially are computers
57. Mistakes are expensive
 —so easier to get a test budget • …hopefully • Design and starting production are expensive 
 for physical products (compared to digital) • The cost for misstakes are higher $
58. Diffs
 How IoT-design differs from digital
59. More senses • Digital: eye + ear • IoT: + haptic + acceleration + sound 
 + presence + brainwaves + electrodes 
 effecting balance + …
60. Focus is often 
 on something else
61. Symbiotic relation 
 to the user • Thing and user cooperates • The thing analyzes data and present them to the user in an accessible form • The user makes the decisions • The user is the actuator
62. Interfaces* of Things * Technically, the interface is usually a set of sensors.
63. Men 
 are mice
64. • Presence (and to some extent body language) replaces mouse/touch • We all carry a remotely readable barcode:
 our phone • Used when identity of the user
 is needed 
 • Example: The heater in your 
 house starts working when 
 you are on your way home
65. Zero interface • We will have to deal with (to) many things every day • Solution: Zero interface. No interaction, it just works • Sometimes the user is not even aware • (Topp, here in Malmö, is an active proponent of this ideal)
 • But, to be quiet is to be forgotten • Will brand managers accept that their products do not attract attention? (Anti-virus do not need to, but do)
66. Gestures • Works well for natural and cultural gestures. • Works well if you have only a few things. • But, does not scale
 With many things, will you remember them? • Will gestures be a common interface? • My guess: No. 

67. Voice is likely to be a major interface for the Internet of Things
68. …and buttons (knobs, levers, etc.) • Oldie but a goldie • Direct connection between control and effect • Labeling is good for UX
 • Has its limitations—almost useless for configuration and complex actions
69. …and apps • Configuration, complex actions and remote control, will be handled with apps
70. Will the phone replace the buttons? • Phone: • Cheaper • Easier to set up • Button • Easier to understand (?), 
 and to use
71. Is anthropomorphism 
 a good idea? • Should things behave like humans? • Should things look like humans (or animals)? • Should things talk like humans?
72. Yes, it is • Humans relates strongly to things that appears to be alive • Soldiers in Iraq did not only name their robots, they formed emotional bounds to them.
 
 There were incidents when soldiers risked their lives to save their robot.
73. But don’t fall into 
 the uncanny valley Johnny Cab, from Total Recall
74. Challenges
75. Many physical things (like sea turtles and refrigerators) has a long life span
76. Computers (like dragonflies) has a short life span
77. Internet of Things expects them to marry and live happily together
78. It took Samsung Smart TVs less than a year to lose functionality
79. How do we make this 
 a happy marriage? • The computer/smart phone way:
 Throw away hardware after 2-4 years • Can smart recycling make this viable?
 • The set top box way:
 Loose coupling. Switch box every other year, 
 keep screen
80. The industrial 
 and the digital designer • The industrial (physical) designer’s culture: • No errors • Late changes or recalls is extremely expensive
 • The digital designer’s culture: • Time to market • No need to be perfect, 
 better get experience and fix it in next version.
81. One thing—no problem
82. Multiple things is a kindergarten screaming for attention
83. How many things are we willing to take care of? • How many things-controlling apps can we have?
84. TV has taught consumers to fear interconnected technology
85. Risk is part of 
 the value proposition • Will this work, or will I have to spend countless hours waiting for telephone support? • Specially when connecting different brands
86. Accessibility • More senses involved • + Environment • = New demands on accessibility
87. The calendar tells your house that you have a date with Sara. Your refrigerator has checked with Saras refrigerator for allergies and preferences, and ordered the ingredients for a romantic dinner. Your car informs the house that you will arrive in 30 minutes, and the oven…
88. The calendar tells your house that you have a date with Sara. Your refrigerator has checked with Saras refrigerator for allergies and preferences, and ordered the ingredients for a romantic dinner. Your car informs the house that you will arrive in 30 minutes, and the oven… Will not happen
89. Downton Abbey of Things Sorry, but there will be no butler
 anticipating your every need (There will however be a chauffeur)
90. Integrity
91. IoT designer ethics • Users are—sometimes—extremely concerned about integrity • When is it ok to spy on the user? • Internet of Things will observe our lives in greater detail then Stasi ever did. Do we always have to know this much about our users? • Is a blockchain (Bitcoin) model a feasible way to build Internet of Things?
92. A turnkey police state
93. To be continued • Facebook: Internet of Things Sverige • Webb: http://www.anvandbart.se/blogg • tommy@heltenkelt.se • 070-213 09 20
94. Images Eye Ben Mortimer. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Brain Licensed by Google creative commons. Muscles Natalie Prigozhina. Creative Commons Attribution License Telephone Smartphone Italia. Cative Commons Processor/Model Diagrams …a team Image with many things: Mark Moz. Creative Commons Big Data – User StormSignal. Creative Commons Zoltar – Engages the user MagicNumberSix Super Powers Xurble Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Agile philosophy kk+ Creative Commons 2.0 (by-nc-sa) Sea turtle Brocken Inaglory CC BY-SA 3.0 One thing Shindigz Party Creative Commons