1. UX for
connected
products
Claire Rowland / @clurr
EuroIA, September 2016
Practical differences designing for
systems combining software and
connected embedded devices
www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/launch-plans-for-serving/2410778.html
3. We’re putting computing power, machine learning,
sensing, actuation and connectivity into ever more
objects and systems in the physical world
autonomoustractor.com
grenzebach.com sjm.com august.com
5. …but the reality is often new ways to fail
‘It’s a bit glitchy but it’s OK, you just have to be in the
room at the same time’.
Actual review of the Wink hub
6. State of play
•Technology is still maturing
•Lots of products of dubious value
(especially in consumer realm)
•Interoperability is poor
•Software and physical things are very
different in terms of product
development and user expectations
•We’re still figuring out business
models, security and privacy
“We are experiencing some
minor difficulties with a 3rd
party server.”
petnet.com
10. Myth 1:
Magic is a helpful design metaphor
Magic is a thing we don’t understand and can’t control
Image via http://everystevejobsvideo.com/steve-jobs-speaks-at-the-academy-of-achievement-1982-audio/
11. “People used to think
electricity was magic and
then it just became normal.”
Ann Light
13. Facets of IoT UX
Screen layout. Look and feel
Most
visible
Least
visible
Conceptual model
How should users think about the
system?
Interusability
Interactions spanning multiple
devices with different capabilities
UI/visual design
Platform design
Technology enablers spanning
products/services
Industrial design
Physical hardware: capabilities and
form factor
Interaction design
Architecture and behaviours per
service, per device
Service design
Customer lifecycle, customer services,
integration with non digital
touchpoints
Productisation
Audience, proposition, objectives,
functionality of a specific service
15. A variety of modalities
smarttthings.com, amazon.com, lutron.com, 3dsystems.com
16. Myth 2:
Zero UI is feasible and
desirable
“Ubiquitous systems must contain
provisions for immediate and transparent
querying of their ownership, use, and
capabilities. Everyware must, in other
words, be self-disclosing. Whether such
disclosures are made graphically, or
otherwise, they ensure that you are
empowered to make informed decisions as
to the level of exposure you wish to
entertain.”
Adam Greenfield (2006)
19. The process is very
different from
digital
seymourpowell.com
Practical and technical things
considered at the same time as
aesthetics and ‘superficial’ things like
branding, visual impact etc.
Extra considerations for connected
things: not blocking radio signals,
fitting in electronics, adequate power
21. Interusability:
coherent system UX
Cross-Platform Service User Experience: A Field Study and an Initial Framework
Minna Wäljas, Katarina Segerståhl, KaisaVäänänen-Vainio-Mattila, Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, 2010
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221270744_Cross-platform_service_user_experience_A_field_study_and_an_initial_framework
22. Deciding how to distribute functionality between devices/UIs
Composition
tado.com
hivehome.com
24. Continuity
- The flow of interactions and
data in a coherent sequence
across devices
- Continuity helps the user feel
as if they are interacting with
the service, not a bunch of
separate devices
Image: Kei Noguchi via CC licence
25. Myth 3:
IoT interactions are
seamless
Image: Nissim Farim
We don’t (yet) expectThings to behave like
the Internet
44. •If APIs are too coarse you can’t get
the detail
•If they’re too granular, you’ll have to
make lots of calls and do front end
processing: this can be slow and risk
inconsistencies
•If they’re the wrong structure this
can also slow things down
You can’t create
the right UX
without the right
APIs
“Uh, that new
homescreen of yours
is about 150 API calls
on our current
platform”
45. •App
•Cloud service
•Device firmware/software
•You need to know who to talk to
about the functionality you want to
build
UX decisions can
impact code all over
the system
Room:“kitchen”
Device:“oven”
46. The cool stuff (for IAs) is smart
coordination between devices and servcies
Add to: lighting controls?
security system?
both?
47. 1. Data about device capabilities
To be smart we need:
•I’m a lightbulb
•I can be on or off
•I can be x% dimmed
•I can support x colours
•My brightness is measured in
lumens
•I have been on for 600 seconds
•I have used 10 Watt hours since
my last reset
48. 2. Data about the context of specific devices
•I’m in the living room
•I’m being used in the floor lamp
52. •Has to learn
•Might get it wrong
•May be annoying or dangerous
Machine learning Ontologies
•Effort to create
•Will anyone use them?
53. Tesler’s law of the conservation of
complexity:
As you make the user
interaction simpler you
make things more
complicated for the
designer or engineer
LarryTesler, formerVP of Apple