My slides with speaker notes from a presentation I gave at South West UX (SWUX)in 2017.

1. The Internet of Things
Designing for a new dimension
in user experience
Megan Ellis
User-Centred Designer
@mgnellis

2. My hypothesis:
the IoT is simply the future
context we’ll live, work and
do business in.
@mgnellis

3. My hypothesis:
the IoT is simply the future
context we’ll live, work and
do business in.
So, to be part of that as UX
Designers (or any kind of
designer), we need to
embrace it.
@mgnellis

4. …sent automatically
…connected by data flow
A network of objects
“The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing
devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or
people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to
transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or
human-to-computer interaction.”
- IoT Agenda
http://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/definition/Internet-of-Things-IoT
@mgnellis

5. But basically,
the Internet of Things is just
the internet expanding into
the physical world.
@mgnellis

6. It goes way beyond the
internet-connected fridge.
@mgnellis

7. However, the Internet of
Things is now a bit like the
internet in 1995. We have
workable technology, and
people are starting to build
interesting things on top of
it.
@mgnellis

8. But it’s still not quite there.
@mgnellis

9. The IoT needs design!
As designers, we should
see the capabilities and
technologies as another
tool in our toolkit -
something we can utilise
to create products that
meet user needs.
@mgnellis

10. Physical Digital
@mgnellis

11. Physical Digital
Design in the Internet of Things/
Service Design
@mgnellis

12. The IoT calls for a new approach to
designing experiences…
@mgnellis

13. With data and automation at
the heart of the IoT, there’s
tons of potential in those areas.
@mgnellis

14. Design for user needs beyond
control and efficiency
With data and automation at
the heart of the IoT, there’s
tons of potential in those areas.
@mgnellis

15. …But the same technology
can enable many other
experiences for the user too.
Design for user needs beyond
control and efficiency
With data and automation at
the heart of the IoT, there’s
tons of potential in those areas.
@mgnellis

16. Still not convinced?
It’s true – the growth
of the internet gave
rise to many services
that are about the
ability to store,
catalogue, search
and retrieve data…
@mgnellis

17. But actually, some of
the most successful
experiences are about
human connections
and fun.
@mgnellis

18. The internet has meant we can
take away the hardware and
totally digitise many
experiences, making them
accessible from various screens.
@mgnellis

19. The internet has meant we can
take away the hardware and
totally digitise many
experiences, making them
accessible from various screens.
Design experiences that make the
digital more tangible.
Some of the most compelling
experiences bring data into the
physical domain again.
@mgnellis

20. @mgnellis

21. Your users will experience an
IoT product through at least two
interfaces: the hardware and
the screen/device.
@mgnellis

22. Design experiences that span
interfaces.
Your users will experience an
IoT product through at least two
interfaces: the hardware and
the screen/device.
@mgnellis

23. Your users will experience an
IoT product through at least two
interfaces: the hardware and
the screen/device.
…And consider whether it’s
multichannel (Netflix) or cross-
media (Lively).
Design experiences that span
interfaces.
@mgnellis

24. Many ‘interfaces’ (or parts of an IoT product)
won’t have screens, so the experience needs
to be designed with this in mind.
@mgnellis

25. With old digital products that
weren’t connected to the internet,
the experience stayed the same
(or even deteriorated) over their
lifespan.
@mgnellis

26. With old digital products that
weren’t connected to the internet,
the experience was the same (or
even deteriorated) over their
lifespan.
@mgnellis
Design experiences that evolve
over time.

27. With old digital products that
weren’t connected to the internet,
the experience was the same (or
even deteriorated) over their
lifespan.
If IoT products aren’t maintained,
they become ‘bricks’.
@mgnellis
Design experiences that evolve
over time.

28. @mgnellis

29. Products with internet connection
means that we can interact with
them easily, often through our
smartphone.
@mgnellis

30. Products with internet connection
means that we can interact with
them easily, often through our
smartphone.
Design experiences that fit into
our lives.
@mgnellis

31. Products with internet connection
means that we can interact with
them easily, often through our
smartphone.
Each experience needs to be
designed for the context and the
attention it deserves.
Design experiences that fit into
our lives.
@mgnellis

32. The IoT enables the generation,
collection and visualisation of all
kinds of data.
@mgnellis

33. The IoT enables the generation,
collection and visualisation of all
kinds of data.
Design an experience using data,
but don’t try and make it do
everything!
@mgnellis

34. The IoT enables the generation,
collection and visualisation of all
kinds of data.
Have a compelling value
proposition in mind, and pull the
relevant data into the
experience.
Design an experience using data,
but don’t try and make it do
everything!
@mgnellis

35. The IoT enables us to
design ‘smart’ versions of
familiar objects.
@mgnellis

36. The IoT enables us to
design ‘smart’ versions of
familiar objects.
Design innovative IoT products that
keep the experience intuitive.
@mgnellis

37. The IoT enables us to
design ‘smart’ versions of
familiar objects.
This includes considering
feedback loops and tackling
troubleshooting if the internet
connectivity fails.
From Designing Connected Products, Claire Rowland et al
Design innovative IoT products that
keep the experience intuitive.
@mgnellis

38. “Companies take product concepts that are now far into the laggard range and they change the
product significantly. The new product is effectively repositioned ‘back to the front’ of the curve,
creating a high-tech product that can only be used or appreciated by the early-adopter group of
consumers. This is where much of the consumer backlash appears, as safely mature and
benign products such as TVs, radios, thermostats, home phones and even cars are turned back
into early adopter products, and then sold to an unsuspecting laggard audience.”
- Scott Jenson, Google
@mgnellis

39. Objects with some intelligence
and tangible reactions to
environmental stimuli can
appear ‘living’, and encourage
new behaviour in users.
@mgnellis

40. Objects with some intelligence
and tangible reactions to
environmental stimuli can
appear ‘living’, and encourage
new behaviour in users.
Design for a new relationship
between the user and a smart
product.
@mgnellis

41. Objects with some intelligence
and tangible reactions to
environmental stimuli can
appear living, and encourage
new behaviour in users.
Design for a new relationship
between the user and a smart
product.
This new dimension to user
interactions can have powerful
consequences!
@mgnellis

42. So, what's the takeaway?
@mgnellis

43. To create successful products and services,
User Experience design needs to evolve.
@mgnellis
The space where physical and digital overlap
is growing, and that context is increasingly
where we’ll live our lives.

44. • Design for user needs beyond control and efficiency.
• Design experiences that make the digital more tangible.
• Design experiences that span interfaces.
• Design experiences that evolve over time.
• Design experiences that fit into our lives.
• Design an experience using data, but don’t try and make it do everything!
• Design innovative IoT products that keep the experience intuitive.
• Design for a new relationship between the user and a smart product.
@mgnellis

45. Thanks!
Megan Ellis
User-Centred Designer
@mgnellis