The Internet of Things is everywhere. But, contrary to popular belief, it's not as easy as "just put a chip in it." This presentation discusses the subtle nuances on how to design consumer IoT products with the end-user in mind.

1. Designing IoT
Stephen Bolen
User Experience Lead, Emerson
@sbolen

2. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda

3. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda
Introductions and Acknowledgements

4. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda

5. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda
What is IoT? Why should I care?

6. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda

7. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda
Designing connected products

8. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda

9. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda
Lessons learned (hint: this is really difficult)

10. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda

11. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda
Closing thoughts/Q&A

12. 1 2 3 4 5
Agenda

14. 1 INTRODUCTION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

15. Acknowledgements

16. Acknowledgements
• My UX Team

17. Acknowledgements
• My UX Team
• Emerson Product Team

18. Acknowledgements
• My UX Team
• Emerson Product Team
• Emerson Software Solutions Team

19. Acknowledgements
• My UX Team
• Emerson Product Team
• Emerson Software Solutions Team
• Chris, Laura, Ron, and the STLX Conference organizers & Volunteers

25. Education

26. Education
Fontbonne University
B.A., Business Management
Southern Illinois University
B.A., Music History & Literature; Music Business

27. Syracuse University
Masters of Business Administration
Entrepreneurship
Fall 2018
Education
Fontbonne University
B.A., Business Management
Southern Illinois University
B.A., Music History & Literature; Music Business

30. HVAC Ethnography Starter Pack

31. HVAC Ethnography Starter Pack

32. HVAC Ethnography Starter Pack

33. HVAC Ethnography Starter Pack

37. 2 WHAT IS IOT?
WHY SHOULD I CARE?

38. Audience Poll

39. Audience Poll
• Raise your hand if you’ve ever uttered a phrase like this:

40. Audience Poll
• Raise your hand if you’ve ever uttered a phrase like this:
• “Alexa, play NPR on TuneIn”

41. Audience Poll
• Raise your hand if you’ve ever uttered a phrase like this:
• “Alexa, play NPR on TuneIn”
• “Hey Siri, turn off my hallway light”

42. Audience Poll
• Raise your hand if you’ve ever uttered a phrase like this:
• “Alexa, play NPR on TuneIn”
• “Hey Siri, turn off my hallway light”
• “Ok Google, what is 16,742 times 994?”

43. Vaporware Conference

44. Vaporware Conference
• Consumer Technology Association/Electronics Showcase

45. Vaporware Conference
• Consumer Technology Association/Electronics Showcase
• Proving ground for new products

46. Vaporware Conference
• Consumer Technology Association/Electronics Showcase
• Proving ground for new products
• Trendspotting for early adapters

47. Vaporware Conference
• Consumer Technology Association/Electronics Showcase
• Proving ground for new products
• Trendspotting for early adapters
• Platforms and integrations emerge

48. Vaporware Conference
• Consumer Technology Association/Electronics Showcase
• Proving ground for new products
• Trendspotting for early adapters
• Platforms and integrations emerge
• AI/VR rising

49. Vaporware Conference
• Consumer Technology Association/Electronics Showcase
• Proving ground for new products
• Trendspotting for early adapters
• Platforms and integrations emerge
• AI/VR rising
• Get ready for AR

50. What is IoT?

51. What is IoT?
• Devices that address problems that don’t exist

52. What is IoT?
• Devices that address problems that don’t exist
• Solutionism at it’s worst

53. What is IoT?
• Devices that address problems that don’t exist
• Solutionism at it’s worst
• A device (Phone, tablet, voice assistant) that sends instructions to
a cloud component, which then relays those instructions to the
connected device

55. Device Cloud Product

56. Device Cloud Product

57. Device Cloud Product

58. Tortured metaphor

59. Tortured metaphor

60. Tortured metaphor

61. Tortured metaphor

62. Why should I care?

63. Why should I care?
• 49% of the world’s population is connected online
http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/06/06/the-internet-of-things-connectivity-binge-what-are-the-implications/

64. Why should I care?
• 49% of the world’s population is connected online
• 8.4 billion connected things are in use worldwide
http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/06/06/the-internet-of-things-connectivity-binge-what-are-the-implications/

65. Why should I care?
• 49% of the world’s population is connected online
• 8.4 billion connected things are in use worldwide
• Enhances user experience with traditional products
http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/06/06/the-internet-of-things-connectivity-binge-what-are-the-implications/

66. Why should I care?
• 49% of the world’s population is connected online
• 8.4 billion connected things are in use worldwide
• Enhances user experience with traditional products
• Thermostats, Lights, Outlets, Cameras, Locks, Doorbells, etc.
http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/06/06/the-internet-of-things-connectivity-binge-what-are-the-implications/

68. 3 DESIGN
CONNECTED PRODUCTS

69. Listen to customers to understand their problems.
Don’t listen to customers to build their solutions - that’s your job.
Dave Wascha

70. over
REALS
FEELS

71. Fighting for resources
• User Experience and Design is often understaffed relative to the
rest of your organization

72. The Enterprise Landscape
Developers
Product Managers
Marketing
Leadership
User Experience Design

73. Fighting for resources
• User Experience and Design is often understaffed relative to the
rest of your organization
• Must get scrappy with budgets, trust your process

74. Our process

75. Our process
• Design sprint with cross-functional stakeholders to kick off UCD
process:

76. Our process
• Design sprint with cross-functional stakeholders to kick off UCD
process:
• Specify the context of use

77. Our process
• Design sprint with cross-functional stakeholders to kick off UCD
process:
• Specify the context of use
• Specify requirements

78. Our process
• Design sprint with cross-functional stakeholders to kick off UCD
process:
• Specify the context of use
• Specify requirements
• Create design solutions

79. Our process
• Design sprint with cross-functional stakeholders to kick off UCD
process:
• Specify the context of use
• Specify requirements
• Create design solutions
• Evaluate designs

80. Our process
• Design sprint with cross-functional stakeholders to kick off UCD
process:
• Specify the context of use
• Specify requirements
• Create design solutions
• Evaluate designs
• Wash, rinse, repeat

90. • In-aisle testing at a “local home
improvement store”

91. • In-aisle testing at a “local home
improvement store”
• Sketch

92. • In-aisle testing at a “local home
improvement store”
• Sketch
• InVision

93. • In-aisle testing at a “local home
improvement store”
• Sketch
• InVision
• Lookback

94. • In-aisle testing at a “local home
improvement store”
• Sketch
• InVision
• Lookback
• iPhone

95. • In-aisle testing at a “local home
improvement store”
• Sketch
• InVision
• Lookback
• iPhone
• Green science fair trifold board

100. Research guides decisions

101. Research guides decisions
• Many inputs, one output

102. Research guides decisions
• Many inputs, one output
• Appsee mobile analytics

103. Research guides decisions
• Many inputs, one output
• Appsee mobile analytics
• Usability evaluations

104. Research guides decisions
• Many inputs, one output
• Appsee mobile analytics
• Usability evaluations
• Diary studies

108. Before and After - iOS

109. Before and After - iOS

110. Before and After - iOS

111. Before and After - iOS

112. Before and After - iOS

116. 4 LESSONS LEARNED
MY POOR DESIGN EGO

117. You control nothing
• Users consume your product in every conceivable way, which is not
always the way you intended

118. Expectation

119. Reality

120. You control nothing
• Users consume your product in every conceivable way, which is not
always the way you intended
• Change is hard, and you will hear about it

125. You control nothing
• Users consume your product in every conceivable way, which is not
always the way you intended
• Change is hard, and you will hear about it
• There are a lot of UNK-UNKS

126. UNK-UNK

127. UNK-UNK
unk-unk n. especially in engineering, something, such as a
problem, that has not been and could not have been imagined or
anticipated; an unknown unknown.

128. You control nothing
• Users consume your product in every conceivable way, which is not
always the way you intended
• Change is hard, and you will hear about it
• There are a lot of UNK-UNKS
• Testing becomes difficult when you need to balance different
versions of hardware, software, firmware, and OS

129. Platforms & Devices

130. Platforms & Devices
35%
65%
iOS Android

131. Platforms & Devices
35%
65%
iOS Android
2%
3%
4%
26%
65%
Apple Samsung
Motorola LG
Google

133. 5 CLOSING