For talk at MEX event on March 25th 2013. http://pmn.co.uk/mex/2011-agenda.shtml

1. Soft,
not
slow.
Defining a design process for
the internet of things
Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino
@iotwatch
alex@designswarm.com

2. IDII
Tinker London
Good Night Lamp
2004-2006
2007-2010
March 2012
First UK distributor
A family of
of the Arduino
internet-connected
R&D projects for corporates
lamps.

3. #iot
The internet of things can be loosely
defined as:
1. what happens when we
embed connectivity in everyday objects.
2. what happens when those objects
are designed with an understanding
of the affordances of the web.

4. the
shape
of
the
conversation
Hardware
(open/closed)
Standards
Connectivity
Privacy
What things?
(wifi, zigbee/radio,
GSM)
Security
Battery life

5. Products
as
part
of
an
ecology.
Smart cities
What things?
Smart cars
Home automation

6. 3
approaches.
1. Design to extend.
2. Design to comfort.
3. Design to disrupt.

7. Design
to
extend.
Your product extends the
capabilities of an existing device.
It’s tethered to a screen.
If connectivity is lost, the object
becomes unusable because
its control interface is inaccessible.
Non-objects, more like accessories.

8. Nike +

9. Green Goose

10. CubeSensors

11. Olly & Molly

12. Design
to
comfort
(or
trouble).
Piggy-back on an existing product
and augment it with connectivity.
Technology is invisible so everything
looks normal.
This is Big Brother territory.
You may be redefining a user’s
assumptions about a product.

13. Ambiant Umbrella

14. Calypso Key

15. Design
to
disrupt.
Develop a design language that is
unique to users’ interaction with
a new technology.
Developing a new visual
language consumers.
Develop a new space in retail.

16. Google Glass

17. Nabaztag

18. Fitbit

19. Good Night Lamp

20. BleepBleeps

21. Little Printer

22. Uncanny
valley
of
products.
object
gadget
iot

23. It’s
hard
work
but...
Retail spaces aren’t ready.
The corporate world is catching on.
The investment world isn’t quite ready.
But consumers are.
It’s about being able to tell
the right stories.

24. It’s
hard
work
but...
It’s not about slow technology.
It’s about soft products.
Products that delight.
Products that engage.
Products that are thought
through differently.

25. Thanks.
@iotwatch
Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino
alex@designswarm.com