Before 2007, most internet of things ideas did not involve screens, but now mobile phones act as intermediaries for everyday products to access mobile experiences. As objects become connected gateways, human behavior becomes more visible, traceable, and potentially understandable. Wearables and household devices generate usage data from energy consumption, locations, social media posts, and more. However, there are still opportunities for unpredictability, dissent, and using personal data to individual advantage amid broader concerns about loss of privacy and security risks from connected devices.

1. @iotwatch

3. Before 2007 most of the early
internet of things ideas were
genuinely screen-less.

4. Now the mobile phone is a middle
man for everyday products.

5. And objects become gateways to a
mobile experience.
SmartStones / Nivea armband

6. The rise of wearables

7. Behaviour becomes visible,
traceable, perhaps understandable.
Jawbone

8. We become “things”
Measurable entities.

9. I use
Energy (British Gas / Hive)
water (Thames Water)
food (Nectar points / Visa)
I willingly generate
social media posts (Tw/Fb)
Location (iPhone, CCTV, Uber)
calls/texts (Vodafone)

10. We all suffer from
“Consumer Privacy Myopia”
Death of Privacy , A Michael Froomkin, 2000

11. So we went from creepy
Ankle tracker for law enforcement.

12. To “fun” in just a few years
Kidzon by LG

13. Using fashion to sell.
Ringly / Kovertdesigns

14. Keeping track of you from birth.
Sproutling

15. Getting us used to sharing so much
data other industries can benefit
from it.

16. Data will be stigma.

17. Degrading the poorest
“the warnings the devices emit — beeps that
become more persistent as the due date for the
loan payment approaches — are seen by some
borrowers as more degrading than helpful”

18. Rewarding us for gaming.

19. Until …

20. Security & user experience hell
Kodak picture frame, Fitbit 1st generation, baby
monitors & fridges have all been hacked.

21. But there is still space for
unpredictability

22. Dissent

23. And using our data to our
advantage

24. A Global fragmented conversation
Hardware
Connectivity
Battery life
Standards
Privacy
Security
Things

25. When really the Internet of Things is
when you care about everything.
Product
Data
User
experience

26. Understanding people matters to
product development.

27. Long-term usage is our responsibility
when heavy materials are in the mix.

28. And sometimes really the answer
isn’t hardware.
LG smart fridge / Pntry app by designswarm

29. Global Players are also figuring it out.

30. But they shouldn’t be the only ones
educating us.

31. Build a universal language for consumer
connectivity.

32. Where does your responsibility lie?
Advertising
Product development
Retail
After care service
Maintenance
Data provision
Upgrades
Data storage
Data protection

33. Give poeple a way to make money.
Amazon & eBay let me make
money from my old stuff.
Can Google help me make money
from my data?

34. designswarm.com
alex@designswarm.com
@iotwatch