In this webinar we discuss the importance of user experience in the growing world of IoT, including helpful strategies to set up your product for success.

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User Experience Design for
the Internet of Things
Presented by Jeff LeBlanc
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Introductions
Jeff LeBlanc, Director of Solutions
Software developer for 20+ years
Human Factors team at HP Medical
Certified Qt trainer since 2003
Adjunct faculty at WPI since 2004
Hiker, archer, amateur prop builder
jleblanc@ics.com
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About ICS
Established in 1987, Integrated Computer
Solutions, Inc. (ICS) delivers innovative
software solutions with a full suite of services
to accelerate development of successful
next-gen products.
ICS’ design studio Boston UX specializes in
intuitive touchscreen and multimodal
interfaces for high-impact embedded and
connected devices.
ICS and Boston UX are headquartered outside
Boston in Waltham, Mass. with offices in
California, Canada and Europe.
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Boston UX
Full Service Digital Design Studio
● UX design to help you with your IEC 62366 compliant process
● Offering a full suite of user experience services:
○ Product vision and direction
○ User experience design
○ Visual & motion & voice integration design
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○ Heuristic analysis & workflow design
○ Usability research and testing
○ Wireframing
○ Prototyping & Information Architecture

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What is the Internet of Things?
Term came out of MIT Auto-ID Center, 1999
Connect the “internet of atoms” with “internet of bits”
● Historically non-digital items can have a digital identity
● Acquire a unique and addressable identifier
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Moore’s Law Makes All Things Possible
Gordon Moore, Intel – 1965
● Transistor density (computing power) doubles every 2 years
● New technology is more powerful, old technology becomes less expensive
CPU technology is so cheap that manufacturers have started to embed processing
into traditionally not-digital artifacts
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What Are Smart Devices?
Smart = Communication + Computing + Sensors
● Communication: Internet access, text, talk
● Computing: Apps, apps, apps
● Sensors: Camera, accelerometer, microphone, etc
Example: Google Pixel 6 - Google Tensor chip, 12GB RAM, 24 bit color
● A computer in your pocket!
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Why Should a Device be Smart?
A smart device should perform it's core functions better than a “dumb” device
Many smart refrigerators have failed because adding “smarts” (information
processing) didn’t help with food storage
● Do you really want your fridge to be a media player?
Other products can work well when made smart, like ovens
● Setting cooking time and temperatures turns out to be very helpful
● Remote control and voice control are natural fits
Wearable devices are a huge part of the IoT ecosystem of smart devices
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What is a Wearable?
Technology that is worn on the body
Long history
● 1500s, Queen of England got a watch
● 1980s, Steve Mann and his backpack computers
● 2000s, Exoskeleton platforms
Technology is very popular in healthcare
● Fitbit
● Holter monitoring
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Example: Military Exoskeleton
This client looked to Boston UX to
design and develop a futuristic,
highly usable application to help
configure and calibrate the
company’s lower-body powered
exoskeletons, which are designed
to increase user mobility and
decrease fatigue.
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What is User Experience?
All software has an interface of some type, but how do you feel after using it?
A positive User Experience (UX) means
● You enjoyed using the system, or at least did not dislike it
● You would use it again and recommend it to others
UX needs to consider all aspects of a user’s experience with a product or system
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For Your Consideration
You have reservations at a high
end restaurant for a special
occasion
Everything looks good, but...
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For Your Consideration
You’re traveling and you
stumble on this place
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UX Design for IoT Products
Have to consider the full ecosystem and the service that is provided, not just the
single device.
Devices often have an associated companion app and cloud component
Have to approach the product holistically, thinking about the full experience of
interacting with it
● Example: a slow OTA update can negatively impact the UX
IoT systems (i.e. products) often have 3 major components
● The device
● An associated website
● A companion mobile app
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User Interfaces for IoT Devices
These are non-traditional computing devices, so usually no mouse or keyboard
● Very small screen, if any
● Much digital interaction pushed to companion apps
● May have dedicated buttons or hard controls, may not
● Companion apps often used for setup
● May have particular sensors
Voice commands often work well with these kinds of devices
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Design Tips for IoT Devices
Many of the design guidelines for mobile applications apply here
● Do a particular thing, and do it well
● Keep it simple
○ Easy to use
○ Uncluttered by extras that don’t fit the ‘particular thing’
● Know your user
○ Companion apps work out well because the target audience of many IoT devices are carrying
a smartphone
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User Interfaces for IoT Web Sites
Web sites associated with IoT devices need to extend and amplify whatever core
service or functions that the device itself provides
Resist the urge to added “stuff” to the web site, at least in the area specific to
interacting with the device
Example: smart thermostat from Emerson
● Device has basic interface for heating and cooling
● Website has same and adds calendar and scheduling
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User Interfaces for IoT Companion Apps
Mobile apps to enable or extend the functionality of the IoT device
Leverage ubiquitous nature of smart phones to reduce device cost and complexity
● Example: wifi setup often done using companion app
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IoT Devices and Cloud Based Services
What is meant by a service?
● Context dependent, but we can think of it as an “entity” with a relatively simple
interface that abstracts significant activity for a user (customer)
● The value of a service goes beyond the physical representation
Think about the service you are providing first, and the device second
The physical representation of the service is an “avatar”
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IoT and Service Design
When considering IoT devices, it is often the service behind the
hardware that is of value; the device is a representation of the service
Service example: consider digital music players
● Walkman
● iPod
● Smart speakers
The long term value of the service is the ability to play music
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Service Design and Avatars
Service avatars (devices, apps, etc) depend on the service they represent
● Consider capabilities of the service
● Consider other, similar avatars
Service avatars can be tightly or loosely coupled to the service
● Books are tightly coupled representations of information
● E-readers are loosely coupled to information
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Service Design and Avatars
The service should be designed as a single experience across multiple avatars
Context of the avatar determines functionality
Be aware of your full IoT ecosystem
Example: Amazon Music
● Smart speaker
● Website version for desktop
● App version on mobile device
This design strategy will help guide you in building the service your customers
want
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In Closing
Designing for the Internet of Things means building a product that is part of a
thriving ecosystem
Moore’s Law means more smart devices are produced every day, and that drives
your customer’s expectations
Think about how your service will be accessed across the ecosystem, not only
today but in 10 years
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Integrated Computer Solutions Inc.
Thanks for attending
Questions?
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