Good$evening.$Thanks$for$having$me$here.$Today$I$want$to$give$you$a$bit$of$my$perspec;ve$on$user$experience$design$for$the$internet$of$things.$The$talk$will$be$in$two$main$parts:$a$general$overview$of$what$I$believe$the$Internet$of$Things$is$beyond$the$marke;ng$hype$and$defini;onal$slippage$in$the$news,$and$to$talk$about$some$specific$approaches$I’ve$taken$to$developing$products$in$this$space.$I$normally$don’t$go$deep$into$the$niBy$griBy$of$what$I$do,$but$I$thought$this$group$may$appreciate$knowing$at$least$a$bit$about$my$design$prac;ce.$Overall,$however,$remember$that$this$field$is$new.$Not$just$the$Internet$of$Things,$but$user$experience$design$in$general,$so$one$of$things$I$urge$you$to$do$is$to$think$about$about$all$of$things$I’m$missing,$all$of$the$different$ways$to$think$about$this$space$and$how$to$design$in$it.$We’re$just$at$the$beginning$here,$so$the$field$is$wide$open$for$innova;on$at$all$levels.$

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Let me begin by telling you a bit about my background. I�m a user experience designer. I was one of the first professional Web designers. This year I am celebrating professionally designing Web sites for 20 years. This is the navigation for a hot sauce shopping site I designed in the spring of 1994.

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I’ve$also$worked$on$the$user$experience$design$of$a$lot$of$consumer$electronics$products$from$companies$you’ve$probably$heard$of.$

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I’ve$wriBen$a$couple$of$books$based$on$my$experience$as$a$designer.$One$is$a$cookbook$of$user$research$methods,$and$the$second$describes$what$I$think$are$some$of$the$core$concerns$when$designing$networked$computa;onal$devices.$

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I$also$started$a$couple$of$companies.$The$first,$Adap;ve$Path,$was$primarily$focused$on$the$web,$and$with$the$second$one,$ThingM,$I$got$deep$into$developing$hardware.$

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Today$I$work$for$PARC,$the$famous$research$lab,$as$a$principal$in$its$Innova;on$Services$group.$

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PARC$is$also$in$many$ways$where$the$Internet$of$Things$began.$In$the$late$1980s$Mark$Weiser,$who$was$then$the$CTO$of$PARC$predicted$that$just$as$mainframes—one$computer$to$many$people—gave$rise$to$personal$compu;ng—one$computer$per$person—there$would$be$a$next$period,$which$he$called$ubiquitous$compu;ng,$that$would$happen$when$there$was$more$than$one$computer$per$person.$That’s$his$chart$from$20$years$ago$predic;ng$that$the$crossover$would$happen$around$2005,$which$was$basically$right.$I$never$knew$him$and$he$died$in$1999,$but$I$wish$he$was$around$today$to$give$his$thoughts$about$what’s$going$on$today.$

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I$want$to$start$by$talking$about$Moore’s$Law,$since$that’s$where$all$conversa;ons$about$the$implica;on$of$digital$technology$start.$When$people$talk$about$Moore’s$Law,$it’s$o[en$in$the$context$of$maximum$processing$power.$But$it’s$actually$something$different.$It’s$actually$a$descrip;on$of$the$cost$of$processing$power.$It’s$a$model$of$how$much$more$processing$power$we$can$fit$into$a$single$chip$that’s$priced$at$a$predictable$pricing$point$this$year$than$we$could$last$year.$This$means$that$it’s$not$just$that$processors$are$ge]ng$more$powerful,$it’s$that$PROCESSING$is$ge]ng$cheaper.$$For$example,$at$the$beginning$of$the$Internet$era$we$had$the$486$as$the$state$of$the$art$and$it$cost$$1500$in$today�s$dollars.$It�s$the$processor$that$the$Web$was$built$for$and$with.$Today,$you$can$buy$that$same$amount$of$processing$power$for$30$cents,$and$it$uses$only$a$frac;on$of$the$energy.$That$decrease$in$price$is$the$same$orders$of$magnitude$drop$as$the$increase$in$speed.$This$is$not$a$coincidence,$because$both$are$the$product$of$the$same$underlying$technological$changes.$$What$this$means$in$prac;ce$is$that$embedding$powerful$informa;on$processing$technology$into$anything$is$quickly$approaching$becoming$free.$

This$means$that$because$of$compe;;ve$pressure,$anything$that$can$have$networked$informa;on$processing$embedded$in$it,$will.$Everyday$objects$will$make$sophis;cated$autonomous$decisions$and$act$using$arbitrary$informa;on.,$which$is$as$deep$an$infrastructural$change$in$our$world$as$electrifica;on,$steam$power,$and$mechanical$prin;ng.$Maybe$it�s$as$big$of$a$deal$as$bricks.$

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The$other$dominant$trend$right$now$is$of$course$pervasive$data$communica;on.$This$is$an$image$from$Timo$Arnall$that’s$envisioning$how$saturated$our$environment$is$with$networks,$and$it’s$not$even$coun;ng$the$mobile$phone$network.$This$means$that$virtually$any$device,$anywhere$can$share$data$with$the$cloud$at$any$;me.$This$means$it$can$offload$func;onality$that$used$to$be$local$to$the$cloud,$which$means$that$almost$all$processing,$storage$and$most$baBery$life$issues$disappear.$If$your$;ny,$wimpy$device$can$talk$to$the$cloud,$it$can$be$effec;vely$as$powerful$as$the$most$powerful$computer$on$earth.$

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The$Internet$of$Things$is$a$really$challenging$name$to$work$with,$because$there$are$so$many$defini;ons.$$This$is$Time$Magazine’s$illustra;on$of$the$Internet$of$Things$for$their$$“Best$Inven;ons$of$2008”$edi;on.$I$love$this$illustra;on$is$because$it$makes$no$sense$no$maBer$how$you$think$about$it,$which$is$actually$quite$an$accurate$representa;on$of$how$confusing$the$many$defini;ons$of$the$Internet$of$Things$are$right$now.$

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The$first$thing$to$note$is$that$there$are$two$defini;ons$of$the$Internet$of$Things,$which$causes$a$bit$of$confusion.$In$the$original$one$Kevin$Ashton$looked$at$how$RFIDs$could$affect$the$logis;cs$industry$and$saw$an$analogy$to$the$Internet.$RFIDs$could$be$like$the$packet$header$in$Internet$data$packets,$trucks$were$like$wires,$depots$like$routers,$warehouses$like$caches.$$Somewhere$around$2010$the$defini;on$slipped$and$rather$than$being$an$analogy$between$shipping$and$the$Internet,$it$came$to$mean$what$Mark$Weiser$had$earlier$described$as$ubiquitous$compu;ng,$which$means$that$everyday$objects$as$fullgfledged$ci;zens$of$the$Internet.$Instead$of$being$LIKE$packets,$the$objects$now$send$packets$themselves.$$What’s$especially$confusing$is$that$since$so$many$of$the$new$objects$are$mobile,$the$first$defini;on$ALSO$kind$of$applies.$When$you’re$using$Waze$to$guide$you$around$traffic,$it’s$trea;ng$your$car$like$a$data$packet$because$your$phone$has$made$your$car$into$a$networked$compu;ng$device.$

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The$implica;ons$of$this$technological$change$are$broad,$but$today$I$want$to$focus$on$two$aspects:$how$consumers’$rela;onships$to$devices$change,$and$how$companies$value$chains$change.$

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The$first$thing$I$want$to$talk$about$is$how$people’s$rela;onship$to$their$devices$is$changing.$

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The core of this change is a shift from generic devices and software to specialized devices and software. When computing was expensive, you had general purpose devices and general purpose software that had deal with almost every situation. This necessitated design compromises that resulted in devices and software that could do almost everything, but did none of it well.!!Now that processing is so cheap, you can have a combination of 10, 20, or 30 computing devices and apps for the price of that one device, and you can acquire new functionality as needed. This means that every device and software package can have a narrower purpose.!!Adobe brush!Haiku deck!

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The$second$trend$is$that$much$of$the$value$of$compu;ng$is$now$remote.$Today,$most$people$understand$that$the$experience$you$see$on$one$device$is$o[en$a$part$of$something$that’s$distributed$throughout$the$world.$There’s$no$longer$a$need$to$pack$everything$into$a$single$piece$of$so[ware,$and$there’s$no$expecta;on$that$everything$will$be$there.$$Foursquare$as$a$whole$doesn’t$live$on$your$phone$in$any$meaningful$way,$and$people$know$that.$

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If we chart these two tends, two broad classes of digital products emerge.!$If$we$follow$the$local$to$remote$axis,$we$find$generalgpurpose$devices$that$do$roughly$the$same$set$of$things,$and$differ$primarily$in$size.$They exist to provide access to online services, in a form factor that’s appropriate to the context in which they’re used.!I$call$these$devices$terminals.!$If$we$follow$the$general$to$specific$axis,$we$see$a$shi[$is$to$more$narrowgfunc;on$devices$that$are$designed$to$do$a$small$set$of$things with specialized hardware. A parking meter can take quarters, which your phone can’t do, and a digital SLR has a giant lens on it, which you probably don’t want on your phone. These devices differ in their specialized hardware. I$call$these$devices$appliances.!

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The most interesting thing, however, to me is that these shifts are part of an even larger transition, one where devices are simultaneously specific AND deeply tied to online services. In this model, the service provides the majority of the value, and can be represented either as a dedicated appliance, an app running on a terminal, or anything in between. !!I call these devices service avatars. And this is where much of the Internet of Things currently lies, at least for consumer products.!

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As value shifts to services, the devices, software applications and websites used to access it—its avatars—become secondary. A camera becomes a really good appliance for taking photos for Flickr, while a TV becomes a nice Flickr display that you don’t have to log into every time, and a phone becomes a convenient way to take your Flickr pictures on the road.!!Hardware becomes simultaneously more specialized and devalued as users see “through” each device to the service it represents. The hardware exists to get better value out of the service.!

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Another$example$is$the$Kindle.$Here�s$a$telling$older$ad$from$Amazon$for$the$Kindle.$It’s$saying$�Look,$use$whatever$device$you$want.$We$don�t$care,$as$long$you$stay$loyal$to$our$service.$You$can$buy$our$specialized$devices,$but$you$don�t$have$to.�$

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At$first$Withings$was$kind$of$a$gimmick.$“You$can$tweet$your$weight$to$your$friends!”$was$one$of$the$ways$it$was$originally$pitched.$That’s$of$course$not$par;cularly$interes;ng,$but$that$was$not$the$purpose$of$the$device.$The$scale$is$the$avatar$to$Withings’$health$service$that$helps$you$track$your$weight.$The$scale$originally$differen;ated$Withings$from$other$weight$tracking$apps,$but$the$value$is$not$in$the$scale,$but$in$the$service,$which$you$can$only$fully$experienced$using$other$avatars,$such$as$the$web$site$and$the$phone$and$tablet$apps.$$Withings$has$since$expanded$the$service$to$include$a$bunch$of$other$hardware$and$so[ware$avatars.$$Again,$the$value$is$not$in$the$devices,$but$in$the$knowledge$that$they$create$by$collec;ng$simple$pieces$of$informa;on$and$then$providing$users$with$the$full$power$of$cloudgbased$services$to$make$use$of$that$piece$of$informa;on.$Withings$can$keep$adding$avatars,$new$sensors$and$new$ways$to$display$the$informa;on$the$sensors$collect,$without$fundamentally$changing$the$promise$of$the$service.$$

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Smart$Things$clearly$states$its$service$offering$right$up$front$on$their$site.$The$first$thing$they$say$about$their$product$line$is$not$what$the$func;onality$is,$but$what$effect$their$service$will$achieve$for$their$customers.$Their$hardware$products’$func;onality,$how$they$will$technically$sa;sfy$the$service$promise,$is$almost$an$a[erthought.$

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Compare$that$to$X10,$their$spiritual$predecessor$that’s$been$in$the$business$for$more$than$20$years.$All$that$X10$tells$is$you$is$what$the$devices$are,$not$what$the$service$will$accomplish$for$you.$I$don’t$even$know$if$there$IS$a$service.$Why$should$I$care$that$they$have$“modules”?$I$shouldn’t,$and$I$don’t.$

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Finally,$I$want$to$talk$about$the$change$in$the$business$strategy$that$all$of$this$entails.$

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Connec;ng$everyday$objects$to$the$cloud$isn’t$interes;ng$in$itself.$That’s$why$the$naïve$value$proposi;on$of$many$consumer$electronics$companies$is$o[en$so$laughable.$Any$reason$for$you$to$be$able$to$check$with$your$phone$whether$your$stove$is$on,$or$your$garage$door$is$open,$is$contrived$and$of$ter;ary$value$to$consumers,$at$best,$but$that’s$what$we’re$ge]ng$a$lot$of.$

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I$think$that$the$biggest$change$is$that$once$you$can$uniquely$iden;fy$an$object$and$aBach$it$to$an$online$service,$you$can$fundamentally$change$the$ownership$model.$You$are$no$longer$selling$objects,$genera;ng$revenue$in$singlegunit$quan;;es,$you$are$selling$services$that$the$physical$objects$are$avatars$of.$Companies$in$this$new$model$no$longer$sell$products$but$supply$services,$like$the$old$phone$company$used$to,$but$applied$to$everything.$

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Durable$objects$are$no$longer$owned,$but$rented.$For$example,$much$heavy$construc;on$equipment$is$not$owned$by$construc;on$companies,$but$rented$by$the$minute$that’s$it’s$actually$running,$with$that$telemetry$collected$by$a$company$that$provides$the$construc;on$equipment$service.$If$a$piece$of$equipment$breaks$down,$the$company$is$immediately$no;fied$and$they$send$out$a$replacement$equipment.$That’s$part$of$the$service,$because$they’re$not$selling$a$digger,$but$the$service$of$digging.$The$same$model$is$rapidly$trickling$down$to$every$form$of$heavy$transporta;on$from$Zipcar$to$Scoot$to$bike$rental.$

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Consumables$become$services.$We$already$have$this$in$some$respect$with$Amazon$subscrip;ons$and$all$of$the$various$Birchboxglike$subscrip;on$services,$but$what$happens$when$processing$becomes$cheap$enough$that$these$products$can$reorder$themselves?$Well$that$already$exists$for$inkjet$printer$ink$because$inkjet$printers$are$one$of$the$first$common$Internet$of$Things$device.$Picture$this$service$mapped$to$everything$that$you$use$up.$That’s$coming.$

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Also$let$me$make$it$clear$that$the$service$modelgglike$any$technology—has$a$posi;ve$side$and$a$nega;ve$side.$On$the$posi;ve$side$are$all$of$things$I$just$described:$predic;ve$behaviors,$access$through$many$different$touchpoints,$a$holis;c$view$of$someone’s$life,$a$wingwin$business$model$that$trades$people’s$cogni;ve$overhead$for$a$recurring$revenue$stream$for$the$service$provider.$You$never$have$to$think$about$running$out$of$cereal,$or$anything$else,$and$the$products$you$use$improve$based$on$how$you$use$them,$etc.$On$the$other$hand,$the$things$in$your$life$are$increasingly$embedded$with$a$single$corporate$en;ty.$Today$door$locks$don’t$stop$working$when$the$company$that$made$them$goes$out$of$business,$or$gets$hacked,$but$in$the$service$model$they$might,$and$a$Sony$radio$doesn’t$only$get$sta;ons$that$Sony$has$approved,$but$in$this$model$it$might.$You$already$experience$some$of$that$in$Google$or$Apple’s$ecosystem$and$it’s$only$going$to$become$more$pervasive,$so$that’s$something$we$need$to$keep$in$mind$as$designers$of$such$systems.$

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Now$I$would$like$to$talk$about$how$this$is$changing$design$prac;ce.$$When$I$started$20$years$ago,$interac;on$design$was$a$combina;on$of$graphic$design$and$cogni;ve$psychology.$There$was$part$of$it$that$was$about$guiding$people$visually$around$a$flat$surface$and$another$part$that$was$about$understanding$their$intent$so$that$you$could$guide$them$beBer.$In$the$IoT$UX$space,$graphic$design$has$been$largely$replaced$by$industrial$design,$which$guides$people’s$use$of$an$object,$and$cogni;ve$psychology$has$been$replaced$with$service$design,$where$you$project$specific$business$models$through$a$range$of$customer$interac;ons.$However,$this$is$not$a$simple$onegtogone$tradeoff,$since$IoT$UX$design$s;ll$includes$all$of$those$visual$design$and$cogni;ve$psychology$ques;ons,$plus$a$whole$new$set$of$challenges$because$the$experiences$span$mul;ple$touchpoints,$mul;ple$avatars.$

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One$thing$that’s$for$sure$is$that$the$era$of$a$hero$design$object—that$single$thing,$whether$is$a$device,$a$poster,$or$a$Web$page,$that$is$the$primary$focus$of$a$design$process—that$era$is$over.$Every$service$avatar,$whatever$it$is,$is$merely$one$facet$of$a$larger$whole,$and$design$as$a$prac;ce$is$no$longer$the$crea;on$of$objects,$but$a$prac;ce$for$solving$problems.$

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Because$design$that$focuses$only$on$the$experience$of$a$single$touchpoint$produces$gadgets,$not$solu;ons$to$problems,$and$gadgets$are$the$kind$of$thing$that$liBer$your$closet,$not$things$you$use$every$day$and$that$you$love$and$associate$with$your$own$happiness.$

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The$design$ar;facts$you$make$are$all$over$the$board.$I’m$going$to$go$through$a$handful$that$I’ve$found$to$be$useful,$but$like$I$said$at$the$beginning,$it’s$a$new$discipline$and$one$of$the$most$interes;ng$design$challenges$is$actually$designing$the$ar;facts$that$use$to$understand$the$problems$you’re$trying$to$solve$and$how$to$communicate$your$ideas$to$the$appropriate$audiences$in$the$appropriate$way.$

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Many$of$my$conversa;ons$with$clients$start$our$with$a$lot$of$the$typical$whiteboard$and$postgit$note$discussion$where$we$describe$what$they$believe$the$value$of$their$service$will$be$to$poten;al$customers.$Typically$no$one$has$very$good$answers$at$this$point,$so$we$take$guesses.$$Based$on$those$guesses$I$put$together$a$highglevel$descrip;on$of$what$pieces$the$service$is$going$to$contain.$The$diagram$separates$data$sources,$analy;cs,$displays,$controllers,$sensors$and$actuators$so$I$can$start$a$discussion$about$how$many$avatars$we’re$actually$going$to$design$and$the$value$each$one$adds$to$customers$and$to$the$business.$The$diagram$is$super$simple,$but$one$of$its$goals$is$to$reinforce$that$all$of$the$pieces$are$connected$and$that$neither$the$app$or$the$watch$is$more$important.$That$helps$me$talk$to$stakeholders$about$the$scope$of$what$we’re$going$to$build.$

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Next,$someone$on$the$product$team$needs$to$create$one$of$these.$It’s$a$Business$Model$Canvas,$from$Alex$Osterwalder$and$Yves$Pigneur’s$Business$Model$Genera;on$book,$which$is$a$singlegpage$checklist$that$describes$what$the$service$is$going$to$do$for$people,$who’s$it’s$for,$and$why$they’ll$pay$for$it.$$$The$user$experience$of$most$mul;gtouchpoint$Internet$of$Things$services$is$much$more$closely$;ed$to$their$business$model$than$in$a$tradi;onal$tradi;onal$consumer$electronics$company.$For$example,$say$you’re$making$a$smart$lock.$How$much$func;onality$should$you$put$in$the$lock$mechanism?$Well,$that$depends$on$what$customer$problem$the$service$is$trying$to$address.$If$you$primary$audience$is$AirBNB$property$owners$who$want$to$create$a$unique$code$for$each$tenant,$that’s$a$different$set$of$needs$than$for$a$securitygconcerned$homeowner.$Same$lock,$perhaps$even$same$locking$hardware,$but$a$different$emphasis$based$on$the$key$business$model.$

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A[er$the$Business$Model$Canvas,$we’re$in$straighrorward$UX$design$for$a$while.$I$like$personas,$so$I$create$4g5$different$users$of$the$product$based$on$facets$of$the$business$model—here’s$one$we$did$for$a$Stanford$project.$These$can$be$built$with$some$upgfront$ethnography,$which$is$what$I$prefer,$or$one$of$the$other$techniques$that$gets$you$a$reasonable$persona.$

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Then$you$get$to$use$scenarios$and$storyboards.$These$help$to$tell$the$story$of$how$people$interact$with$various$avatars,$what$role$each$does$and$does$not$play$in$people’s$lives.$It’s$useful$for$both$communica;ng$a$vision$among$team$members$and$stakeholders,$and$you$o[en$learn$important$UX$lessons$just$by$talking$through$a$couple$of$stories.$This$is$one$we$did$with$Smart$Design.$My$approach$to$wri;ng$scenarios$is$to$start$by$assuming$that$people$don’t$want$to$use$your$product,$but$your$product$helps$them$accomplish$a$goal$faster,$easier$or$more$elegantly$than$they$would$have$otherwise,$so$my$scenarios$and$storyboards$o[en$feature$situa;ons$where$personas$don’t$use$the$product$much,$or$only$use$one$aspect$of$it,$but$it$plays$a$key$role$in$their$lives.$$Storyboard$by$Smart$Design$

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Next,$you$start$bringing$things$together$by$pu]ng$various$touchpoints$against$important$goals$your$personas’$and$your$stakeholders’$goals.$These$touchpoints$can$be$fullgfledged$service$avatars$or$just$interac;ons$with$the$service.$One$way$to$do$that$is$by$making$a$swim$lane$diagram$that$puts$the$touchpoints$across$the$top$and$then$maps$interac;ons$across.$$$This$is$a$chunk$of$a$journey$diagram$I$put$together$for$Si[eo,$the$game$company,$a$couple$of$years$ago.$We$developed$a$set$of$goals$for$the$UX$of$the$devices,$and$those$goals$spanned$the$documenta;on,$the$interface$on$the$devices,$and$the$Web$site.$Across$the$top$is$a$set$of$touchpoints,$which$range$from$the$text$on$the$box$to$the$instruc;ons$that$people$won’t$read,$to$the$firmware$and$the$site.$Horizontally$I$created$swim$lanes$for$people’s$mo;va;on,$what$informa;on$we$gave$them,$what$they$can$do$at$that$point,$etc.$And$then$across$this$grid$I$mapped$out$a$strategy$for$interac;ons$that$we$hoped$would$lead$people$to$do$things$such$as$downloading$the$so[ware$and$buying$new$games.$

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Next$comes$the$design$for$all$of$the$avatars.$I$divide$this$process$into$2D,$which$is$essen;ally$screengbased$interac;on$design$like$how$you$would$design$an$app$or$a$Web$page…$

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…and$3D.$Here$we$take$our$process$cues$from$industrial$design$prac;ce$and$start$with$sketches$then$move$to$models$and$renderings,$with$looksglike$prototypes…$$This$is$a$rendering$from$a$project$we$did$with$Smart$Design.$

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…and$worksglike$prototypes.$This$is$by$Yoichi$Nagashima$for$a$project$he$did,$but$I$think$it’s$a$good$representa;on$of$what$our$stuff$looks$like$at$the$crazier$end.$$This$process$is$essen;ally$the$tradi;onal$consumer$electronic$product$development$process,$don’t$think$it’s$easy.$It’s$not$and$it’s$where$much$of$your$;me$is$going$to$go,$but$it’s$fairly$well$established,$so$I’m$glossing$over$it$here.$

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In$fact,$we$o[en$make$the$renderings$less$realis;c$so$we$can$focus$on$the$concept,$rather$than$the$actual$execu;on.$Today’s$so[ware$make$it$really$easy$to$produce$images$or$3D$models$that$are$completely$nonviable$as$products$and$at$this$stage$we’re$much$more$interested$in$understanding$what’s$valuable$than$making$things$that$are$preBy.$Too$much$fidelity$leads$to$stakeholders$and$poten;al$customers$focusing$on$the$wrong$aspects$of$the$device.$$Also$by$Smart$Design$

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And$of$course$in$between$many$of$these$steps$is$a$lot$of$user$research.$Here’s$a$photo$of$one$of$my$colleagues$doing$preliminary$ethnography$for$a$shopping$product.$I’m$a$firm$believer$that$no$idea$is$worthwhile$unless$it’s$been$validated$by$people$who$are$not$your$team.$Customer$test$and$valida;on$is$a$cri;cal$part,$and$we$try$to$include$it$as$o[en$as$we$can,$which$is$never$as$much$as$we’d$like.$

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In$prac;ce$this$means$that$the$range$of$things$that$need$to$be$designed$is$enormous.$One$minute$you’re$deba;ng$the$business$model,$the$next$you’re$si]ng$next$to$an$engineer$picking$out$sensors.$There’s$a$lot$of$uncertainty.$

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Broadly$speaking,$our$process$is$itera;ve$and$we$try$to$use$agile$and$lean$best$prac;ces,$but$as$any$of$you$who$have$ever$done$that$with$a$client$know,$it’s$tough$to$be$doctrinaire.$We$try$to$be$as$light$on$our$feet$on$to$commit$to$plas;c$or$code$as$late$as$possible,$while$tes;ng$for$customer$value$early$and$o[en.$

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One$of$the$biggest$ques;ons$that$our$clients$have,$and$frankly$we$have,$is$how$to$know$if$a$largely$new$technology$or$service$is$going$to$be$successful$with$people$without$actually$going$through$the$expense$and$process$of$developing$a$complete$product.$No$one$in$an$interview$or$a$focus$group$is$going$to$tell$you$that$they’d$pay$$250$for$a$wifigconnected$thermostat$with$predic;ve$behavior$aimed$at$reducing$energy$usage$when$they’ve$never$seen$such$a$thing$before.$Nest$was$able$to$build$one$because$Tony$Faddell$had$the$bankroll$and$connec;ons$of$the$guy$who$had$created$the$iPod,$but$most$other$projects$have$Indiegogo$and$hunches$at$best.$$Here’s$the$process$I’m$currently$using$to$help$me$push$the$bounds$of$exis;ng$products$and$services,$and$to$do$it$with$some$idea$of$what$people$value$and$what’s$technologically$feasible.$The$top$layer$describes$a$highly$itera;ve,$highly$explora;ve$phase$that$exists$solely$to$help$us$understand$what$experiences$provide$value$to$people$and$what$technology$our$team$can$reasonably$deliver.$A[er$this$phase$is$done,$we$throw$everything$we$did$away$and$start$designing$the$real$product$from$scratch,$and$that’s$where$the$prototyping$process$starts.$Probes,$which$I$based$on$the$technology$probes$idea$described$by$Hillary$Hutchinson$and$Wendy$Mackay,$are$things$that$resemble$finished$products—perhaps$they’re$nonfunc;onal$apps$or$boxes$with$lights—but$exist$to$explore$hypotheses$about$what$kinds$of$avatars$people$will$respond$well$to.$We$give$them$to$people$for$a$couple$of$days$or$a$week$and$then$we$interview$them$when$they’ve$had$a$chance$to$live$with$them.$Proofs$of$concept$exist$to$test$the$core$technological$ideas.$I$don’t$care$if$we$have$to$throw$a$$3000$server$at$the$problem$when$the$end$product$has$to$cost$$10,$is$it$possible$for$us$to$do$that$thing$AT$ALL?$A[er$we’ve$done$these$two$things$itera;vely,$we$have$a$preBy$idea$of$what$goes$into$the$$

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So,$stepping$back,$why$do$this?$Why$go$through$this$process$where$I$as$a$designer$don’t$end$up$doing$that$much$design?$Well,$it’s$because$I$think$that$there’s$enormous$possibility$in$the$Internet$of$Things,$but$it’s$not$in$the$things.$

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To$me$why$we$make$Internet$of$Things$is$not$about$crea;ng$new$gadgets,$but$developing$services$that$extend$ourselves$from$our$bodies$out$into$the$world.$Our$biggest$challenge$as$innovators,$designers,$developers$and$entrepreneurs$will$not$be$adding$cheap$electronics$to$everyday$objects.$That’s$a$solved$problem.$Our$challenge$will$be$to$understand$how$to$use$those$things$to$create$value,$and$to$create$sustained$and$sustainable$change,$in$a$world$where$there$is$an$enormous$amount$of$poten;al$for$embedded,$networked$technology,$and$an$enormous$number$of$paper$thin,$one$note$gadgets.$I$once$heard$an$industrial$designer$say$that$everything$you$design$is$garbage$from$the$minute$it$comes$off$the$assembly$line,$and$that$it’s$your$responsibility$to$keep$it$out$of$the$trash$bin$for$as$long$as$possible.$I$think$that$in$the$internet$of$things$that$is$especially$true$and$today$I$think$that$our$biggest$challenge$as$designers$will$be$to$think$about$why$we$want$to$make$things$at$all,$and$then$how$we$can$make$them$provide$the$most$value,$for$the$least$cost,$for$the$most$people,$for$the$longest$;me.$

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Thank$you.$

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