Presented on Oct 9th for TC UX Meetup at Fathom Consulting, this deck contains five essential research questions to guide your IoT and connected device strategy.

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Formerly Evantage Consulting
UX of IoT
MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS FOR USERS

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We are a business consultancy that
helps organizations capitalize on change
and how they interact with their customers.
Since 1999, we have helped clients transition
from complexity to confidence.
Formerly Evantage Consulting
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Service offering
Strategic Advisory
Services
Customer and User
Experience
Research + Design
Operations Design
+ Optimization
Business Performance Improvement
Business Transformation
Strategic Planning Facilitation
Market Opportunity Assessment
Enterprise Digital Strategy
Ideation Workshops
Customer Experience Strategy
Qualitative & Quantitative Research
Journey Mapping & Experience Choreography
Digital Product & Service Design
User Experience Research & Design
Mobile & Desktop UI Prototyping
Co-creation
Service Design
Process & Workflow Design
Operations Improvement
Organizational Design
Change Management
Governance Models
Program Management

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Outside-in
“Bridging Strategy,
Technology and the
Customer Experience” was
the firm’s original tagline. For
the past 18 years, we’ve guided
and assisted organizations in
taking an “outside in” approach.
Experiences
Interactions
Touchpoints
Procedures
Systems

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First some definitions
Internet of Things (IoT):
The networking of physical things (often
referred to as “smart devices”) in order to
collect and exchange data.
Connected Devices:
Devices which send or receive data to at
least one other device. They may use
internet protocols to make the exchange or
just be connected directly to other device(s).

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Then some anti-definitions
IoT is not going to magically fix all of your
experience problems.
IoT is not something you should do just
because all the cool kids are doing it.
As with early tech trends like ecommerce, social
media, and mobile apps, if you don’t have a valid
reason and a well-researched experience in mind,
you risk winding up sad, broke, and alone.

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Most IoT projects we have worked
Provide data to the user
Keeping IoT User-Centered
Most IoT projects we have worked on had one of two broad goals in mind
Expand access for the user
Both require solid research before diving
in, but providing data has more potential
to impact users and more risk.

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Research then Design
1. Conduct research to ensure you know the
user needs and boundaries, and any
ramifications of being connected.
2. Design how it works and what it looks like.
Tonight we’ll cover five important user research
questions to begin with.

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1. How will it be used?
When the user gets this data, what will they
do with it?
Is there something you as a product owner
hope they will do differently because the
device is now connected?
Are there other things they might do that you
wouldn’t like them to do?
Is the intended action something you could
automate and do for the user? Detecting and broadcasting parking lot data gives
users remote access to space availability.
Will this translate into increased revenue from parking?

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2. Is it enough on its own?
Your connected device is providing some
data, but what is the full picture of data that
would need to exist to really help the user?
Is there something else that the user will
immediately go look at?
Is there other data that the user will want to
cross reference?
This “smart” tractor provides tons of data on how
much fertilizer was used (and where and when)
What else will the farmer want to know?

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3. How will you deliver it?
What is the best way for the user to receive
the data?
Are there other systems they are already
interacting with that could deliver it?
Is the data compelling enough to change
current behaviors and preferred channels?
When patient monitors are connected you could
send the data almost anywhere.
Where do doctors and nurses prefer to see it?

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4. Are there boundaries?
What are the user’s concerns when it comes
to privacy?
Is there a “creepy” factor?
Does using the device expose the user to
new risks (either real or perceived)?
This “smart” bed learns your bedtime and warms up
the foot of the bed for your cold toes. It also tracks
how deeply you sleep.
Could it expose you to harm? Embarrassment?

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5. What else changes?
How does being connected change the
product’s relationship with the user?
Could or should the service model be
revisited?
What touchpoints are strengthened and are
any are weakened?
A connected water softener
allows for “just in time” salt delivery.
Is that a good or bad thing for business?

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Try it out
1. Divide into groups and find one of the
designated spaces to work.
2. Introduce yourselves and distribute the
question cards.
3. Open the box to reveal your brand new
“smart” product.
4. Each person asks the group the
question(s) on their card.
Go around until you’ve covered them all.
5. Jot down a few relevant details to share
with the larger group.

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Research then Design
1. Conduct research to ensure you know the
user needs and boundaries, and any
ramifications of being connected.
2. Design how it works and what it looks like.
Now that you’ve answered the tough questions,
have fun designing!

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Formerly Evantage Consulting
108 N Washington Ave, Suite 400
Minneapolis, MN 55401
consultfathom.com
Thank you!
Kat Jayne
Senior UX Consultant
612.230.3829
kjayne@consultfathom.com