From respect to change user behaviour. Research on how to design a next generation of smart home objects from User Experience and Interaction Design
Yichen Wu, Margherita Pillan · The Design Journal · 2017
:With the rapid development of IoTs and ICT technologies, smart objects become a rising commodity in our life. Several innovative smart objects and concepts are constantly proposed to the market and to crowd-funding platforms. Most of these products have similar features, with added sensors, actuators, memory capabilities, and they can exchange information with a smart phone, allowing users to control them at a distance and to collect data in everyday life.There are two typologies of smart objects: traditional products updated by implanted digital technologies; brand new products designed to meet a specific demand. In this paper, we focus on the smart objects for home, such as smart power plugs, smart surveillance systems, smart lamps, etc., and on user behaviours.The user experiences associated to the two typologies are different: the first typology should improve an existing habit, while the second should provide a fresh action. The latter create new behaviours and the paper investigates the correlation between behaviours induced by the innovative products and their success/failure. The research is mainly based on the analysis of several smart objects proposed on the market and on crowdfunding platforms. The analysis considers usability, interactive modes and the modalities of control. The goal is to extract knowledge on how to design the next generation of “smarter” home objects, i.e. not only intelligent, connected and controllable at a distance, but also requiring acceptable changes in behaviours.