The Internet of Things (IoT) is here but has not yet matured into a mainstream technology. As one of the biggest emerging trends in the tech world, it’s only a matter of time before enterprising problem-solvers address and correct the biggest challenges standing in IoT’s way. Many of these problems represent significant shifts in how people interact with technology. For instance, without robust 5G network infrastructure, powering IoT devices and communicating with them reliably will remain out of reach. Security concerns and the UX design process will also play a pivotal role in IoT development and adoption.
The user experience (UX) suffers whenever systems become more complex, even if the new complexity represents enormous value. Simplifying these processes without careful UX consideration can lead to unhappy customers and even catastrophic losses.
Case-in-Point: Data Recovery in the 2000s
Assuming the IoT revolution will at least be functionally similar to the dot-com boom of the ‘90s and the rise of cloud technology in the ‘00s, it’s easy to see where pain points can creep in. The intersection of engineering complexity and design simplicity can create situations that harm users more than help them.
Consider one of the most popular services for synchronizing files across multiple devices in the early ‘00s. The service was radically complex for its time and offered an impressively simple user interface (UI). However, the service did not understand how to treat users who were used to physical storage media. If a user deleted a file on the service from one device, the file disappeared from all devices.
From an engineering point of view, it’s a great system—everything is always in sync. From a UX point of view, it’s an accident waiting to happen.
What UX Has to Teach Us About IoT
Due to IoT’s transformative potential, hundreds of services compete for users’ attention, offering different experiences. Like search engines in the ‘90s and cloud technology in the ‘00s, IoT wearables are now a massive market without clear UX standards. These products must perform valuable and intuitive services with a minimal learning curve to remain economically viable.
If a consumer experiences something useful and intuitive, it will likely be adopted as part of their lifestyle. If that same experience is difficult, complicated, or even just mildly challenging, you can forget about mass adoption.
This means the UX design process should prioritize simple, passive engagement. Decision fatigue is real. The more IoT devices enter the market, the more engagement will suffer if no obvious motivations exist to continue using a product.
How IoT Benefits from a Sound UX Design Process
For IoT to make good on its promise to transform how humans interact with technology, developers must keep a few crucial UX considerations in mind. UX designers have spent a great deal of time and energy discovering these truths, and those who pay attention to them will stand to gain the most in tomorrow’s IoT tech market:
1. Help people achieve their goals
This seems like a simple enough piece of advice, but the next time you use your smartwatch, smartphone, or smart anything, ask yourself how that particular interaction helped you achieve your goal. The IoT products that take off will be those that demonstrate how they help users achieve their goals with every single interaction.
2. Get to “wow” as fast as possible
People don’t have the patience or attention spans they used to. Your product must produce a “wow” moment quickly and efficiently to encourage long-term adoption.
3. Focus on incentives
It’s easy to see why early IoT fitness wearables haven’t been the game-changing devices they were hyped up to be. Many people quit new fitness regimes within just a few months of starting, which means they leave their fitness trackers, too. The UX design process should consider this, producing an experience that motivates users to keep using these products.
The developers, engineers, and business leaders who pay attention to these three UX elements when creating innovative IoT products will have a distinct competitive advantage in tomorrow’s market. At UpTop, our expert UX designers, strategists, and developers are passionate about creating exceptional digital experiences. From user research to UX strategy, design, and product development, we partner with you to optimize your digital products for long-term user satisfaction and profitability.
Ready to leverage UX for a competitive advantage? Let’s connect.
