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A Case Study

Abstract

Our world is constantly evolving. The Internet of Things has brought the connection into our homes beyond the computer screen or mobile phone. This new frontier doesn\’t come without it\’s issues, though. All these wonderful smart appliances come with their own handy-dandy app that adds more clutter to the pages of apps one already has on their phone. On top of that, they introduce more steps than are necessary for simple things like the flick of a switch. My capstone thesis project focuses on how an interconnected operating system across smart devices would better connect an individual with their IoT devices. This operating system would use what I call a \”personal operating system\” much like a profile one would use on specific platforms, the personal OS would essentially become a person\’s digital identity. The digital identity would serve as a quick means to access their personal content with any connected the device. I also used the project as an opportunity to take what mobile operating systems do well, while expanding on what they could do in the future. Below you can follow my people-centered process that lead to my final solution.

Justification

Landscape

Criteria

Prototyping

Final Solution

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Formal Justification

We are quickly moving towards an environment where our digital and physical worlds are meshing. The traditional retail store has had to make a shift from brick-and-mortar stores to a heavy focus on the online store—due in large to Jeff Bezos’ advent of the Amazon marketplace. Not to be stopped there, a visitor to any of these physical or digital stores will come across smart devices that have the potential to drastically change someone\’s daily routines and at-home interactions.

These devices are intended to accentuate and simplify peoples\’ experience at home. Lights can go from incandescent to LED with the option of changing to any color in the visual spectrum. Thermostats can accurately adjust home temperatures to a home owner\’s preference, while maximizing energy usage.With these innovations, life can truly begin to become what people dreamed it always could be. However, soon one realizes that amazing LED bulb with its wonderful color display has an app that is clunky and takes longer to turn on than a simple flip of the switch. That thermostat that promises to save money on energy bills can be convenient, but the cost of installation would take years to make a noticeable return on investment. Today’s “smart” products claim to offer the user a better experience than the one they currently inhabit,With these innovations, life can truly begin to become what people dreamed it always could be.

Through the automation of home, car and environment, Ambient Intelligence—or AmI—will change the way people conduct their day-to-day lives. These products, also known as domotics (Izquierdo, Santa, Gómez-Skarmeta), can offer very slight changes to regular at-home and environmental interactions. These changes can save the user valuable time they would otherwise use doing necessary tasks that can easily be automated. Beyond automation, the AmI could integrate with the digital self, creating continuity across the interconnected world. The primary fields in which home automation are currently applied are security, entertainment, energy-efficient appliances, heating and air conditioning, e-health, and remote controls (Sangani). There is already an astounding range of domotics currently on the market that can do truly amazing things. There are products currently available that can accurately track sleep habits and adjust the bed\’s temperature based on one\’s needs. There are doorbells that allow home owners to the person at their door and speak with them remotely with a data connection. There are also some products that try to integrate all these products into a \”smart home.”(TechHd)

This Internet of Things can become very complicated, very quickly. With each business determining the platform upon which their “smart” device operates, the user can quickly be encumbered with the many screens, for each of the

applications, that are necessary to properly use their smart equipment. Even the options of full home integration require the use of platform-specific devices that are often more expensive or less effective compared to competitors, which forces the user to remain with one specific brand. If the user chooses to venture outside of the platform they originally committed to, they create more issues for themselves; they can choose to purchase more devices outside of the platform, creating the problem of multi-platform confusion for the user, recommitment to another platform requires more financial burden for the replacement of devices already in place. Financial obligation is an important part of the process of creating a fully connected system. If users and businesses had to regularly adopt new systems to interact with one another it would create so much financial weight that no one would be able to afford the technology.

The sooner a universal platform is accepted—much like the adoption of USB in the majority of devices—then the sooner devices will be able to fully integrate and truly change the users’ life the way they were intended. Human-computer interaction, or HCI, is going to play a huge role with these products. Some users will prefer full integration, while others will require only minimal integration with continued use of their analog systems. (Augosto, Nakashima, Aghajan) Once this is achieved, however, there is also the issue of privacy. Each user is unique, requiring differing levels of automation. This universal platform must also take into account how much automation the user wishes to have. For example, a young person that has grown in the digital world would have fewer issues with full integration because they have matured in this environment. They are comfortable with it and understand how it works. An individual from Generation X, though, may have more issues with understanding this technology and its integration in their life.

A persona, call him Jeff, a married father of two in his mid-forties keeps his hands full with a full-time job that regularly demands 50 or more hours of his time each week. His wife holds a part time job and their combined income provides enough to keep them comfortable, but they are by no means wealthy. Jeff wants to take advantage of every moment he has with his family. Since they both work regularly it would help them tremendously to not have to repeat daily tasks like pouring cereal for the children in the morning, warming up their cars on a cold day, or lighting the home at night. These are not instances that rarely occur, they are daily routines that add up to a loss of more time than Jeff realizes. AmI integration would allow both Jeff and his wife to focus on their children, rather than getting the children breakfast and the car ready for departure.

This Ambient Intelligence, however, requires the convergence of multiple computing areas. Ubiquitous or pervasive

computing, intelligent systems research, context awareness and an appreciation of social interactions between objects in environments is essential (Shadbolt). Intelligent systems research could then add the learning algorithms—technology that is already being used by the likes of Facebook, Apple, Google and other companies—to recognize patterns, gestures, and speech, as well as translate foreign languages and recognizing and assessing different situations. Creating an environment where people are constantly connected, whether it be at home, in the car, or at school, would not only take this convergent computer system; it would also require an intelligent system that could effectively interact with Jeff and his family to the degree that they feel comfortable.

AmI could be inserted into these environments; following Jeff as he moves from environment to environment. As he is followed, the system would recognize and interpret information and context, interact with Jeff and perform actions on the environment—actions which are performed by Jeff or through automatic systems, such as robots or agents (Ramos, Augosto, Shapiro). This would create continuity across all of Jeff’s daily interactions and could assist him wherever he is, with the exact level of personal influence he chooses. It is also important that the system is able to recognize Jeff’s personal gestures, as opposed to the system telling him how to interact with it. In order for it to be successful, and valuable, Jeff would have to be able to adopt the system to the extent that it is not noticeable, until it is necessary (Augosto).

The introduction of smart technology has created exciting opportunities for HCI moving forward. It has also created some unfortunate alternatives to the regular routine, on top of hurting the bank account. It is important that these major issues are addressed sooner rather than later, so these opportunities are maximized without being hindered by a flawed system. It is important that the proper platform be developed so these devices can function together, rather than separately, in order to fully integrate into the average person’s life. By designing a universal system, a baseline operating standard can be established that would allow this integration.

Jeff’s life, both at home and in different environments could then be affected the way he prefers. The design of this platform will go through user testing, in order to learn what the user wants from their smart home. It is important to look beyond an app that can be on a phone, tablet, or computer. As stated earlier, these apps can make your smart devices slow and clunky compared to the analog alternative. Gestural and environmental components could have much more impact on these products than in the past. This universal system could allow the user to adjust based on their specific needs as well as serve as a common ground for all smart technology moving forward.

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Landscape Analysis

After researching ambient intelligence and getting a grasp of the truly enormous scope of this Internet of Things. I conducted a landscape analysis of the products that are currently available. Some of the devices stood out stronger than others. In doing so, I evaluated what was working for the products and what wasn\’t. I quickly recognized that essentially everything was completely app-dependent and those apps required even more steps than necessary. Apple\’s iOS was a big inspiration in the direction I wanted to move. The continuity across devices was seamless and convenient. It became clear that the solution would need to move past an app-based system.

Landscape Analysis

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Contents

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Google Daydream
Ring: Video Doorbell
POP Home Switch
Amazon Echo
Nest Home
Jibo
Click & Grow: Smart Herb Garden
iOS
Fitbit Charge 2
Powerwall 2

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Design Criteria

After conducting the landscape analysis, I then developed design criteria that would be essential in my solution.

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Prototyping

Next I went through a process of prototyping with volunteers to better frame my solution.

Storyboarding

I created two story boards to give the volunteers an idea of what I was working toward. I asked them for their opinions. With the storyboards I learned that they had a real hard time understanding how the system would work. Their only concern was privacy and collectively agreed the concept would be helpful—though they wouldn\’t be interested in spending an exorbitant amount on it. After conducting the storyboards, I realized the scope I was reaching for would be very hard to accomplish within the semester. Moving forward I decided it would be best to draw the scope back and focus on the core elements.

Experience Mapping

Next I attempted to create experience maps of what it may be like for someone to use this system for specific tasks. It was increasingly difficult to map out the experience of a system that massively operated in the background. Ironically, I was finding it just as hard as my volunteers to frame this concept. I figured it would be best to then focus on what the user can \”see\” and decided to shift my focus to how the UI of a system like this one could work.

Wireframe Sketch

By this point I realized the direction I was going to move in was likely an operating system rather than an app. I wanted to capitalize on UI \”norms\” that have been established by popular platforms while also expanding on what has been done. Through my research of mobile OS, I found that they all relied on relatively monotonous gestures that quickly become combinations of swipes and taps—many more than necessary. I felt that if you took advantage of surface level gestures, you could dedicate specific \”areas\” of the OS to specific functions. This could quickly get the user where they wanted to go while incorporating smart home functions and an easily modular system.

Wireframe

Finally, I mocked the wireframe I had sketched out earlier. This wireframe would serve as the primary skeleton of the system. I then went over basic interactions with my volunteers to figure out what was working and what wasn\’t. Certain things were still hard to grasp as current technologies aren\’t capable of doing what my theoretical system was reaching for. I focused on ensuring that the basic interactions of the OS made sense to them and that they felt it would be easier than current processes.

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Final Solution

A mobile operating system that has continuity across smart devices while giving the user quick access to the interconnected home.

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Background image courtesy of Home Designing

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Thank you!

This project has taught me how to use a people centered process to develop a theoretical solution that, hopefully, would be successful and able to integrate comfortably into a persons life. It represents the culmination of all that I have learned over the course of my time at Herron School of Art & Design as a Visual Communication Design major. It has been a hard process every step of the way, but worth every second. I am excited to get an opportunity to take all that I\’ve learned and apply it professionally.