Part I: Internet of Things… Are We All Doing It Wrong?

June 22, 2016

The term Internet of Things (IoT) has been around for almost 2 decades. The concepts related to IoT have been bantered around since the early years of e-commerce. However, we are still in the phase of IoT’s evolution where we are dealing with significant design, process, technology, regulatory and social issues. Why are we still in the formative years of IoT when other technological changes, such as B2B and B2C e-commerce, have essentially become an established standard?

What went wrong with IoT? Nothing. Yep, that’s it, Nothing went wrong with the evolution of IoT. The highly publicized failures such as the shutdown of  Nest’s Hub  or Jeep’s security issues  are part of technology’s evolutionary process. Concepts that are just bad ideas, poorly executed, or have poor timing, will die out. These failures will benefit us all and make future IoT products better. The issue is that we are still in the early stages of evolution where the Dodo Birds have yet to die out.

So what is taking so long?

IoT is hard to do well.

What?

Really.

I have a mad scientist friend that has connected his lighting, door locks and HVAC system in his house. It’s really cool. But when you talk to other members of the household they are not interested in the geek factor that this ecosystem offers. Actually, they have a slight disdain for the ecosystem they don’t understand and wish they had a “normal” house. They’ve run into issues where their HVAC system failed to heat their home due to system outages, their bluetooth door locks are slightly unreliable, and family members complain about needing a smartphone to change the lighting.

The highlighted issues outline some important challenges of creating a connected experience. Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing topics that are key to creating successful IoT products.

• Creating a Better User Experience (UX) is Imperative for an IoT Product to become a Success
• How Do You Justify an IoT Investment?
• Utilizing a Layered Testing Approach is Key in Building an IoT Platform
• Selecting the Right Platform is Critical to the Success of an IoT Product
• IoT Platforms: Black-Box, SaaS, PaaS… Which Type is Right for My Product?
• IoT Projects Require a Different Approach to Security

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