Designing Connected Products

Chapter 13. Designing with Data

BY ALFRED LUI AND CLAIRE ROWLAND^[202]

Introduction

The IoT will enable access to vastly more data about the world than we’ve ever had. By 2020, some analysts estimate that 10% of all digital data will be generated from connected devices.^[203] Industrial applications may account for a large chunk of this, but data is also becoming part of the fabric of consumer products. Designers need to understand how to work with information as a “design material.”^[204] What can be captured? How should it be interpreted and what insights can be derived? What new products can be developed and what previously unmet needs can now be addressed? And how do we go about designing compelling, valuable, secure, and trustworthy experiences using data? How can we help bring new insights to users through product design, and design products that behave smarter?

This is a rapidly evolving field, covering multiple topics each of which could easily be a book in its own right. In this book, we aim to provide an overview of the key issues.

This chapter introduces:

• The technical context of data in IoT (see Data in IoT)

• Current types of data-driven product (see Augmenting Your Data with Third-Party Data)

• Considerations for designing with data (see What This Means for Design)

This chapter addresses the following issues:

• How data processing in IoT is often distributed, and what that means for the product (see Flow of Data in Connected Products)

• Typical characteristics of IoT data, and their impact ...