experience is about design as well as product strategy, which is covered in
more depth in chapter 5, ‘Translating Research into Product Definitions’.
Services in IoT
Devices and services
At the start of the chapter, we set out that an IoT ‘product’ is frequently a
hybrid of physical device(s) and service provision. At the very least, the
connections that keep the connected device connected are services and there
may be others to consider in making a product good.
When people buy a product, they expect to have the right to use it for as long
as they like. When the product is dependent on an internet service, there is a
reasonable expectation that that service will continue to be available, for
taking it away would render the product at worst useless and at best limited.
After all, you would not expect your home heating or lighting to cease to
function because the company that produced the original system had gone out
of business, or no longer wished to support you. (There is an inherent tension
here between the old world of physical products, and the new world of
internet/web services. On the web, new services appear and old ones are
‘sunsetted’ on a regular basis. This is acclaimed as progress. A physical
product is likely to come with expectations that it will last for at least a few
years. If the service stops working, the lifespan of the device is shortened,
creating landfill (and unhappy users). Service providers have a responsibility
to ensure that they are able to maintain and improve their internet services, so
that the product has a reasonable lifespan.)
The service forms part of that experience. The relationship between the device
and service can vary. <-EXPLAIN MORE
Connected heating controllers and door locks are examples of systems where
the device is likely to be the focus: we might call them service-enabled
devices. Users view the device as the most salient part of the system. For
example, Nest users are likely to say ‘I have a Nest’, referring to the