Figure 9.9: the BERG Cloud Bridge.(Image: BERG).
The more complex the system, the more overwhelming it may be to explain in
detail. In that case, it would be better to allow the user to work from a
simplified mental model. Automatic gearboxes are complex mechanical
systems that require only a simplified mental model in order to use (see figure
9.10). But this is a hard trick to pull off. The gearbox is mature technology and
only performs one basic function. Also, consumers have lots of prior
experience of driving cars on which to draw. IoT technology is newer, and
often does things that are less familiar to users. Many IoT systems also have
multiple functions, so it can be harder to reduce them to a simplified
conceptual model.