Designing for the Internet of Things

(^292) | dEsiGninG for EMErGinG tECHnoLoGiEs
tion and emphasized the three “laws” placing architecture above mere
building, namely that a work of architecture must possess the qualities
of Firmness, Commodity, and Delight.^5 These three laws clarified that
a work of good design must be physically and structurally sound, must
support the functional and practical needs of its occupants, and must
be aesthetically pleasing to the viewer.
By comparison, Hewlett-Packard User Experience Lead Jim Nieters’s
blog on Interaction Design lists the goals of an interaction model
as being Discoverability, Learnability, Efficiency, Productivity,
Responsiveness, and, not coincidentally, Delight.^6 Although these two
thinkers lived in different times, these somewhat analogous sets of
“laws” underscore the relevance of aligning UX design with the design
of interaction and experience in physical space.
Since the time of Vitruvius, architectural theory has relied on classi-
fications and definitions—grouping buildings into types, defining
accepted applications of morphology, focusing on uses, appearances,
and the appropriateness of combining elements from different periods,
styles, or construction types. Theory has even suggested that the com-
ponents of architecture exist as elements of a language that has a par-
ticular grammar, as elaborated in A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings,
Construction by Christopher Alexander et al. Alexander laid out the idea
of pattern and usage as a way of building what he called “timeless.” He
states, “Towns and buildings will not be able to come alive, unless they
are made by all the people in society, and unless these people share a
common pattern language, within which to make these buildings, and
unless this common pattern language is alive itself.”^7
Theorizing Digital Culture: New
Models of Convergence
In more recent times, computers became prevalent in society and
architects theorized about the impacts of digital culture. Observers of
the design professions considered the implications of digital technol-
ogy, both for the environments we would occupy alongside these new
5 As translated by Sir Henry Wotton in the 17th Century
6 Nieters, Jim, “Defining an Interaction Model: The Cornerstone of Application Design” blog
post, http://bit.ly/1nTB1h5.
7 Alexander et al. (1977) and Alexander (1979)