those pieces are critical." Mark Kawano, founder of Storehouse and former
Apple User Experience Evangelist^12 ]
Building a service offering
Thinking at the service experience level encourages us to take a broader look
at user needs, not just the interactions with the website, mobile app or
embedded devices. Chapter 5 explores understanding user needs in more
detail. In this chapter we’ll consider how this might create new opportunities
to look at the wider service package you may offer customers.
For example, take home security. We typically think of alarm systems as
something that makes a loud noise and act as a visible deterrent on the home.
A connected system can tell you when someone is breaking in, and perhaps
film them. But if you’re not able to get home, and no-one else can respond,
you can’t do anything about it. Connectivity has alerted you to the problem but
also enabled you to feel powerless to act.
In this case, you might have the option of paying for a professional monitoring
service. The security firm (with your permission) can view your cameras
before sending someone out.
IoT services often provide opportunities to capture data, which can be used to
improve the service offered, perhaps through better customer service or
smarter support. For example, diagnostic data about the functioning of a boiler
could be used to identify systems at risk of breakdown and schedule an
engineer visit before they fail. You might even package the cost of the service
contract with the monthly fee for maintaining the service. Users may be
happier to pay for something like this than to cover the cost of maintaining
your internet servers!
Professional installation or configuration may also be an opportunity for
complex systems such as home automation technology. Time It Right^13 ,
(^12) Mark Wilson, 4 Myths about Apple Design, From an Ex-Apple Designer, Fast
Company July/August 2014 (http://www.fastcodesign.com/3030923/4-myths-about-
apple-design-from-an-ex-apple-designer)
(^13) http://autotimeonline.com/