1"

Let"me"begin"by"telling"you"a"bit"about"my"background."I�m"a"user"experience"designer."I"

was"one"of"the"first"professional"Web"designers."I’ve"now"been"designing"Web"sites"for"

nearly"20"years."This"is"the"navigaCon"for"a"hot"sauce"shopping"site"I"designed"in"1994."

2"

I’m"proud"of"the"fact"that"16"years"later"they"were"sCll"using"the"same"visual"idenCty."These"

were"some"of"the"oldest"pixels"on"the"Web."

"

I"had"the"privilege"of"designing"the"UI"of"some"of"the"first"ecommerce"sites,"online"chat"

systems,"and"search"engines."I"also"got"to"watch"two"dotcom"crashes"and"saw"many"of"my"

clients"fail,"with"years"of"the"work"disappearing"nearly"overnight"

3"

Since"then"I’ve"consulted"on"the"user"experience"design"of"dozens,"maybe"hundreds"of"web"

sites."Here’s"one"for"credit.com,"who"were"fantasCc"clients"a"couple"of"years"ago."

4"

I’ve"also"worked"on"the"user"experience"design"of"a"lot"of"consumer"electronics"products"

from"companies"you’ve"probably"heard"of."

5!

I’ve"wriMen"a"couple"of"books"based"on"my"experience"as"a"designer."One"is"a"cookbook"of"

user"research"methods,"and"the"second"describes"what"I"think"are"some"of"the"core"

concerns"when"designing"networked"computaConal"devices."Much"of"this"talk"is"based"in"

work"in"that"second"book."

6"

7!

I"also"started"a"couple"of"companies."The"first,"AdapCve"Path,"was"primarily"focused"on"the"

web,"but"with"the"second"one,"ThingM,"I"got"deep"into"developing"hardware."

ThingM"primarily"designs"and"manufacture"smart"LEDs"for"architects,"industrial"designers"

and"hackers,"

8"

But"we"also"spent"some"Cme"exploring"the"potenCal"uses"of"embedded"compuCng"as"a"

design"material"for"things"that"could"be"classified"in"the"Internet"of"Things."

"

This"is"an"RFID"wine"rack"that’s"faceted"classificaCon"browser"to"a"cloudXbased"service."For"

example,"it"can"show"you"all"the"2003"Napa"Cabernet"Sauvignons"which"are"ready"to"drink"

and"whose"current"market"price"is"under"$50."This"is"a"capaciCve"sensing"kitchen"cabinet"

knob"that"glows"when"you"touch"it."It’s""an"exploraCon"in"making"a"digital"product"that"

would"sCll"be"useful"20"years"a]er"it"was"made."

"

9"

Last"year"I"got"to"work"extensively"with"Si]eo’s"on"the"UX"of"their"game"pla_orm,"which"

was"totally"fun."Thanks,"Dave!"

10"

A"couple"of"months"ago"I"joined"PARC,"the"famous"research"lab,"full"Cme"as"a"principal"in"its"

InnovaCon"Services"group."

11"

A"lot"of"my"projects"broadly"fall"under"the"descripCon"of"the"Internet"of"Things,"but"that’s"a"

really"challenging"name"to"work"with."

"

Talking"about"The"Internet"of"Things"is"a"hard"because"there"are"so"many"different"

definiCons.""This"is"Time"Magazine’s"illustraCon"of"the"Internet"of"Things"for"their""“Best"

InvenCons"of"2008”"ediCon."I"love"this"illustraCon"is"because"it"makes"no"sense"no"maMer"

how"you"think"about"it,"which"is"actually"quite"an"accurate"representaCon"of"how"confusing"

the"many"definiCons"of"the"Internet"of"Things"are"right"now."

12"

Let"me"give"you"my"definiCon,"which"is"preMy"broad."For"me"the"Internet"of"Things"is"the"

combinaCon"of"distributed"informaCon"processing,"pervasive"wireless"networking"and"

automaCc"idenCficaCon,"deployed"inexpensively"and"widely."The"underlying"technologies"

and"the"applicaCons"that"are"tradiConally"discussed"don’t"maMer"much,"because"it"is"this"

combinaCon"of"factors"that"deeply"affects"people"and"industries,"and"it"does"it"by"

connecCng"people’s"immediate"experiences"to"the"power"of"digitally"aggregated"and"

analyzed"informaCon."In"other"words,"the"Internet"to"Things"turns"physical"acCons"into"

knowledge"in"the"cloud"and"knowledge"in"the"cloud"into"physical"acCon"in"a"way"that’s"

never"existed"before."

13"

So,"for"example,"I"count"the"FedEx"Sensaware"smart"tag"and"the"YoMamark"tracking"system"

to"be"roughly"idenCcal."The"Sensaware"tag"has"a"bunch"of"sensors,"a"GPS"and"the"

equivalent"of"a"phone"in"it."It’s"used"to"track"high"value"items,"such"as"human"organs,"that"

need"to"be"shipped"under"precisely"maintained"condiCons."The"YoMamark"system"uses"

sCckers,"readers"and"a"wired"network"service"to"track"things"such"as"produce"and"car"parts."

Technologically"there’s"almost"no"overlap,"but"they"both"give"people"the"ability"to"treat"

physical"objects"like"they"have"been"treaCng"data"packets."They"bring"the"power"and"ideas"

of"the"internet"to"physical"things."

14!

In"other"words,"although"it's"discussed"as"an"emerging"technology,"I"believe"that"The"

Internet"of"Things"is"actually"a"combinaCon"of"mature"technologies,"much"more"mature"

than"people"give"it"credit"for."The"reason"it’s"climbing"the"Gartner"Hype"Cycle"is"because"

those"mature"technologies"are"now"cheap,"as"the"rise"of"smartphones"pushed"the"price"of"

components"down"and"made"people"more"aware"what"happens"when"you"take"a"small"bit"

of"funcConality,"which"is"what"an"app"is,"and"distribute"it"through"the"world."I"believe"that"

people"are"looking"at"apps"and"thinking"to"themselves"“Why"do"I"need"that"expensive"

phone,"with"all"its"capabiliCes,"to"do"this"one"thing?"Why"can’t"I"just"take"that"app,"pluck"it"

off"the"screen,"and"put"it"into"a"dedicated"piece"of"hardware"that"only"does"that"one"

thing?”"

15"

However,"if"you"look"at"what"applicaCons"are"currently"given"as"examples"of"the"Internet"of"

Things,"you'll"see"that"they're"mostly"topXdown"largeXscale"centralized"infrastructural"

applicaCons."Here’s"San"Francisco’s"parking"system."It"uses"sensors"in"the"street"to"see"

what"spaces"cars"are"parked"in."It"can"tell"you"where"there"are"empty"parking"spots"and"can"

dispatch"meter"maids"to"write"Cckets"more"efficiently."

"

But"these"projects"are"not"the"ones"that"I"believe"will"have"the"greatest"impact"on"the"

world,"nor"where"the"greatest"innovaCon"will"lie."I"believe"that"the"greatest"Internet"of"

Things"innovaCon,"and"the"deepest"impact,"will"come"from"small,"risky"projects"undertaken"

by"entrepreneurs"working"with"exisCng"infrastructures."

16"

And"I"believe"that"this"will"happen"as"people"bring"online"services"into"the"physical"world"as"

specialized"devices.""Let"me"show"you"a"couple"of"trends"I"see,"and"how"I"think"they"will"

interact"to"bring"this"about."

"

The"first"is"a"shi]"from"generic"devices"and"so]ware"to"specialized"devices"and"so]ware."

When"compuCng"was"expensive,"you"had"general"purpose"devices"and"general"purpose"

so]ware"that"had"deal"with"almost"every"situaCon."This"necessitated"design"compromises"

that"resulted"in"devices"and"so]ware"that"could"do"almost"everything,"but"did"none"of"it"

well."

"

Now"that"processing"is"so"cheap,"you"can"have"a"combinaCon"of"10,"20,"or"30"compuCng"

devices"and"apps"for"the"price"of"that"one"device,"and"you"can"acquire"new"funcConality"as"

needed."This"means"that"every"device"and"so]ware"package"can"have"a"narrower"purpose."

17"

The"second"trend"is"that"much"of"the"value"of"compuCng"is"now"remote."There’s"no"longer"

a"need"to"pack"everything"into"a"single"piece"of"so]ware,"and"there’s"no"expectaCon"that"

everything"will"be"there."

18"

If"we"chart"these"last"two"tends,"two"broad"classes"of"digital"products"emerge."

"

If"we"follow"the"local"to"remote"axis,"we"find"generalXpurpose"devices"that"do"roughly"the"

same"set"of"things,"and"differ"primarily"in"size."They"exist"to"provide"access"to"online"

services,"in"a"form"factor"that’s"appropriate"to"the"context"in"which"they’re"used."

I"call"these"devices"terminals."

"

If"we"follow"the"general"to"specific"axis,"we"see"a"shi]"is"to"more"narrowXfuncCon"devices"

that"are"designed"to"do"a"small,"specific"set"of"things"really"well."They"primarily"differ"in"

what"those"specific"things"are."I"call"these"devices"appliances."

19"

The"most"interesCng"thing,"however,"to"me"is"that"these"shi]s"are"part"of"an"even"larger"

transiCon,"one"where"devices"are"simultaneously"specific"AND"deeply"Ced"to"online"

services."In"this"model,"the"service"provides"the"majority"of"the"value,"and"can"be"

represented"either"as"a"dedicated"appliance,"an"app"running"on"a"terminal,"or"anything"in"

between.""

"

I"call"these"devices"service"avatars."And"this"is"where"the"Internet"of"Things"lies,"at"least"for"

consumer"products."

20"

As"value"shi]s"to"services,"the"devices,"so]ware"applicaCons"and"websites"used"to"access"it

—its"avatars—become"secondary."A"camera"becomes"a"really"good"appliance"for"taking"

photos"for"Flickr,"while"a"TV"becomes"a"nice"Flickr"display"that"you"don’t"have"to"log"into"

every"Cme,"and"a"phone"becomes"a"convenient"way"to"take"your"Flickr"pictures"on"the"

road."

"

Hardware"becomes"simultaneously"more"specialized"and"devalued"as"users"see"“through”"

each"device"to"the"service"it"represents."

21"

My"favorite"example"of"this"is"Ne_lix."You"can"get"Ne_lix"on"virtually"any"terminal"that"has"

a"screen"and"a"network"connecCon."You"can"pause"a"Ne_lix"movie"on"one"terminal"and"

then"upause"it"on"another."

22"

23"

Because"to"the"Ne_lix"customer,"any"device"used"to"watch"a"movie"on"Ne_lix"is"just"a"hole"

in"space"to"the"Ne_lix"service."It’s"a"shortXterm"manifestaCon"of"a"single"service."The"value,"

the"brand"loyalty,"and"the"focus"is"on"the"service,"not"the"frame"around"it."The"technology"

exists"to"enable"the"service,"not"as"an"end"to"itself."

Ne_lix"appliances"are"created"for"a"single"reason:"to"make"it"easier"to"access"Ne_lix."That’s"

what"Roku"does."It"turns"every"terminal"that’s"not"already"Ne_lix"enabled"into"a"Ne_lix"

terminal."

24"

This to me is why an Internet of Things is primarily based around services in the cloud, but services that talk to hardware devices as one of their many avatars. This is already happening.!!Let me use Withings as an example. If you don’t know what this is, google it on your pocket terminal.!

25"

Withings"at"first"it"was"kind"of"a"gimmick."“You"can"tweet"your"weight"to"your"friends!”"was"

one"of"the"ways"it"was"originally"pitched."That’s"of"course"not"parCcularly"interesCng,"but"

that"was"not"the"purpose"of"the"device."The"device"is"the"avatar"to"a"health"service."The"

scale"is"the"way"the"service"differenCates"itself"from"other"health"tracking"services,"but"the"

value"is"not"in"the"scale,"but"in"the"service,"which"is"fully"experienced"using"other"avatars,"

such"as"the"ones"depicted"on"the"right."

26"

Withings"has"now"expanded"the"service"to"include"a"blood"pressure"cuff"and"acCvity"

tracker.""Again,"the"value"is"not"in"the"devices,"but"in"the"knowledge"that"they"create"by"

collecCng"simple"pieces"of"informaCon"and"then"providing"users"with"the"full"power"of"

cloudXbased"services"to"make"use"of"that"piece"of"informaCon."Withings"can"keep"adding"

avatars,"new"sensors"and"new"ways"to"display"the"informaCon"the"sensors"collect,"without"

fundamentally"changing"the"promise"of"the"service."

27"

There"is"a"whole"class"of"such"devices"that"are"essenCally"projecCons"of"a"cloud"service"

through"a"limited"funcConality"hardware"product."The"quanCfied"self"folks"love"them."

These"are"of"course"sensorXbased"devices,"but"what"they’re"selling"is"not"the"capabiliCes"of"

the"sensor,"but"of"the"cloudXbased"service"the"sensor"connects"to."

"

28"

Vitality"Glowcap"is"one"of"the"most"mature"of"these"services"with"specialized"avatars."It’s"

now"been"around"for"about"five"years."This"is"a"wireless"networkXconnected"pill"boMle"

that’s"an"avatar"to"Vitality’s"service"for"increasing"compliance"to"medicine"prescripCons."

When"you"close"the"cap,"it"sends"a"packet"of"informaCon"through"a"mobile"phoneXbased"

base"staCon"to"a"central"server"and"it"starts"counCng"down"to"when"you"next"need"to"take"

your"medicine."When"it’s"Cme,"it"lights"up"the"LED"on"the"top"of"the"boMle."

"

However,"the"real"power"is"in"the"packet"of"data"it"sends."

29"

That"packet"lets"you"get"a"progress"report"that"can"be"used"interacCvely"or"delivered"by"

email."It’s"like"Google"AnalyCcs"for"your"medicine."

30"

Health"care"pracCConers"get"yet"another"avatar"that"gives"them"longXterm"and"longitudinal"

analyCcs"about"compliance"across"medicaCons"and"Cme."

"

To"me,"this"kind"of"conversaCon"between"devices"and"net"services"is"where"the"real"power"

of"The"Internet"of"Things"begins."

"

31"

CreaCng"services"like"this"is"becoming"increasingly"straigh_orward.""Now"we’re"seeing"

technologies"that"make"it"similarly"easy"to"add"specialized"hardware"devices"to"services."

"

I"grabbed"this"image"from"Arrayent,"who"is"a"company"that"makes"a"liMle"hardware"blob"

that"connects"virtually"anything,"in"this"case"a"smoke"detector,"to"their"cloud"service."It"can"

make"any"device"look"like"a"Web"site,"and"there"are"other"devices"like"it"on"the"market."If"

you"compare"this"component"to"the"kind"of"tools"that"made"Web"2.0"possible—Ruby"on"

Rails,"server"virtualizaCon,"etc—you"can"see"some"key"qualiCes"that"made"that"movement"

successful:"it’s"not"that"the"core"technology"is"novel,"but"that"it’s"been"made"cheap"and"you"

don’t"need"to"know"how"it"works"to"make"a"lot"of"problems"disappear."

"

Source:"Arrayent"

32"

Services"such"as"Cosm/Pachube,"sen.se,"Thingspeak,"Evrythng"and"Axeda"are"now"serving"a"

similar"role"by"acCng"as"data"brokerages"that"make"arbitrary,"different"devices"act"

consistently."Pachube,"for"example,"allows"an"arbitrary"data"stream"from"any"net"

connected"device"to"share"that"stream"with"any"other"device."The"service"will"do"the"

buffering,"the"protocol"translaCon,"the"analyCcs,"everything."It’s"a"system"that"has"its"roots"

in"Web"mashups,"now"connected"to"hardware."

"

ConnecCng"devices"to"the"cloud"allows"for"rapid"iteraCon"on"features,"since"most"of"the"

funcConality"of"those"devices"lies"in"the"cloud."

33"

PARC’s"contribuCon"to"this"is"a"set"of"technologies"focused"on"making"electronic"devices"

cheaper,"making"them"communicate"in"more"efficient"ways,"creaCng"manufacturing"tools"

that"make"it"easier"for"people"to"make"them,"and"analyzing"all"of"the"data"that"they"

produce."

34"

But"I"want"to"leave"you"with"another"idea."I"think"that"there’s"a"fundamentally"different"

way"we"need"to"think"about"how"to"design"experiences"that"involved"dozens"or"hundreds"

of"devices."This"is"from"Timo"Arnall’s"great"short"film,"“Wireless"in"the"World”."

35"

Our"current"internet"of"things"tools"are"rigid"and"determinisCc."These"tools"work"on"one"

device,"or"a"couple,"but"this"rigid"command"and"control"approach"fails"when"you"move"up"

to"many"devices."I"think"that"the"tools"we"need"are"ones"that"will"help"us"dynamically"shape"

the"behavior"of"many"devices"acCng"simultaneously,"in"real"Cme,"working"probabilisCcally,"

rather"than"through"increasing"hierarchies."

"

"

Image"from"“THE INTERNET OF THINGS: From RFID to the Next-Generation Pervasive Networked Systems” (Lu Yan et al, 2008)!"

36"

I"think"that"the"transformaConal"point"for"the"Internet"of"Things"will"come"when"the"tools"

for"designing"the"behavior"of"thousands"of"devices"look"like"this."They’ll"look"like"SimCity"or"

Lemmings,"or"StarCra]"or"MineCra]."Sure,"these"look"like"games,"but"really"they’re"tools"

for"shaping"emergent"effects"to"trend"toward"desirable"conclusions,"rather"than"tools"that"

require"you"to"focus"on"specific"rigid"behavior."

"

These"are"the"tools"that"will"help"us"build"not"the"Internet"of"Things,"but"the"Google"of"

Things,"the"Facebook"of"Things,"the"Foursquare"of"Things,"the"PayPal"of"Things,"the"

Farmville"of"Things."That’s"when"we’ll"see"things"really"take"off."

37"

Thank"you"

38"