Don’t you love it when things just seem to go your way? Like driving and every traffic light turns green on approach, or getting an upgrade on a flight without having to beg. These moments of chance, of luck; they’re fleeting but when they happen it feels like the gods are on your side.
I mention this because more and more it’s happening to me. Things are starting to work in ways they previously did not, enriching my day, enhancing my life. These occurrences are not down to a lucky rabbits’ foot or a refusal to walk under ladders; but to the new connections I’m being exposed through technology and the internet of things.
- My watch measures health. Recognising achievement;
- My phone pays for dinner. Providing improved convenience;
- My keys can be tracked. Removing unnecessary frustration;
- I shout at Alexa and she does what I want… to a point.
Technology is becoming more synchronised to life and the objects and experiences of which are a part of it. Artificial intelligence is less artificial. Virtual reality is more real. Things feel less forced and as the IOT continues to grow, the relationships we have with each other, our cities, our homes, our vehicles, our fridges, they will become more connected.
“VR and AR capabilities will merge with the digital mesh to form a more seamless system of devices capable of orchestrating a flow of information that comes to the user as hyperpersonalized and relevant apps and services.”
Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2016, October 16-20 in Orlando, David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow.
It all sounds fantastic and it is but, how are brands going to play nice to give me a seamless flow of experiences?
PC, Mac or ???
It would make sense for a virtual agent such as a Siri, Cortana, Alexa or other to become the one point of contact for all my things but is this feasible or rather, will I/we find ourselves second guessing who to engage for what?
“Siri outdoor lights… Siri outdoor lights!”
“Siriiiiiii! …Alexa turn on the outdoor lights.”
Like notifications on a mobile phone, will there be a place to edit, remove or add new things? How will I be able to block unwanted attention? I’m sure these questions if not already will be addressed for it is extremely important they are. The IOT is still in its infancy, things seem quite novel but not for much longer.
“A projected 34 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020, up from 10 billion in 2015. IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.) will comprise 10 billion.”
BI Intelligence http://www.businessinsider.com/top-internet-of-things-trends-2016
Now that’s a lot of opportunity. For me it will be the quality of the connected experience that will determine what I choose to be a part of my connected world. Will Brands play nice with each other or not? From a human experience perspective, it’s going to be fascinating how the battleground for our wallets, hearts and minds is fought.
