Exploration on Everyday Objects as an IoT Control Interface

Abstract

As the user needs for IoT applications have grown, solutions for coordinating IoT devices in everyday living contexts are in high demand. This pictorial presents an explorative study and the design of a new IoT coordination approach that utilizes everyday objects as IoT control interfaces. We conducted a workshop study to explore the potential use cases and understand the opportunities and challenges of everyday objects as means for IoT coordination. Using the use cases from the workshop, we created a scenario movie to illustrate the user experience of the smart environment enabled by everyday objects. We also developed a functional prototype of the IoT coordination system with a wearable device that recognizes the usage of everyday objects. Based on the workshop and the design of two research artefacts, we discuss the implications for advancing the IoT ecology through the use of everyday objects and combining digital and non-digital artifacts.