Presentation given at the second international workshop on the Web of Things (in conjunction with the ninth international conference on pervasive computing, san francisco, usa, june 2011). More details on http://www.wothings.com.

1. Pierrick Thébault , Dominique Decotter Bell Labs Applications Domain Towards the Design of Intelligible Object-based Applications for the Web of Things. Second international workshop on the Web of Things June 12 th , 2011, San Francisco, USA

2. ABOUT US HELLO! Pierrick Thébault Designer PhD candidate at Arts et Métiers Paristech I do research in service design , interactions techniques and user experience for smart objects and environments. Dominique Decotter Usabilist / cognitive pyschologist PhD candidate at René Descartes University He does research in co-creation techniques , probe design and identifications of latent needs. Bell Labs France Application Studio

5. WOT CONTEXT Does the concept of applications apply to objects?

6. WOT VISION

7. WOT LAYERS EVERYDAY OBJECT READY MADE OBJECT Sensor Actuator VIRTUAL OBJECT Capabilities & status View APPLICATION Smart behaviour View Digital Physical APP REPOSITORY User-generated application Pre-configured application Sensor Actuator

8. WOT VIRTUAL OBJECTS Real world object (RWO) Virtual object (VO) Machine interactions Users interactions

12. RESEARCH DISAPPEARING SYSTEMS By blending in a seamless way into user ’ s environment, charging objects with additional functionalities and making them act in a proactive way, object-based applications are modifying our perception of inner systems . There is a need to investigate user ’ s mental models to make sure they match with researchers ’ application models. 1 Figure based on Don Norman’s definition of conceptual models. Retreived from: http://www.interactiondesignblog.com/2008/06/how-designers-communicate-with-users/

13. RESEARCH DISAPPEARING SYSTEMS SPEAKEASY BROWSER Newman, M.W BIT Roduner, C MASHUP EDITOR Guinard, D OBJECT BROWSER Boussard, M Web of things browsers needs intelligible application models!

14. RESEARCH QUESTIONS ? 1 CONCEPT In users ’ mind is there such concept as object-based applications? 2 PERCEPTION How do non-technical users perceive interconnections between objects and Web resources? 3 MODEL How consistently do they consider these applications as being part of an object or the environment?

15. RESEARCH ISSUE How to capture mental models of an objects ’ ecosystem?

16. RESEARCH ISSUE The concept of smart objects is still fuzzy for many French people! “ Bluetooth ” “ Domotics ” “ Robots ” “ iPhone ” “ Sensors ” “ Connected fridge ”

19. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE Step 1 | Introduction Step 2 | Production Step 3 | Evaluation Step 4 | Interview – optional

20. EXPERIMENT MATERIALS

22. EXPERIMENT MATERIALS + + +

23. EXPERIMENT PRODUCTION

24. EXPERIMENT EVALUATION

28. SCHEMA 1

29. SCHEMA 2

30. SCHEMA 3

31. SCHEMA 4

32. SCHEMA 5

33. SCHEMA 6

34. RESULTS USER EVALUATION

36. RESULTS INTERPRETATION GRID UNDERSTANDING OF OBJECT-BASED APPLICATIONS Are applications represented? Can we count them? How many relates to an object? To a web resource? STRATEGIES OF CATEGORIZATION Are items organized in clusters? Can we count them? Are they labeled? TYPE OF INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN OBJECTS How are links directed? How many different types can we count? Are they captioned? REPRESENTATION AND APPLICATION LOGIC Does the schema follow a specific structure? Is the logic of the application represented? How? NOTES Remarkable details or strategies.

38. DISCUSSION FAR FROM SIMPLE “ For me everything is linked with the alarm-clock ” “ I added some sensors in order to… uhhh ” “ I drew a mobile phone ” “ I didn ’ t like that object so I didn ’ t put it ” “ I needed to see the user ”

39. DISCUSSION METAPHORS THE COMPUTER BRAIN THE INTERNET BUBBLE THE PERSONAL TIMELINE THE NETWORK MAP

40. DISCUSSION INSIGHT #1 The concept of applications is still fuzzy. “ Applications are for iPhone. ” Objects are augmented with features . www The link often represents the feature. + Some feature combine several complementary Web resources.

41. DISCUSSION INSIGHT #2 Some groups of objects are different. “ It ’ s not really a feature of this object. ” www It happens when a Web resource triggers an object. www The Web resource brings awareness . Who? What? Where? When? Such groups are often labeled .

42. DISCUSSION INSIGHT #3 There is no rule for intelligence distribution. “ In my opinion, this object control this one. ” The lamp query the mailbox. Lamp Mailbox The mail control the lamp. Lamp Mailbox Users try to avoid having to many “ smart objects ” .

43. DISCUSSION INSIGHT #4 Users don ’ t care about the logic representation (yet). “ The object is smart enough to work by itself. ” www Interactions are often implicit . IF? When? The issue of collective use and personal data is rarely envisioned. Behaviors are not intelligible without explanations. What?

44. DISCUSSION DESIGN IMPLICATIONS INTRODUCE A TAXONOMY OF APPLICATIONS Desktop-based, object-based and environment-based applications are different. The 3 types should be designed in a way that allows users to clearly distinguish them. DO NOT FORCE FEATURES CLUSTERIZATION Having multiple applications for objects seems complex to handle. Each new augmentations should be considered as a feature based on the functional DNA or the user interfaces of the objects. DESIGN MULTI-SCALE REPRESENTATION MODES Users should be able to “ zoom ” in their objects ’ ecosystem and switch from global views to detailed representations. Information should be hierarchized. CREATE A VISUAL GRAMMAR FOR APPLICATION LOGIC A graphic language is needed to make some parts of the inner-working of applications visible and to allow users to change parameters. ENABLE REALLOCATION OF APPLICATIONS OR FEATURES Representations should be flexible enough to allow users to distribute the intelligence as they see it. They should be able to concentrate features in a single object is they want.

45. DISCUSSION TESTING REPRESENTATIONS “ THIS REPRESENTATION IS REALLY CLEAR! ”

47. DISCUSSION EXPLORING OTHER DIMENSIONS

48. THANKS ! [email_address] [email_address]