Title: Critical design issues for the development of Smart Home technologies

Authors: Sam Solaimani; Harry Bouwman; Fernando Secomandi

Addresses: Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Jaffalaan 5, 2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands ' Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Jaffalaan 5, 2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands; IAMSR, Abo Akademi, Joukahaisenkatu 3-5 A, 20520 Turku, Finland ' Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract: Critical design issues (CDIs) are a prominent topic in the literature on Smart Home service design and engineering. Smart Home technologies (i.e., products and services) have to meet one or more of these CDIs in order to become or be perceived as being valuable for customers and providers. However, the CDIs mentioned in Smart Home literature are extremely heterogeneous in nature. Moreover, it is not evident why some CDIs are included and others are not. Based on multiple theoretical concepts from various disciplines including system engineering, human-computer interaction, strategic management, and innovation management, three perspectives are proposed, focusing on the customer, provider, and interface of a system or artefact. By using these perspectives, a large number of CDIs are identified and clustered. The CDIs in question help Smart Home designers, engineers and providers: 1) consider a vast range of CDIs that may be critical to the intended technology; and 2) encourage them to apply a multi-perspective approach to meet the needs of customers and providers as well as the technological requirements.

Keywords: smart homes; critical design issues; CDIs; service design; literature review; system engineering; human-computer interaction; HCI; strategic management; innovation management.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2013.054067

Journal of Design Research, 2013 Vol.11 No.1, pp.72 - 90

Received: 12 Apr 2012
Accepted: 21 Nov 2012

Published online: 28 Jun 2014 *

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