User Needs of Smart Home Services

Abstract

Technological advances have improved the functionality of smart home systems and services, enabling consumers to automate some of in-home tasks, enhance their safety and security, and save energy. Despite improved functionality, user adoption of many available products and services remains low. This phenomenon suggests that smart home technologies may not be meeting the needs of potential users. Furthermore, continued technological advancement combined with changes in people’s lifestyle and attitudes towards in-home technologies require updated investigations to gain a clear view of current user needs. This study presents findings from a set of semi-structured interviews and card-sorting activities with eleven participants from different socio-demographic backgrounds, with a focus on describing ten challenges commonly experienced in the home environment. Possible technological solutions are discussed from the existing unmet needs within the scope of smart and connected homes.

Trends in the Proceedings of the International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors AND Ergonomics Society (2021)

“…Lectures incorporating this word include "User Experience and Evaluation." This word appeared frequently in conference proceedings titles such as "Tele-Technology Evaluation and User Testing with Persons Aging with Long-Term Mobility Disabilities" (Wu et al, 2021), "Internet Accessibility for Blind and Visually-Impaired Users: An Evaluation of Official U.S. State and Territory COVID-19 Websites" (Hewitt & He, 2021), and "User Needs of Smart Home Services" (FakhrHosseini et al, 2021).…”

Towards a more Connected Home: User Attitudes and Perceptions after an Integrated Home Technology Exposure

“…Initially, ten potential areas of focus encompassing safety, convenience, self-care, and family care were identified. This set of focus areas was established based on a review of relevant past studies (FakhrHosseini et al (2021), the results of a large-scale online survey, and interviews with eleven participants of diverse backgrounds about their activities, pain points, and desires. Because this set of focus areas was still quite broad, it was analyzed in the context of existing relevant literature and reviewed by industry experts.…”

“…Research has shown that many factors are involved in attracting a wider range of users to accept and adopt a technology. In an interview study, FakhrHosseini et al (2021) explored user needs of smart home devices and found interconnected and multi-purpose systems are among the top needs, which point to the importance of convenience, usefulness and simplicity. Holzinger, Searle, and Wernbacher (2011) empirically showed that the effect of previous exposure to technology has positive impacts on acceptance of it.…”

“…This study aims at understanding the user experience of living in a more connected home through a smart home kit. Previous studies have uncovered user needs relevant to living in a more connected environment (e.g (Coskun, Kaner, & Bostan, 2018;FakhrHosseini et al, 2021). A kit was developed to inform residents about various tasks and activities in the home through an interface that was connected to a sensor module and some in-home devices.…”

Acceptance of Future Home Technologies and Services: Comparing Different Tasks, Scenarios and User Characteristics

“…A total of 23 concepts were identified based on (FakhrHosseini et al, 2021) and (Lee et al, 2020) as potential emerging technologies and services of interest. The concepts are shown in Figure 1.…”