Black Box IoT?

Who wants to buy a pig in a poke? Especially when you are entering completely new territory with it… The first stroller, for example: you are already aware that you need it, but the decision between a small pack format or the bicycle trailer combination is more difficult.

The last time I bought a baby carriage was some time ago (now I am an expert in buying skateboards). But if you’re just about to make a choice, I recommend a dark model, because you can’t see the dirt so clearly.

An IoT system is usually not as sensitive to dirt, but its selection is all the more complex. Especially since many companies are breaking new ground with it and can already despair of the selection of the right criteria.

Here I have two good news for you. First: Which IoT solution fits is easy to try out. A Proof of Concept is a very good way to test a solution without major risks before you decide on a system. And secondly, as much as IoT offers new opportunities, smart business processes are based on good old business virtues:

  1. Are you sure what your IoT business will look like and that it will stay that way for a long time? Probably not. IoT is a very volatile market where a lot is happening right now. So your IoT system needs to be responsive and best adaptable by the business department itself. The keyword behind this is “low code”, which means no time-consuming programming to map your processes. And if that’s not enough, the system should be so modular that you can simply “reload” additional components.

  2. Does your IoT business emerge on the greenfield or does it expand your existing business? If the second is the case, then your IoT system should be able to talk to the rest of the IT world in your company: Spare parts orders, for example, should generally have passed through financial accounting once. Open or even certified interfaces are the most important thing here as well.

  3. Do you manufacture industrial goods? Do you also have to do with spare parts and maintenance? Then your new best friend in IoT new territory becomes the “Digital Twin”. But only if it’ s also suitable for industrial use: it must be able to map the components of your system in detail (preferably with the corresponding 3D model), know the current parameters such as software statuses and, in particular, be able to document changes after maintenance or conversion.

To be honest, the connection of devices is usually only a question of fiddling, but usually not a fundamental problem. Step by step, standard protocols for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication such as MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) or OPC/UA (Unified Architecture) are gaining acceptance and making life easier for everyone involved.

So: Just try it out with a Proof of Concept! If you also pay attention to the three touchstones, you’re in the running. Then the possibilities of “Analytics”, “Big Data”, “Data Driven Processes” or “Predictive Maintenance” are open to you.

Being agile or appearing agile?

When I first heard about agility years ago, I first had the impression that processes and rules should be thrown overboard in order to miraculously realize volatile requirements in the twinkling of an eye. I couldn’t imagine how this would work: agility sounded to me like an unattainable wish concert.

Initially, when our software development team started to work with Scrum – with me as the product Owner and guided by an experienced Scrum Master – I seriously dealt with the topic.

I learned that agility does not mean chaos, but quite the opposite was true:

Lesson 1: Discipline

Agile approach has rules. We learned them in the previous Scrum training, but most of all our Scrum Master advised us to strictly adhere to the Scrum rules instead of interpreting them in the way that seemed most appropriate to us. What I learned: Agility is not a laissez-faire, but requires a very disciplined approach that only works if it is lived consistently and not bent as needed.

Lesson 2: The Sense

Fixed roles and rituals are useful. We had learned them for Scrum, but real understanding grew gradually through coaching and the questions of the Scrum Master. For example, when in the process of a sprint it turned out that several of the agreed user stories would not be reached. Of course, all team members tried to do their own job in the best possible way. This would have meant that the individual user stories would only be completed to 70%. The Scrum Master, however, put up for discussion the idea of discarding one or two user stories for the sprint instead and helping to complete the others. What we learned: Results orientation and focusing on a common goal make teamwork more productive and team members more satisfied.

Lesson 3: Team Spirit

The more we internalised the meaning of the rules, roles and rituals, the more efficient the projects became. The team grew more and more together and not only a common focus on achieving the goal developed, but real cohesion. Where previously colleagues had expressed a lack of understanding for each other’s work or had blamed each other, everyone in the team now knew what the others were doing and why. They helped each other to the best of their ability and trusted each other more and more. And because sustainable learning works above all through positive emotions, this was the point at which we developed a real understanding of agility.

In the end it became clear to me that agility only comes about through the interaction of rules, people and motivation. Understanding the agile values behind the rules is crucial. Otherwise there is the danger – by picking out or bending individual rules to one’s own needs – of failing with the agile approach.

This does not mean that the agile frameworks must not be adapted or selectively applied. But you have to understand them first.

UX is everybody’s business

Professionally and privately computer work and the use of apps and other digital tools have become everyday occurrences. UX ensures the easiest possible operation and focuses on the user experience. This means that digital products are intuitive, reliable and, at best, fun.

Why is a UX strategy important?

The goal of UX is to make the interface between man and machine as comfortable as possible. This includes the “Look & Feel” of the respective tool. It is equally important that the user learns the operation as quickly as possible and can work efficiently. In order to achieve this, it helps to take the user more into account during the development process.

Particularly in the development of complex products, such as business software, many people are often involved in the development – and they all set different priorities. As a result, it is often difficult to control the user experience in the development process.

With the help of a UX strategy, the design of the user experience is given a direction. A focus is set so that product managers, concept developers and developers know what is important in terms of UX and where the journey should take them.

But what does such a UX strategy look like?

Strategy first means formulating a goal and developing an idea of what measures and means should be used to achieve that goal. Established frameworks can help. The UX Strategy Blueprint by UX veteran Jim Kalbach is such a help. We successfully used it in the CONTACT UX team to formulate a UX strategy for the company. In June, at the UXStrat Europe conference, I reported on our experience with this method and also spoke about it in the UXStrat podcast.

The strategy will trigger many innovations in favor of a better UX. For example, using a mockup tool for the first time and testing operating concepts long before the first line of code is written. That’s exhausting at first, but it’s worth it!

How do you live UX? And what does that have to do with me?

A UX strategy alone does not do much good – you have to live it. In addition, it makes sense to involve colleagues from development and product management as early as the strategy development process.

A good user experience is designed at every corner and end, from the platform building block to the form configuration in the customer project. However, UX specialists cannot be involved everywhere. We lead the way, define the strategy and provide support – everyone is called upon to implement it. For us, support means providing colleagues with the right tools, resources and examples. So everyone can independently contribute to a state-of-the-art UX and develop a positive user experience for the user.

And when the end result is powerful and user-friendly products, everyone benefits.