TINK - sketching product experiences of connected objects

Market analysis - 43
not require the user to choose a specific
platform and limits the functionalities to
what is really needed.
In order to be simple to use, end user tools
usually perform one very specific task,
providing a very limited amount of options.
The Maker
Makers are interested in IoT tools that
allow them to bring their ideas to life.
They have some programming or electronic
experience, but in most of the cases they
start working on a project by looking at
tutorials online.
Makers look for versatile tools: usable in
different contexts and for multiple projects.
Since makers look for the easiest way to
implement their ideas, they prefer to hack
and modify tools rather than starting with
something from scratch.
The Developer
Prototyping software and hardware is part
of the developer’s profession.
Most of the time developers have
engineering backgrounds, therefore they
are either very capable in software or in
electronics.
Tools targeting developers make use of the
specific expertise developers have.
In the research for example several
boards targeting software developers were
identified. The Tessel Board, for instance,
is targeting web developers, it comes with
a set of sensors that can easily be snapped
on to the board to facilitate the electronic
development. Additionally the Tessel board
can be programmed in Javascript, a very
common web programming language.
Developers look for tools that are scalable,
efficient and stable. They have to feel in
control of the project, and even though
they might make use of third party
libraries, they are able to understand and
modify those if required.
While the categorization might seem very
strong, it is clear in the graph ... that there
is some overlap between tools for endusers,
makers and developers.
Makers in fact might be interested in
hacking a product designed for end-user
in order to accomplish their goals and
at the same time developers might use
maker tools to quickly produce and test a
prototypes.
The interaction designer
Defining the average skill level of
interaction designers is not easy.
A big debate is going on about how much
interaction designers need to know about
coding or electronics.
According to the study program followed,
some users might be more skilled with
programming and electronic and some
won’t. If I look at my fellow interaction
design student trained at TU Delft, I can
place most of them between makers and
end users, in fact some have good making
skills, but most of them do not.