In the emerging trends, Internet of Things (IoT) is the most discussed technology that has impressed users across the globe by transforming the way they complete their daily tasks. As per Juniper’s recent report, the IOT connected objects, sensors, devices, and actuators are expected to reach over 46 billion in 2021(approximately.) Since a lot of new advancements will be experienced in ‘smart’ devices, apps and products, UX designers may experience various challenges while coping up their products and services with this technology. Read the article below to know about some current problems that every UX designer is facing while making products and services available for the future:

1.     Challenges While Designing the Application

It is important to keep in mind while creating IoT products that they are the dumbest versions of modern devices. Incorporating artificial intelligence and an argument for adopting the change are the two prime concerns that aren’t easy to resolve. Product designers may get stuck while crafting something that can work as per the main functioning of an application.

2.     Usability Concerns

IoT is automating monotonous tasks to enhance user efficiency and effectiveness. One of the biggest challenges a user experience designer faces is – IoT being in its infancy stage. Since no OEM has developed a product individually, most of the marketed gadgets lack usability. Another major constraint is that these products aren’t using traditional approach because the current knowledge and experience aren’t applicable at all. Gadgets can be only optimized and improved basis research, and it will take some time.

3.     Device Connectivity – Are We Prepared?

If IoT is the future, then it is imperative to consider that the future devices will be of no use if they aren’t connected to the network. Since the entire process works on transferring data without human intervention, it becomes a mandate for users to stay connected over the same network. Laptops and Smartphones facing network issues is quite common, what if your hundred dollars smart device also displays the same error? The biggest question is – are we ready for this? The answer is No. Developers will require discovering newer ways to handle such situations on IoT devices as they won’t be online all the time.

4.     Glitches – Something You Can’t Ignore

The IoT brings new and exceptional challenges for UX designers. We are entering the world where the poor web or mobile UX may survive, but the poorly functioning smart object with delayed experience could be problematic. A burnt toast or breakfast will never be welcomed with a pleasing smile; however, a delayed web page experience can be tolerated for some time.

5.     UX Should Be a Priority

While making products for the future, the user experience designing should be the priority because a single issue in the product or its features may ruin the entire experience. The principle for designing IOT’s product is – make it work, incorporate efficiency, add security, and bring on the innovations.

Conclusion

Working on the core principles of ensuring task handling processes faster and comfortable, the technology is creating endless possibilities for making everything connected over an app. Since many users may not adopt IoT empowered devices quickly, designers and manufacturers must incorporate certain features in them to compel users for choosing the smart devices over traditional ones.

The popularity of enterprise mobility can be easily recognized from the fact that about 71% of the organizations consider mobility as their number one priority. According to an estimate by Nasscom, the global market for enterprise mobility is approximately valued at $140 billion annually by the year 2020. It is not a surprise at all to see this encouraging adoption of enterprise mobility services by companies irrespective of scale or size, considering that it can save almost 240 hours per employee.

But, it is also important to note that this is an emerging technology with the space being extremely fluid. Every other day, new paradigm seems to be emerging. Check out these top five trends in enterprise mobility for 2017 to ensure that you are on the right track with your mobility integration programme.

1.     Artificial Intelligence features likely to go mainstream

You must be aware that AI or Artificial Intelligence technology is being widely used in the field of computing. This has led to a growing number of enterprise apps becoming “smart” now. Some of the examples are Cortana, Google Now and Siri. The launch of many smart apps like these enables the users to regulate the security, heating and lighting systems.

An increasing number of enterprises have started relying more on technology due to the fast adoption of Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, security concerns have risen as compared to earlier times. In case, there is a security failure, it can be a threat to the whole enterprise. So, it is the responsibility of an enterprise to assure complete security.

2.     Rapid application of cloud technology

Cloud services now have become extremely mature. These services are easily available and are both reliable and can be procured at affordable prices. The high probability of the big data has further increased the migration of these enterprise services to cloud,

Though the popularity of the cloud computing is beyond doubt, there is a big challenge in the form of security. Many enterprises are trying to control this concern by opting for on-premise mission critical applications or apps and hybrid solutions on the cloud.

3.     Bring-Your-Own-Devices has gone being more than just a trend

BYOD or Bring-Your-Own-Devices culture is very common these days in the corporate world. It offers benefits like high efficiency and tremendous productivity along with increased use of mobility. All these have made BYOD not just a trend but much more. It is graduating into becoming a usual norm in several enterprises. However, there are some challenges too. The devices brought by the executives are hardly equipped with the security features that are mandatory for being used inside the premises of an enterprise.

So, the IT team of an enterprise is under a lot of pressure to ensure the security of all those BYOD devices, which are being used inside the corporate network. MDM or mobile device management solutions are deployed to minimize the possible pain points, which can come in the way of productivity, as well as the work fluidity that gets executed on those devices.

4.     Increase of companion apps

Many organizations are literally struggling to develop certain enterprise apps that will be beneficial for their customers as well as for internal functions. Instead of generic apps that were a trend earlier, the focus now is more on companion apps. These are apps that intend to make a certain function or task easy instead of cloning all the features of a particular desktop app.

5.     Increase of Citizen Developers

Since the enterprise apps are highly in demand, they have led to the popularity and the rise of no-code, low-code and cross-platform development environments that provide user-friendly options like drag and drop and speed up the timeline of the app development to a great extent.

GoodWorkLabs Founders Plan to Invest in 3 Startups:

2017 has been an exceptional year for GoodWorkLabs. Last year, we were awarded as the 5th fastest growing technology company by Deloitte and just recently, we also got recognized as a Google Certified Developer and Android Agency.

As part of a business expansion plan, we also launched a state-of-the-art and design inspired Co-working studio called GoodWorks CoWork in Whitefield, Bangalore. This idea was born as an initiative to support the growing Startup ecosystem in Bangalore.

Our Founders, Sonia Sharma and Vishwas Mudagal recently caught up with the Economic Times to announce the big news that in 2017 this entrepreneurial duo are all set to invest in 3 Startups in the field of Financial technology, Healthcare technology, Internet of Things, Education technology.  The seed funding will amount to anywhere between 25 lakhs to 1 Crore INR.

After having built a successful multi-million dollar company such as GoodWorkLabs, both Sonia and Vishwas are all set to support the growth of Startups in the technology sector. Their recent venture – GoodWorks CoWork is also aimed at providing the perfect ecosystem required for their growth. Right from office space to community building and mentorship, GoodWorks CoWork is all set to become the breeding ground for Startups in Bangalore.

“We have built a multi-million dollar company and have grown 500% year-on-year and this is our way of giving back to the startup ecosystem”  Vishwas Mudagal ,CEO of GoodWorkLabs, told Economic Times.

GoodWorkLabs, set up in 2013, develops mobile apps and products for its clients. The company has been profitable from its second year of operations and will now be using these profits to invest in Startups for the next 5 years.

“The Startup should be solving a real-world problem and should be able to sustain itself” said Sonia Sharma who is the MD of GoodWorkLabs.

Together, they both are super excited about their new journey as Angel Investors and also about their CoWorking business venture and we wish them the best for the journey ahead!

GoodWorkLabs is now a Google Certified Agency

GoodWorkLabs is very proud to announce that Google has certified us as an expert agency that understands and excels at building Android applications. We are one of the first few companies in 2017 to make it to Google’s Android Certified Agencies list across India, UK, Russia, Indonesia, USA and Canada.

As a leading Outsourced Product Development Company and UX design studio, we know what it takes to build a mobile application that can spur millions of downloads from the Play store. Attention to detail, User Interactions, Design and Graphics, we ensure we build the best technology for our clients that will scale up their business.

GoodWorkLabs is one of the top 25 Google Certified Agencies: 

As part of this Developer Certification program, Google recognizes only a hand-full of organizations that have undergone the required training and have demonstrated expertise in building exceptional Android applications. By bagging this prestigious title, GoodWorkLabs has proven its excellence in terms of Android technology, design and mobile apps as a whole.

Here is the list of top Google certified agencies:

“This is by far the biggest recognition in the global industry that GoodWorkLabs is the leading company when it comes to building Android applications and related technologies. Google Certification has put us on the map of the best of the best agencies in the world,” said Vishwas Mudagal, CEO and Co-Founder at GoodWorkLabs. “Having bagged this certification, our credibility has gone up many notches higher, which in turn has resulted in increased confidence in our capabilities by our growing customer base across geographies.”

This certification will also help clients make a more informed decision while looking for an agency to build Android apps. In the past, we have worked with some of the top clientele which include both funded Startups and Fortune 500 companies.

Sonia Sharma, Founder and MD at GoodWorkLabs, said, “There is no bigger certification authority than Google for an agency. Years of effort in perfecting UX, design and technology, and a vision to build apps that touch the lives of millions of users have brought us here today.”

The benefits of becoming a certified Google developer agency are plenty, some of which include personalized training, priority support, dedicated content, and access to Google’s developer relations teams. Certified Agencies will also get early access to upcoming developer products and will get help with UX reviews.

GoodWorkLabs is delighted to be part of an ecosystem that understands and excels at building Android technologies.

Even a few years ago, the very idea of simulated three-dimensional worlds that you viewed through those special goggles appeared to be unfamiliar. But, today things are no longer the same. Virtual Reality has gone mainstream and is increasingly adopted today to bring about a competitive edge and win over customers with tremendous audio-visual impact. For instance TechViz states that 171 million people globally could be using VR hardware and software by 2018. Another stat from Digi-Capital states that the 2020 VR revenue forecast stands at $120 billion.

Changing trends in Virtual Reality

So, how are things different from before? In fact, Hollywood has been using the concept of virtual reality for several decades now. The technology sector has been also creating prototypes every now and then. But, what makes things interesting is that consumers can now expect to find high-tech virtual reality gadgets getting closer to the consumer products. The applications based on VR are rapidly emerging in the market. Gaming based on VR does not exist in isolation but is interconnected with latest technologies and social behavior. The synergy between all these fields can change the way you will experience situations and your behavior.

It has also enabled the game developers to design new and interesting gaming experiences. The experiences include online casinos using VR technologies big time, which is extremely popular. Here are some of the ways Virtual Reality can change the gaming experience.

Synergy between collaborating gaming scenarios and social experiences

Virtual reality can create social experiences even while gaming. The person who uses the virtual reality headset can only view the various virtualized elements. This can be also regarded as a piece of the puzzle where the individual who can view the elements needs to communicate the same to the other team members. The job of the team then is to conclude what is the thing to do thereafter.

VR enables greater involvement among the players

Players are more involved when the gaming is based on VR, equipping them with a higher number of tools at their disposal as compared to the flat-screen gaming. While flat-screen gaming does have the capacity to make the players feel emotional to some extent, it does not match up to a VR gaming experience where the players feel as if everything is happening in reality. The players seem to feel that they are witnesses to the events and they are responsible for those scenes. Though earlier games had also done it to some extent, VR gives the players more tools in their hands.

Everything that is unthinkable of in reality is possible in VR 

Virtual reality can make the players feel as if they belong to a scene rather than simply demonstrating things. The simulation enables the players to see things from a different angle. They can witness the experiences of other people, which was something unheard of even some years back.

Thus, the VR technology can create an interesting world of vivid imagination while shattering the scope of traditional education and learning.

The growth of IoT is fueled by the fact that there are more than 6 billion IoT devices in use, and is successfully connecting humans and devices with every passing day. From automatic air purifiers and scheduling hospital beds based on the merit of physical condition, to finding misplaced objects, we have it all. These devices do not come easy; it requires machine learning which programs it to be what we get today.

The ‘things’

Qardio Arm a wireless blood pressure monitor which has left behind the regular monitor is an example how machine learning can bring about change in IoT. With the help of cloud, this machine can store the readings of the patient on cloud and be shared with the doctors digitally. Such products make IoT survive in the market due to its performance enhanced due to machine learning, not just this it opens up a market for the product and increases sale.

Another startup, Zenatix, manufactures and installs smart meters and sensors to reduce energy wastage through monitoring of the devices at every level, using its cloud technology.

Machine learning will keep you going

Just detecting impure air or Fitbit monitoring exercise patterns, isn’t enough. Consumers (especially B2B consumers) want to have deeper level of value from IoT.

This is exactly where machine learning comes in.

Machine learning which will include big data sets, larger algorithms, pattern recognition, image processing and data mining bring greater chances of improving the device.  Through machine learning algorithms and data, now devices can sense a person’s mood or behavior. This will help them to adjust to their requirements and hence provide ‘smart’ value as a part of its convenience and comfort offerings.

Google’s Nest is one such which has made ‘smart’ device indeed a smart one with its cutting edge technology and makes people’s home a smart home.

Race to top

There are many IoT companies but only a few have what it takes to survive this market. With Innovations being made every day the companies have to keep up and make their devices top notch and make improvements to stay in the running.

With this, there is the development of the device that makes the consumer happy not just to have a useful device but a powerful one.

Machine learning which makes the product powerful and has other benefits to the consumer such as cost reduction and not having to buy many smart devices to make one smart device work makes it stay in the IoT industry.

Everyone can be winners

IoT startups have a bright future with several companies who are looking to make investments which are lending their machine learning knowledge to make worthy and smart devices. Cisco Investments are infusing more than $150 million globally in IoT startups. This is a clear indicator that IoT devices from all over the world can get funding and the necessary hardware for making machine learning possible even if it is a small startup with limited capital.

Like they say, things should change with the change in times or be left behind, which is very appropriate in the world of IoT which can be overcome by machine learning.