November 12th, 2021 Meaghan Long, UI/UX Designer VCU School of Engineering

User experience is a key reason why users value the technology that makes their daily lives easier. Over the past decade, designers and engineers have grown to understand what strong solutions may look like for mobile and web applications, thanks to the design thinking and process. However, what is new to members in the technology industry is how to translate this way of thinking for IoT products (physical products with technology in them with the ability to exchange data with other devices and systems). This lack of knowledge results in the user experience falling short of the users' needs, causing frustration and lack of trust in a product.

Achieving trustworthy and valuable IoT products is possible by reevaluating what we think the users needs. We must consider the environment and connected ecosystem the user and the technology live in, and no longer just think about scrolling on a screen with a mouse or finger.

Using the foundations of design thinking, you'll learn:

• What to consider for users and their environment.
• What the industry standard design process is.
• What to think about at each stage of the design process for IoT products.
• How to collaborate with designers.