SENSING TECHNOLOGY FEATURE
A SENSE OF THE SMART MARKET
A
dvances in natural language processing are allowing operators
to make Smart devices much more intelligent, as it becomes a more seamless experience for the user. This is being taken a step further by some operators whose devices allow users to develop their own commands and configure what happens on these commands. For example, a colloquial expression such as ‘good morning’ could be configured to trigger their alarm and the lights and radio being turned on. Smart devices are also becoming more intuitive, with action or feedback tailored to the first comment the user makes. Consider this: if the consumer says, “what time is ‘X’ programme on tonight?”, AI will process this initial command and intuit what the user might want next. This may result in the device asking if the user wants a reminder about the programme, or if they’d like to record it. Setting up Smart devices can be a
struggle for the average user, and this is something operators are trying to remedy. As a result, Smart devices are designed to counteract confusion by guiding the user. Additionally, as 23 per cent of Brits own more than one Smart device, operators are beginning to place more importance on their devices being
interoperable, ensuring that the process of connecting devices is as painless as possible by using IR codes to find other devices, including non-Smart ones within the home with which it can connect. This is helping to simplify and speed up the setup process, enabling users to easily connect multiple devices to create their own ecosystems – an offering which could clearly set an operator apart from the rest.
As most of us can confirm, there are certain interactions that aren’t quite suited to voice control, such as turning the volume up. In the future, this is something that is likely to be taken into account, with the introduction of more Smart devices featuring sensors, which can detect movement to allow users to organise and input physical commands for these actions. For instance, users would be able
to indicate which way they want the volume to go, or prompt their television to scroll to the next page when they’re looking for a film to watch. Similarly, we may see some Smart devices introduce facial recognition to potentially create individual user profiles based on who is in the home. However, this does unlock security and privacy concerns for operators, a factor that must be respected in this day and age.
Kuldip Singh Johal, vice president of sales for subscription broadcasting at Universal Electronics
As a growing proportion of UK households are adopting Smart home devices, operators are prioritising the user experience. Kuldip Singh Johal, VP of sales for subscription broadcasting, Universal Electronics, looks to enlighten
Moving forward, R&D will be vital in prioritising the user experience, as smart device operators design and create products that are not only desired by consumers, but can be quickly adopted to ease their day to day lives. Understanding what users want, need and expect is critical to getting this right. However, taking it a step further, it’s also important that Smart devices can be used in a way that suits the consumer; functions that are difficult to navigate will result in a failed product, regardless of the features it boasts. Ultimately, operators have to produce
products that address a need, manifest or not. By 2022, the Smart home market is expected to be worth over $53 billion. As such, operators stand to see significant gains from securing a bigger share of this lucrative market. As the market continues to grow, we will see operators pushing the boundaries beyond voice control and into image control. While operators will reap the rewards of their endeavours, so too will consumers who will benefit from more intuitive, user-friendly devices and a wider range of options.
Universal Electronics
www.uei.com
/ ELECTRONICS
ELECTRONICS | SEPTEMBER 2019
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