Will IoT change how we interact with mobile apps

Mobile apps try to keep you glued on the screen for as long as possible, but in the future these experiences will become focused and unified, as they interact more seamlessly to become extensions of your IoT system.

That’s according to Frank Palermo, the VP of digital solutions at Virtusa, who says the growth in momentum surrounding IoT will change UX design for mobile applications and consumer systems.

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Palermo makes a few points on the future of UX design in the IoT age, including what might be the most shocking to users today: No more screens.

Screens are a thing of the past, according to Palermo, in a design world focused on integrated context. Everything is always running and UX design needs to make operations simple for the end user, removing clutter found on apps currently. The UX needs to change as well to make sure only a few connections are occupying the space, and Palermo claims data-driven design might help towards a cleaner interface.

He also points out that loading will no longer be an issue, adding that we already tune out of websites that take more a few seconds to load — hence why Facebook, Apple, and Google all launched systems to make webpages load faster — so consumers will have even less patience for IoT services that are spend time booting or loading.

That might be fixed by the time IoT comes to consumers, as LTE Advanced, Wi-Fi ac routers, and over 100Mbps download speeds become commonplace. Palermo also sees beacon technology adoption as an imperative to avoid poor radio signals indoors and believes designers should make it a top priority to set up systems with beacon technology in mind.

For it all to work, he says, there needs to be standards for IoT devices, which also seems to be developing.

Palermo suggests the Open Connectivity Foundation, a merger of the Open Interconnect Consortium and AllSeen Alliance, is a good sign of companies working to create standards for IoT. Having all devices cooperate with one another could advance consumer interest in IoT, instead of walled gardens that do not accept third-party devices.