Business Design IoT Sensor Kit
In some cases it is not possible to gather information about specific user or system behavior by interviewing or by just observing people. This is especially the case when:
the specific behaviour happens too fast or too often to be documented manually
the setting restricts us in observing the specific behavior
the characteristics of the behaviour are of such kind that it simply needs sensitive sensors (e.g. measuring forces, light, temperature, motion...)
Also the collection of data from technical devices, products or infrastructure usually requires sensors in the field that collect and transmit data to a central server. For these cases, we have developed our own IoT Sensor Kit for Business Design projects, which enables us to measure all sorts of things, to send data to servers and display them in dashboards in real-time.
Usage Scenarios
Understanding user behavior in a specific situation
Tracking usage or behaviour of physical objects
Documenting specific environmental factors at specific places and times
The IoT Sensor Kit
This kit contains already pre-configured wireless sensors. By using 4G cell transmitters, these sensors can be used even in very remote places. If needed, the sensor setup can be configured to fit countless use cases.
How to Use the Kit
Step | Comment |
Situation | Describe the situation in which the specific behaviour occurs that you want to track. |
Behaviour | Describe the specific behaviour of a user or a technical system which needs to be captured. And describe why capturing with sensors is more suitable than observing or interviewing. |
Sensors | Choose suitable sensors to capture the behavior. Examples of sensors:
|
Frequency | Define how often measurements need to be taken (100 times per second? Once a month?). And define whether you need real time data. |
Feedback | Clarify whether the user needs to be given a certain response when a specific behavior is detected. Responses could be given visually, acoustically or haptically. Often, direct user-system interaction is facilitated by displays and buttons. |
Data transmission | Define how the sensor data shall be sent. Is a Wifi network available? Or will you need to use a cell phone network to send the data? In the special case of an autark measure-and-response setup it might not be necessary to send data at all. In this case data processing is done within the microcontroller in-situ. |
Data storage | Usually data needs to be stored somewhere if it is to be reviewed. Storing could be done on the sensor unit itself or remotely on a server. Which one to choose depends on the use case, the amount of data and the availability of networks. |
Data analytics | In most cases sensors spit out raw data which needs to be processed. This can be done within the microcontroller or on a remote server. |
Data visualisation | Finally, data often needs to be visualised in oder to draw conclusions or make decisions. Dashboards are a common way to display aggregated data. Dashboards can be realized stand-alone or can be integrated in software prototypes. A simple but powerful dashboard comes with the Project Workspace. |
Instructions for Coaches
Technically, there is almost no limit to sensor setups. Just as in interviews, the team needs to be aware beforehand of what they really want to find out. There is no meaning in using sensors because it is trendy and cool.
The effort needed to learn how to set up a sensor system including data transmission, processing, storage and visualization is often underestimated. If there is no one in the team having done this before, there's probably not enough time to dive into the topic. Talk to experts...and use the Business Design IoT Sensor Kit.