Contextual Factors influencing Smart Environment Control Panel

Abstract

Indoor Internet of Things (IoT) control units are increasingly used to manage connected systems such as lighting, temperature, window blinds, and scene (scenario) settings. However, the same control unit may be used across very different environments, from private rooms to shared or public spaces. In these situations, interaction requirements are shaped not only by the system being controlled, but also by users, roles, tasks, physical conditions, social expectations, and responsibility. This thesis investigates which context-of-use factors affect interaction requirements for indoor IoT control units, how they do so, and how these factors can be translated into control-and-feedback design. The project developed a context-to-interaction framework and applied it to the design of two smart control unit concepts: one framework-driven concept and one business-informed concept. The concepts were evaluated through hotel room and hotel lobby scenarios. The evaluation showed a trade-off between first-use intuitiveness and cross-contextual stability. The business-informed concept was easier to understand at first time use, while the framework-driven concept remained more stable when the user role, context, or task goal changed. The thesis contributes a practical framework for analyzing contextual demands and translating them into design guidance for indoor IoT control units.