Industry group anticipates a new approach to smart home for 2027

How will our homes be connected to the Internet five years from now? How will we do? With keywords like “user-centric”, “comprehensive” and “experiences”, one of the leading trade groups in the smart home technology industry is optimistic about a future of much more than the latest equipment. CEDIAIts members are the technology integrators who equip our homes for modern life and the association would like to see them transform.

groups White Paper Integration 2027 He suggests “focusing less on technology and focusing on the product, rather than shifting to user focus and designing highly personalized user experiences to improve the human condition.” What does this lofty goal seem to more tech-trained experts than the Tao of Life? The two are closely related to the association’s vision of our connected future.

Determine the human condition

The authors of the white paper, CEDIA’s Technology Advisory Board, argue that the human condition includes our experiences, interactions, and feelings. To improve it, the group divided the experiences and functions of our human condition into five principles:

• Presence – presence of mind. This may be meditation, communication at a distance with loved ones, cooperation with colleagues, etc.
• Comfort – a feeling of physical well-being. This could be temperature, air quality, quietness, or access to an easy-to-use user interface.
• Health – Health is the state of being, while wellness is the state of living a healthy lifestyle.
• Safety – to be safe and secure. From a perimeter alarm system for peace of mind, to assisted living technologies that allow people with cognitive or physical disabilities to lead independent, safe and dignified lives.
• Sustainability – includes everything from energy management to product materials, life cycle and packaging.

These principles should guide industry practices and could overlap; For example, the authors note that users “cannot feel comfortable at home if they are not healthy or do not feel safe.” They want practitioners to go from being technology solution providers to being experiential professionals.

The paper predicts that “the 2027 merger will spend more time in consultation and overall design.” He or she must be a user-focused tech engineer who understands “the neuroscience of their clients and what makes them feel whole, nourished and hopeful with the tech solutions we offer in their home.” In other words, the former president of your high school AV club may be the tech teacher in your life one day.

comprehensive interview

The white paper predicts that the near future integrator will be less focused on solution than inquiry. One of its authors, the San Francisco Bay Area Integrator Gordon van Zuyden, he suggests asking questions like, “Do the rooms give you the feeling of living in nests?” and “What makes you feel more comfortable about home when you are away from it?” and “Can you feel the harmony in all the rooms when nothing is happening?”

Technology integrators are already asking customers many questions, the report notes, so what’s new with this approach? “A user-centric mindset considers users, their sense of comfort, presence, health, safety and sustainability. It changes perspective… before it includes design… and product selection.” Desired outcomes are intended to benefit the homeowner and the integrator alike, providing a unique experience and results “It can’t be rivaled by a tech giant, big retail, or DIY.” Here are some possibilities for this approach.

multifunctional home

The pandemic has transformed millions of homes into workplaces, classrooms, gyms and nursing homes, accelerating the trend toward multifunctional spaces with new technology needs. Pre-Covid, we’ve already seen laundry rooms expand to include pet centers and hobby areas. Patios are designed into outdoor kitchens and living rooms. Spare bedrooms became spaces for meditation as people were exposed to the stress of chaotic news cycles, and primary bathrooms grew into connected home spas.

Technology has grown in importance in making these multipurpose spaces more functional and enjoyable. For example, spa baths have got chromotherapy, smart speakers, TVs, enhanced bidet function, dedicated digital showers, and built-in chargers. Outdoor living rooms can now display the big game on weatherproof screens while key grilling clocks play between smartphone alerts when burgers are ready to be flipped. Comfort meets safety in the CEDIA Five Principles.

The organization calls on inclusion workers to meet these principles of the human condition – enabling comfort, safety and health – in creating multifunctional spaces for clients. This means familiar categories such as shading and lighting will likely evolve into an overall health category, including new options for water and air quality, noise control, and soundscapes. The builder becomes a wellness technology specialist.

Accessible home

Another trend that started before the pandemic is aging in place, with a growing array of smart home features to keep seniors in their homes for as long as possible. Covid has certainly accelerated this trend as nursing homes become super-popular sites in the early months of 2020.

The CEDIA paper notes that “technologies to improve communication and safety enable people to live more independent, comfortable, and dignified lives.” Technology makes remote care delivery and Telemedicine appointments possible. “It’s not just the users who benefit, because the peace of mind this provides for their extended families can be of tremendous value,” he points out. with Rapidly aging populationThis trend is likely to increase and consolidators could play an increasingly important role in keeping them safe at home.

last words

Alexa may be the common gateway to our connected homes, but many customers (Like me) rejects its own privacy issues and others will seek greater capacity than this single platform provides. This provides a great opportunity to serve an older generation of wealthy pessimists who seek to improve our human condition. A new world of homeowner clients and designer referrals awaits a gear head turned tech consultant.

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Diary

I will host CEDIA Preview and Home Technology Conversation At Clubhouse Wednesday, September 7th from 4-5 PM ET / 1-2 PM PT. If you are unable to attend, a recording can be found at Articles The following Wednesday.