AISEN:
A MARKETPLACE FOR SENSOR DATA
A validated concept to create a marketplace for sensor data was proposed using Lean and Agile methodologies, that would aid startups and government institutes in creating smart cities.
THE CHALLENGE
Startups and government institutes interested in building smart cities lack sufficient data that they need. Companies such as Nokia, SAP and Infineon have the ability to gather data using existing technologies. The challenge is: how to utilize the existing technologies in order to support the startups and government organizations in need of sensor data.
MY ROLE
The team composed of 5 talents: a product manager, two software engineers, an AI specialist and an interaction designer (myself). As the interaction designer, I took the responsibility to plan the project together with the product manager, conduct user research and testing, and create the user interface.
THE PROCESS
The sketch below shows a simplified version of the steps taken during the entire project.
Overview of the steps
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND MINDMAP
Identifying the problem area was our first step. We did scientific research to find out existing problem areas. The mindmap helped us to identify the interdependencies of the different problem areas.
Mindmap based on scientific research
INTERVIEW AND PROBLEM DEFINITION
We then conducted interviews to validate the problem areas and understand our user's needs. One of our user group were amongst the upper management of government organizations, which was difficult to access. Co-operating with our partner companies helped us to find contacts through their vast network. Also during the validation of the problem areas, our potential users were reluctant to share information with us. This was a challenge we had to overcome. With the findings from the interviews, we defined the problem statement for our user groups.
SOLUTION CONCEPT
The next step was to brainstorm and produce solution concepts, which then were validated using the Lean approach. A validation board was used to keep track of our assumptions and results. We then created storyboards to communicate our concept to our company partners and externals.
Storyboarding - Sensor box (left) and online platform (right)
PROTOTYPING AND TESTING
The low-fidelity paper prototype of the online platform was designed and tested with experts. Also, a sensor box was built with cardboard as the hardware, and it's functionalities were tested.
Paper prototyping
Based on the feedback from the experts, a digital prototype of the online platform was designed, as shown below.
Digital prototype AISEN homepage
As the final outcome, the validated concept (the online platform and the sensor box) to support startups and government institutes in creating smart cities with sensor data was pitched at the Digital Product School. It successfully received positive feedback from the company partners as well as our potential customers.
PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
I call this project a success because,
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After the pitch of the project, the three partner companies Nokia, SAP and Infineon decided to collaborate and continue working on the project.
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I improved my communication skills with AI experts and software engineers.
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During the period, I gained experience with not only new tools (Figma and Framer), but also some useful methods (retrospectives and daily stand-ups).
