Voice Control Essential to Futureproof Smart Home Devices

Boston, MA – October 21, 2015 – A new report from the Connected Home UX group at Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com) exploring Chinese consumers’ usage, motivations and expectations of smart home devices, has found that security concerns and the need to monitor children’s activities and safety, were the main reasons for adopting smart security devices.

Surveying current owners of smart home devices, Strategy Analytics found that security was a concern to Chinese consumers living in ground floor apartments, rental properties, and residential communities that had little or no public security facilities. For these consumers, features that can enable them to monitor/view suspicious behavior, send notifications in ‘unusual’ circumstances, provide a wider angle of surveillance, and capture evidence when needed, are key capabilities. For consumers wanting to use smart security devices to monitor their children’s activities, the ability to recognize kids at home, automatically follow their motion, and identify potential dangers, are particularly attractive features for parents.

Click here for the report: http://bit.ly/1LsSPcD

Alvin Wu , report author and Senior Analyst commented, “Consumers also expect comprehensive security features that enable strict access to the camera to prevent unauthorized users. Furthermore, easy installation and set-up is essential. Though several participants in this study were technology enthusiasts, many complained about the complexity of setting their devices up.”

Diane O'Neill, Director, UXIP, added “Overall, smart home products need to be intelligent and importantly, able to actively learn and adapt to users’ habits and preferences to bring convenience and safety. As an increasing number of home appliances and devices are becoming ‘smart’, an elderly-friendly user interface will be essential. Hence, a control hub that can understand natural voice commands is the future interface that will provide the most usable and useful smart home experience.”

About Connected Home UX

The Connected Home UX group forms part of the User Experience Innovation Practice (UXIP) at Strategy Analytics. Focusing on user behaviors, motivations and interests within in-vehicle, mobile device, connected home and media & services research areas, UXIP helps clients meet consumer needs, develop usable solutions and deliver compelling user experiences. Extensive expertise and highly experienced in large-scale survey work, in-depth interviews, focus groups and observational sessions, UXIP’s research methodology allows strategic user-centric analysis on the potential for new technologies that would otherwise be unavailable. Providing actionable insight, go-to-market strategies and business recommendations, UXIP is a leading supplier of consumer knowledge to the technology industry. Click here for more information.