Exploring Design for Multi-device, Multi-environment and Multimodal Connected Experiences

Increasing user encounters with connected devices, IoT, Smart Home and Connected Cars have been motivating designers and HCI researchers need to craft interaction solutions for such scenarios of the future. Designing solutions for scenarios, which we named M3 that involves multiple contexts (Multi-Envi‐ ronment) with users using connected devices (Multi-Device), using natural inter‐ actions (Multimodal) is complex. In this research, we employed visual stimuli and activity based methodology to explore such scenarios for connected home infotainment and connected car contexts. We explored the interrelationships among these M3 aspects and identified user preferences to evolve design direction for designing effective interaction, user workflows and tasks for such encounters. This helped us evolve the M3 Design framework which describes cause-effect relationships among various themes of a sample scenario of connected cars. We also present the applicability of the framework as a reference tool for brain‐ storming, comparative evaluation of design alternatives and solution detailing.