Overcoming IoT Product Design Challenges: Insights from Expert Engineers

Overcoming-IoT-Product-Design-Challenges-Insights-from-Expert-Engineers.We get it. Connecting smart devices, people and data is not as simple as it seems. But experts predict global Internet of Things revenue will explode beyond the $1 trillion threshold this year. That’s a massive opportunity for forward-thinking companies with innovative ideas. As a pioneer in IoT product design and development, we’ve helped hundreds of clients navigate the complexities of connecting everyday gadgets to the internet.

Connected devices deliver greater convenience and efficiency across our personal and professional lives, creating a seemingly boundless future. And these gadgets will only continue providing more value as society moves further into the digital age. However, increased connectivity levels present unique IoT product design challenges that often perplex companies without the right development expertise.

Our experience as an AWS IoT Consulting Services Partner has given us unique insights into the challenges and opportunities in IoT product design, particularly as technologies grow more powerful and economically feasible.

Understanding Modern IoT Product Design Principles

Successful IoT product design requires a delicate balance of hardware integration, embedded software development and cloud connectivity. At Cardinal Peak, we’ve refined our IoT development process through more than 1,000 projects, establishing ourselves as leaders in connected device engineering.

Before diving into specific challenges, understanding what makes IoT development different from traditional product development remains important:

  • Integration of sensors, processors and software.
  • Internet connectivity requirements.
  • Real-time data collection and analysis capabilities.
  • Security and privacy considerations.
  • Interoperability with other IoT devices.

Unfortunately, most connected products struggle to connect the dots between devices, people and data, whether due to data security and privacy concerns or mounting interoperability challenges.

As connected products become more ubiquitous, the future of IoT product design must focus on building the optimal experience for customers.

Common IoT Product Design Challenges and Solutions

Drawing from our extensive IoT product development experience, our engineers have identified and developed solutions for the most pressing challenges in connected device development:

Interoperability in IoT Product Design

Imagine a world in which your connected alarm clock automatically turns on your thermostat and smart lighting system when you wake up. Your smart refrigerator checks the availability of daily essentials, ordering them automatically when low. Wearables and ingestible sensors monitor your essential health parameters, immediately sending anomalous data to doctors for analysis or caretakers for interaction. On your way home after work, your connected vehicle automatically turns your smart thermostat and lights back on as you arrive, unlocks your smart lock and sets the mood with your favorite Spotify playlist.

IoT Device Possibilities Through Interoperability

Overcoming IoT Product Design Challenges: Insights from Expert Engineers

Despite the long-awaited promise of seamless experiences transforming how we interact with our surroundings, most modern IoT ecosystems need more basic interoperability to seamlessly connect devices and sensors.

Internet-connected things come in different shapes, sizes and functionalities, using disparate communication protocols, data formats and interfaces. Devices made by different manufacturers often cannot integrate, and connectivity often remains limited between different transport protocols. Perhaps worst of all, there is no uniform set of application-level rules or standards, creating difficulty in combining and analyzing the data this symphony of sensors and devices collects.

Our IoT engineering team specializes in:

  • Harmonizing different communication protocols.
  • Standardizing data formats across devices.
  • Creating unified interfaces for diverse IoT ecosystems.
  • Implementing emerging standards like Matter.

Accelerated Time to Launch

The IoT sector rapidly evolves and is highly competitive, with companies across industries constantly launching innovations, racing to be first to market with new products.

With different teams, multiple vendors and partners involved in IoT design and development, product launches can be time-consuming — especially considering constantly changing user requirements and evolving standards, regulations and security threats. Consequently, time-to-market pressures require efficient processes to mitigate poor user experiences, negative reviews and reputational damage.

Our proven approach combines parallel development, integrated quality assurance throughout the design process, strategic use of AWS IoT expertise for faster development, driving rapid prototyping and testing.

More Data = More Security and Privacy Trouble

IoT product design and development weaves a complicated web of complexities and interdependencies, cementing data security and privacy’s importance. Our IoT design methodology prioritizes security through in-depth knowledge of the following elements — and how all of those pieces fit together:

  • Communications protocols
  • Encryption
  • Security standards compliance
  • Protected over-the-air (OTA) updates
  • Embedded software maintenance
  • Data collection and analytics
  • Cloud and edge computing
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning
  • Data privacy measures

Since connected devices collect and share vast amounts of data — including sensitive personal and business information — with other devices and systems, this information must be secured and protected from unauthorized access and misuse. Given the interconnected IoT ecosystem’s complexity, IoT security can be challenging. When programmers aren’t security experts, each layer of the IoT stack — the hardware, SDK, network, device gateway, broker, etc. — faces a range of vulnerabilities, opening devices to compromise.

Beyond complexity and lacking expertise, IoT security design challenges — from a lack of standardization and uniformity to the high cost associated with implementing robust security measures — remain among the list of most pressing issues facing the technology industry today.

Modern IoT Design Trends

Harnessing the actionable data IoT products generate — including where, how and which customers use products at a given time — informs how future products can enhance our digital world even further.

Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning

More and more IoT solutions are using artificial intelligence and machine learning for automation, enhanced insights and real-time decision making. While the cloud has revolutionized the way we handle data, some use cases may require the lower latency or minimized bandwidth requirements of edge computing to process data closer to the source.

5G and Evolving Connectivity Options

5G provides the foundation to unleash the full potential of IoT. As providers increasingly replace aging wireless networks with 4G/5G networks, connectivity in urban communities improves, but many rural areas need to catch up. Consider this — and other technologies like Bluetooth, BLE, Wi-Fi and LoRa — when evaluating which connectivity option makes the most sense for your product and its uses.

IoT product design that understands the immense value of 5G’s low latency, reliability, network capacity, increased availability and connectivity — and leverages those benefits to optimize user experiences — will enable a new generation of use cases that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the IoT ecosystem.

Progressing IoT Standards and Guidelines

Noninteroperable devices and competing smart home standards complicate how we interact with our devices and the world around us. The hardware, software and different interfaces of IoT products must be designed with security and interoperability in mind at every design step:

  • Incorporating robust encryption protocols.
  • Creating unique device identities.
  • Implementing strong authentication mechanisms.
  • Leveraging certificate-based authentication or designing systems to adhere to developing instructions and requirements.

Balancing security and usability requires a deep understanding of the target market’s tolerances. However, as IoT standards and guidelines evolve, understanding their impact on everything from product development to data security and privacy to device operations can set you up for success.

Speeding Time to Launch with IoT Tools

While rapidly executing the necessary IoT product design and development steps — connecting a product to the cloud, for example — can be difficult and time-consuming, new tools like AWS IoT ExpressLink streamline the process and minimize the design effort.

With IoT ExpressLink, time-to-market advantages include:

  • Adding IoT ExpressLink to an existing device is significantly easier than a complete hardware redesign.
  • The solution’s simpler firmware streamlines embedded firmware implementation, testing and deployment.
  • Preinstalled certificates significantly simplify provisioning.
  • Cloud onboarding by claim is easier than ever.

From the ability to reuse hardware to the module’s simpler firmware, its smaller impact on manufacturing and different provisioning options, AWS IoT ExpressLink helps simplify and accelerate the process of connecting secure IoT devices to the AWS cloud.

Connecting the Dots

Ready to transform your IoT product design from concept to reality?

The IoT’s rise reveals exciting possibilities for innovation and convenience, but significant IoT design challenges restrict countless companies. With the emergence of 5G networks, evolving IoT standards and guidelines, and the potential of a converged, standardized smart ecosystem, companies like yours must prioritize the overall user experience to connect the dots and deliver maximum value.

Partner with Cardinal Peak’s experienced engineering team to discuss your IoT product design needs and discover how our proven expertise can accelerate your path to market while minimizing development risks.