Navigating the web of things: Visualizing and interacting with web-enabled objects

Abstract

The Web of Things vision aims to turn real-world objects into resources of the Web. The creation of accessible and addressable Virtual Objects, i.e. services that expose the status and capabilities of connected real-world objects using REST APIs, allows for new machine-to-machine interactions to be designed but also for a new user experience to be shaped. Indeed, the change brought about by the connectivity of objects and their ability to share information raises design issues that have to be considered by manufacturers and service providers alike. In this paper, we present an approach to the Web of Things based on both technical and user-centered points of view. We argue that new user interfaces have to be designed to allow users to visualize and interact with virtual objects and environments that host them. We illustrate our vision with an interaction mockup that allows the user to navigate the Web of Things through three devices (a smart phone, a web tablet and a desktop web browser). © 2010 Springer-Verlag.