There may be a divergence in the smart home industry. This opaque part is stuck between consumers and manufacturers. The general phenomenon I have observed offline is that manufacturers’ hysteria on the selling points of smart homes, try to make them smart and very smart. It looks convenient, but the consumers on the other side are indifferent to it, but it feels a bit low, cumbersome and even exaggerated, without any desire to install a set.
"It's fun, it looks dazzling, but it's not what I want." This is the first feeling of many consumers after watching the full house smart model display, thinking about the essence of the problem? Probably many manufacturers develop and integrate from the technology realization path, and consumers pay more attention to the intuitive overall experience and do not want to know so many complicated behind-the-scenes skills.
Good and bad are not all superficial things, but they are all manifested on the superficial, and the superficial performance is not satisfactory. Who cares whether the technology behind it is good or not?
The author believes that whether it is a technical solution or a smart product, in the absence of a sense of user participation, it is a quagmire to make users get used to the “scenario mode” by taking the unilateral willingness to consider the needs of users, and want to break through in the industry. Players should not get deeper and deeper here. Only by listening to the user's voice and converting it into a matching technical output can it gradually approach the consumer's psychological expectations and avoid going in the opposite direction.
A chaotic market flooded by scenarios
The scene mode is about to be broken by the manufacturer, and the messy is the switch panel. In the long run, the market will be in a mess.
The general scene mode will probably include some home/away mode, meeting mode, rest mode, entertainment mode, etc., but the intuitive difference is that a set of lighting effects or smart device linkage (TV, curtains, air conditioning, etc.) are fixed That's it. The essence of good intelligence is actually closer to doing things like switching and remote control. It only expands the scope and types of controls. Users may be technically innocent, but they are not stupid, so smart homes do not have to be fascinating. Image is more important than what can help users upgrade and improve.
Of course, the current scene modes are not useless, but the constant accumulation of scene modes is a little too hard. For example, there may be some needs for the linkage of some one-button switches when going home and leaving home. For example, users are too lazy to move through voice or APP. The real-life experience of controlling curtains and air conditioners such as the panel is also OK, and there are more practical security, intercom and other functions. However, more and more scene modes seem to be jumping off the thinking of core user value, becoming irrelevant or even a little funny, such as why one-key switch should switch these lights, what is the logic of this set of light color temperature adjustment combination, the user is really If you want such a combination display or the linkage logic imposed by the manufacturer, these really require in-depth and detailed thinking, and the core of the thinking is to really focus on the needs of users.
A salesperson proudly told the author when introducing the product that its products can achieve more than a dozen scenarios and more than 20 subsystem integrations, but from the user's point of view, such "bombing" makes people feel The choice is laborious and complicated. Whether it’s smart home or other fields, the ability to simplify complexity is becoming more and more important. No matter how complex the technology, smart home must be simple and convenient for consumers. This is not only reflected in the product, the interactive path, and even In the process of familiarization, selection, thinking, and decision-making, various energy costs should also be minimized.
The current realization of scene mode is mostly through interactive entrances such as buttons on the wall panel, mobile phone APP, voice interactive equipment, etc., connected to the host to send out control signals to control indoor lights, fresh air air conditioners, doors and windows curtains, etc. The switch is closed. Realized by bus or wireless technology integration. The bus is relatively complex but more stable. The wireless is lighter but will face unexpected situations. Whether it is a bus or wireless, or even a combination of the two, the technologies involved in smart homes are for manufacturers to enter The threshold is getting lower and lower, and the requirements for a good overall experience and stability are getting higher and higher. This will be the internal strength of the track players, rather than the level that consumers need to understand.
In addition, many manufacturers are lacking in thinking about many things after linkage control, such as enhancing the active decision-making ability of intelligent systems through data analysis and judgment. What are the psychological expectations of consumers? In fact, it is not how I control a set of things when I get home, but I hope that the smart home will reduce the energy and thinking time that I need to spend on control operations, and comprehensively create a comfortable, healthy and convenient space environment for users. The scene mode is only It can be said to be relatively superficial, but it is a feasible way that can be visualized at this stage. Therefore, scenarios that meet user needs can be deep and detailed, and it is better to use subtraction for unimportant scenarios.
Under the background of consumption upgrade, users have higher pursuit of product quality
It is fatal to ignore the imperceptible power of consumption upgrades among consumers.
The author learned offline that many manufacturers’ propaganda calibers are actually relying on the concept of “whole house intelligence”, but ignore that the foundation of whole house intelligence is based on various smart product nodes, and these node products are off-the-shelf. The most recent level of consumers. It’s hard to imagine that if even a product is not done well, such as a product that looks ugly, lacks texture, has no taste, appears cheap, and is inconsistent, intuitively annoying users, then why should users believe based on this set of products? Will there be a good whole-house smart experience? It doesn't make sense logically, so sometimes it's not cheap to attract consumers.
The first layer that impresses users is definitely the product. This layer has passed the test, followed by system integration and comprehensive experience. When it comes to making products, it is more important to capture the latest product trends and consumer aesthetics. Less is more, which tests the manufacturer’s ability to reason behind the products.
For example, the functions that can be integrated should be integrated into one panel for operation as much as possible. There is no need to divide into a row of various panels. The buttons, touch, or voice interaction designed on the panel must have scientific layout logic. It is necessary to provide users with a variety of reasonable interaction methods through a concise interface and simple operation methods. Do not densely or mark some very inexplicable icons so that users can learn, memorize and understand the specific functions of this panel one by one. In short, it must be at the product level. Achieve the ultimate experience instead of perfunctory or adopting relatively backward and following the trend of technical solutions, so that it will be differentiated in the competition.
Because of the multi-user and multi-scenario attributes of smart homes, system integration and comprehensive experience are actually based on the harder way to implement the product. It is not as simple as doing connection control casually. If you can't do a very advanced experience, then use practical functions. Doing a good job may be a more desirable approach, at least it is really useful to users, rather than self-selling and boasting. In fact, "whole house intelligence" is not smart or reliable at all. Smart homes are future-oriented, but they are also face-to-face. For the present, it is critical to make a good trade-off between such a technology and landing balance.
At present, in addition to consumer-grade IoT platforms and products (such as Xiaomi, Haier, Midea, Cobos, etc.) companies, more smart home integration manufacturers or manufacturers focusing on whole-house intelligence are all expanding through real estate channels to expand Under the background of modernization and consumption upgrades, no matter how good the manufacturers themselves are, they will have little effect. The most important thing is to obtain the recognition and word-of-mouth communication from customers and users. Otherwise, large-scale delivery will be a large-scale word-of-mouth collapse. Speed is the speed of decline. In terms of marketing, manufacturers are most taboo to be self-centered and feel good about themselves.
This is a decentralized and open market. If everyone says that is good, it is really good. If you say that you are first, it is not the first.
Find your own way
Through dialogues with some smart home manufacturers, I learned that many manufacturers do not want to understand their own strategies and development paths, especially the number of non-well-known small and medium-sized enterprises, but everyone is doing this. I will do it too.
In this regard, the author believes that it is crucial for smart home manufacturers or service providers to clarify their core capabilities, rather than one-sided pursuit of bigger and better products. If you have strong product design capabilities, polish your products, if you have strong local or multiple service capabilities, then provide refined services. If your capabilities are at the technical level, then you can achieve the ultimate in technology. Smart home may exist as a big market. The brands of the local track are concentrated, but there is no overall winner-takes-all situation, and more cross-industry integration and win-win are needed.
From the perspective of consumers, there is no clear understanding of smart homes. At present, it is only an early adopter or partial upgrade needs. Real rigid needs have not yet formed. More choices are to find products or solutions that meet their own needs and aesthetics. , Is also more diversified, which provides huge opportunities for all kinds of players, and niche personalities may also make a considerable market.
Therefore, it is more valuable to do a good job in the industry chain and find your own path to exert force than to follow the trend and to be impetuous, and also have the opportunity to make long-term visibility in the industry or region.
It is possible to become a leading player in the smart home industry by getting out of the indulge in the scene mode and the misunderstanding of manufacturing junk products.