According to new research by Monash University, RMIT and Intel Corp, smart technologies have failed to live up to the hype.
While in many ways useful and entertaining, the technology has not delivered on many promises for effortless and easy living. This is partly attributed to a poor understanding of household diversity and different people’s desires and needs, the study says.
“In the current smart home market, it is mainly men who are designing and selling smart home technologies, and also mainly men who are responsible for setting up, maintaining and introducing smart home to other householders,” says associate professor, Yolande Strengers.
“This affects the types of devices that get designed, and their potential benefits and usefulness to other householders. In particular, women on the whole are currently underrepresented and underserved by the industry.”
Indeed, women have expressed their concern about smart home technologies being used for privacy invasion or as a form of intimidation―particularly for women―by locking them in or out of the property or monitoring their movements and activities.
Research also showed that some women expressed frustration at the gendered stereotypes of digital voice assistants, and both men and women were concerned about the increased digital housekeeping needed to keep smart home devices running.
“Some householders were concerned that these devices could be used to invade the privacy of others without their knowledge or consent, and potentially exacerbate domestic violence situations by, for example, using a smart lock to restrict access to the house,” Strengers says.
Once being accustomed to the new technology, many households said they saved them time in relation to work, cleaning, lighting and other tasks―like opening and closing window blinds.
Smart lighting was the favourite, alongside voice activation, which was often a source of fun and play.
“The potential for uptake in smart home technology is huge, but there are also a number of important gender concerns that need to be explicitly considered by the human computer interaction design community in the further development of these devices,” Strengers adds.
