The Internet of Things

In this unit, we are going to take a look at the Internet of Things (or Internet of Everything) and use this as the basis to brainstorm new products and services. The basic idea behind the Internet of Things (IoT) is that physical devices and everyday objects are connected to the Internet. These devices can communicate and interact with others, and they can be remotely monitored and controlled (Wikipedia, 2019).

Once you decide on a product or service, you will go through the design process to develop a prototype app or website for the product or service you envision. Your product or service has to be "Internet enabled".

Internet-enabled "refers to a product or service that can be used through or in conjunction with the World Wide Web. A Web-enabled product may be accessed through a Web browser or be able to connect to other Web-based applications in order to synchronize data" (Techopedia Inc., 2019). For this project, you will design a product or service that can be monitored and controlled from a smartphone, desktop computer, laptop, or tablet .

Solving problems

A simple framework for solving problems may be defined by combining What, Why and How, as follows:

1. What is the problem?

2. Why is it happening?

3. How can you fix it?

4. – Fix it! –

5. Why did it work or not work?

6. What next?