Composite Experiences and the Internet of Things
With the recent announcement that the Vitastiq sensor can detect vitamin deficiencies in humans by passing a sensor over skin I started to think of interesting experiences it enables. Sensors like this can enable some seriously next level experiences when they are supported by the internet of things.
The key to innovative experiences in this sense is more than knowing that someone is vitamin deficient. It extends into what we can do to shape the experience of that person to remediate that condition, with or without their awareness. Think of it like shopping online and being presented with suggested merchandise that people who viewed an item also viewed. No one is forcing you to buy any of these, but they are choices you should be aware of. That’s the power of the internet of things. All of a sudden we can leverage external knowledge to offer curated choices. The mobile form factor gives us a window into the key decision making moments, allowing us to make suggestions about what to do, and what to eat, etc. to remediate a deficiency in this case.
Imagine that during your routine morning scan the sensor detects that your iron and vitamin D levels are low. You note it, grab an extra glass of Vitamin D fortified orange juice and head out for the day. It should be noted that you had Vitamin D fortified OJ to begin with because the sensor detected the deficiency last week, altered your grocery list to specify the fortified variety, and made sure you got a coupon for it from your favorite brand.
Now imagine it’s 11:45 am of the same day and your phone also knows the following based on the internet of things:
It’s lunch time
It’s sunny and warm outside
Being outside in the sun boosts production of vitamin D
Green, leafy vegetables like spinach are good sources of iron
PF Changs has a great garlic sauteed spinach that you love. You even mentioned it in your Yelp review.
There is a PF Changs within easy walking distance
PF Changs is offering a 20% off coupon between 12:00 and 2:00 to encourage lunch traffic
At 11:55 you get an alert about that PF Changs coupon and then a reminder from your fitness band that you should get up and move around, especially because it’s so nice out. You get up from your desk and walk outside. It’s a beautiful day for a walk, and for some reason you really feel like having that garlic sauteed spinach from PF Changs.
Imagine the health benefits you could achieve if your choices were, on the whole, only 10% better than they are now. It’s not a level of change in any one area sufficient to cause major disruption or deprivation. But because it can be across the entire spectrum of your interactions it can become a massively additive situation. 10% more exercise, 10% better eating, 10% less snacking, 10% more walking, 10% less sitting, etc… all composite experiences enabled by the internet of things that add up to the behavior change we want to see.
