When Smart Devices Are Stupid: Negative Experiences Using Home Smart Devices

Weijia He, Jesse J. Martinez, Roshni Padhi, Lefan Zhang, Blase Ur

Abstract: Household smart devices - internet-connected thermostats, lights, door locks, and more - have increased greatly in popularity. These devices provide convenience, yet can introduce issues related to safety, security, and usability. To better understand device owners' recent negative experiences with widely deployed smart devices and how those experiences impact the ability to provide a safe environment for users, we conducted an online, survey-based study of 72 participants who have smart devices in their own home. Participants reported struggling to diagnose and recover from power outages and network failures, misattributing some events to hacking. For devices featuring built-in learning, participants reported difficulty avoiding false alarms, communicating complex schedules, and resolving conflicting preferences. Finally, while many smart devices support end-user programming, participants reported fears of breaking the system by writing their own programs. To address these negative experiences, we propose a research agenda for improving the transparency of smart devices.