Normally, I discuss all sorts of interesting (and some would say obscure) M2M references. Today, I want to keep it simple in hopes that you use it.

On July 27^th and 28^th we will be producing an event called DevCon5. It is not about M2M or wireless. It’s about the next era of web design.

Why the next era of web design?

Because the implementation of HTML5 is going to enable media management in a bold way. Gateway (News - Alert) strategies may exist for a while for legacy systems, but the reality will be that the web is going to empower displays of resources and the mixing of data in ways that will truly change the way we work.

I know the web has done this already for anyone older than 25, but its about to do the same to this generation, which is why we have Devcon5 so focused on user experience. 

At the end, most M2M solutions are designed for human intervention such as:   

·         An asset manager that alarms due to a hijacking

·         A medical alert that catches a problem for the doctor to judge.

·         A home system that receives a signal from you to heat the house before you walk in.

All of these have an interface to a human. So the question is what should the human interface look like? All of the examples above are pretty Boolean. Alarm – Dispatch, Alarm – Monitor, Signal – Operate.

However, things are much more complex. Questions that might arise include:

·         How many assets have been stolen, when should intervention occur?

·         Does the medical alert have an order of alarms that help in diagnosis?

·         Is turning on the heat a waste of time given an open window?

Giles Colborne who literally wrote the book on simple and usable has been advising companies about good design for over a decade. His insight will be a key ingredient in our show that is aimed at helping prepare developers.,designers, deciders, deployers and dreamers to see the complete picture.

If are building M2M solutions remember the story of the bricklayers. The first brick layer was miserable because day-in and day-out he was putting bricks on top of each other. The second bricklayer was very stern and precise as he explained he was delivering a wall. The third bricklayer of course, was the hero of the story because he knew he was building a cathedral.

In medieval times, cathedrals were the most complex systems. Today, we do it all with software. Just remember that when you start the design, you may be building a cathedral, but it would be better for everyone if it was simple and usable.