The Un-Kit Experience

Unfinished Kit showing sensors, media elements, raspberry pi, and actuatorsThe Internet of Things (IoT) Un-Kit Experience, is a co-design approach that actively engages people in exploring, designing and generating personally meaningful IoT applications in their own space through the use of different IoT elements.

The Un-Kit includes a set of reusable sensors, actuators, and media elements that can easily be combined and interconnected by the research team, supporting users to prototype scenarios in situ. We show the IoT elements and use cards to explain the different components. We represent sensors with cards of the human senses sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing; and actuators with various representations such as a singing bird or trumpet (sound), dancing lady (movement) or light bulb (visual light).

The Un-kit approach supported participants to lead the process and to imagine new artfully integrated designs, with personally legible interactions and aesthetic qualities that fit their desire; this leads to a more situated and responsive approach to the design of the IoT and its constituent kits.