Is The Internet Of Things A Notifications Nightmare?

How does the internet of things hope to change our lives for the better if we don’t want to be subjected to a constant stream of annoying notifications?
On the whole, we as humans don’t respond well to notifications. In fact, our distaste for distractions has put the breaks on the widespread adoption of wearable technology; devices such as the Apple watch bring notifications to our person, making them unavoidable.
With wearable technology comes the internet of things, or so we are told. As wearable tech and the like connect us more to the world around us, it will become increasingly easy for businesses to harass their customers, for example, sending notifications direct to their wrists. But research shows that interruptions cause a dip in productivity, and many of us choose to ignore or mute them to save brain power. Will the internet of things herald the arrival of a notifications nightmare?
An overwhelming number of us keep our smart devices in silent mode, exasperated with the constant stream of notifications from the various apps that we use throughout the day. We don’t want to be nudged every time we get ‘liked’ on Facebook, and we certainly don’t need to take a break from important work to check out a spammy email from a clothes store we bought a hat from back in 2012.
So what lies ahead for notifications, and indeed for the internet of things? For businesses who hope to avoid the curse of the ‘unsubscribe’ button, it’s certainly an overhaul in email etiquette. A streamlined, stripped back company email approach is sure to be much more favourable to the everyday client than the ‘annoying younger sibling’ approach where companies poke at their customers once too often and usually receive a negative response.
For businesses who hope that the internet of things will bring them plentiful avenues to communicate with their customers, a reminder that less is more should be heeded. Human nature, although regularly swayed by technological advancements, will remain steadfast in the face of a swathe of notifications; just because they now choose to wear their tech, that doesn’t mean they are any less likely to mute or sever your correspondences.
But how can we hope to move towards a connected world when interaction with our devices will be central to the human experience? The internet of things-enabled world promises to be notification-intensive: when your fridge decides to repeat an order of milk because it deems the current levels too low, you’ll be sure to receive a notification from both the fridge, your bank and the local supermarket.
Before we place our trust entirely in our sentient household appliances to stock up on our groceries in our absence, notifications need a serious overhaul.
In the here and now, it is up-and-coming apps which need to have a smart notifications strategy. This, among the sea of responsibilities on the shoulders of innovative new companies, can become a ‘think about it later’ task, but we would encourage all developers to think carefully about how they hope to interact with a consumer generation who simply aren’t listening.
For companies who hope to battle the notifications dilemma, the increasing importance of a notifications strategy is becoming apparent. We’ve all been pushed to the limit by an app with no sense of when a lot becomes too much. Future applications have to battle this conundrum, and it is increasingly difficult to change the attitudes of a consumer. A few things to remember:

• Be personable and likable: this creates a bond of trust.
• Less is more: notifications are annoying and your clients are likely to tune out.
• Context is important. Persuading your customers that they will benefit from being in contact with you is a valuable skill.

If the internet of things hopes to alter our lives so dramatically, it is in need of some notification advice from app developers and fledgling companies who are out in the field trying to communicate with a disengaged customer base. Until then, we can’t see it causing a major splash.
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