BEACON EXPLORERS OVERVIEW

January 2015

BEACONS: OVERVIEW Beacons turn the physical world into a new digital channel. They bring digital content and engagement closer to the point of purchase.

WHAT IS A BEACON

This is a beacon. It triggers messages and media on your phone or tablet.

This Is A Beacon

WHAT IS A BEACON

Beacon technology transmits small packets of data using Bluetooth Low Energy. When a customer’s phone “hears” the beacon it knows how close it is and we can then send a message, a notice, a piece of media or other information.

These Are Beacons

• Works at 2 inches and up to 100 meters • Doesn’t drain the phone battery • Your app will ‘wake up’ when close to a beacon

(app can be closed) • Works on iOS, Android, etc • Opt-in technology = consumer acceptance

Benefits

WHAT IS A BEACONBeacons are based on the Bluetooth Low Energy specification. Not the same as ‘regular Bluetooth’, this specification doesn’t drain a user’s battery, can last for years on a single battery, and is a medical-grade technology.

WHAT IS A BEACONTowards Bluetooth LE 4.2 !• Low Powered Connectivity: The latest version of internet protocol

(IPv6/6LoWPAN) for Bluetooth Smart devices. • Bluetooth Smart technology gateways: Internet connectivity with

the flexible Bluetooth Smart Generic Attribute Profiles (GATT) architecture.

• In 4.2, Bluetooth Smart is up to 2.5x faster with a huge packet capacity increase – nearly 10x more versus previous versions.

• Keeps Bluetooth Smart devices from being tracked.

BEACONS INSIDE

As you move closer to the beacon, different “triggers” can occur.

BEACONS INSIDE

A single beacon can trigger multiple interactions. A message when you arrive; a video as you approach the car; a “request assistance” button when you stand next to it.

BEACONS OUTSIDE

Extend the beacon experience outside with lock screen messages near digital or outdoor media.

BEACONS OUTSIDE

Real-time synchronization between the app and screens in the world around you.

BEACON DEVELOPMENT DESIGN EXPERIENCES

Beacons extend how we think about digital development. We can now more easily design digital engagement for the physical world.

HotSpot Parking - and referral/data and hand-over networks.

Before and After

Don’t think of beacons as stationary. Think of them as moving. There’s nothing “locked” about a beacon. A sales associate, car, dog or product can be a beacon.

We’re All Beacons

Think of content as exclusive. Stuff that you can only get close to a beacon, or even at a specific time. Let your customers collect these little media snippets or experiences and create their own take-home magazines or passbooks.

Lock and Collect

You don’t want to slam your customers with coupons or offers the minute they walk in the store. Tease them, seduce them - give them a valuable tip, an insight, some advice. And as they get closer to the beacon, get them closer to a sale.

Seduction

Give tools to the front-line staff. Posting content to a beacon - a product on sale, say, or just a joke of the day, is as easy as a few clicks on an app or web site.

Front Line Counts

Tweet a shop window. Pin a product in a store. Share a shelf with friends. Think of the things you can do online and now apply them to physical things. With beacons, a store item is like a web page….and just like a web page, you can turn physical products into opportunities for social sharing.

Make It Social

Beacons go way beyond retail. They’re found in industrial, education, and warehouse settings. They’re helping us to ‘see’ the world in a new way.

Track People & Things

Beacons can collect thousands, even millions of data points. Time spent, number of people, heat maps, media clicked, social sharing.

Big, Smart Data !

5 COMMON QUESTIONS

5 COMMON QUESTIONS

5 COMMON QUESTIONS

5 COMMON QUESTIONS

5 COMMON QUESTIONS

5 COMMON QUESTIONS

OTHER TECHNOLOGIES

UX/UI: RISK/REWARD

UX DESIGN: The Real World

START WITH REAL WORLD DESIGN • Your experience will be magic because it creates a

tangible experience connecting your user’s phone to the physical world.

!• Challenge: we rarely design apps based on physical

context. • Solution: map what your user does, what do they look at,

what’s their sense of place, what are the sign posts? !!

UX DESIGN: The Real World (2)

There’s no error console for physical space • You need to plan carefully for different scenarios from

signal interference to differences in response rates for different phones.

!• Challenge: how an app responds to beacons can vary.

Design experiences to account for that. • Solution: unlike most other apps, you’ll need more

methods for ‘failing gracefully’ !!

UX DESIGN: The Real World (3)

UX DESIGN: The Real World (3)

Beacons go missing !• Challenge: beacons go missing, get moved or run out of

battery. • Solution: plan for failure and look at robust cloud

monitoring or variance tracking. !!

UX DESIGN: The Real World (4)

Bargain beacons? There can be significant variance in beacons. There’s a ton of work that goes into creating a great beacon. Use that expertise. !• Challenge: your app won’t respond the same way if the

beacon itself isn’t well configured. • Solution: rely on decent beacons. !!

UX TENSION POINTS

•Invisible vs Visible Beacons •Contextual or Push app interactions •Creepy vs. Useful •Big data driven or user choice !!

QUICK TIPS

SOME TIPS

It WILL Happen: !

•Your Bluetooth is OFF •You’ll get a LOT of exercise •You’ll hide beacons in a filing cabinet

SOME TIPS

For multiple beacons: !•Timers •Prioritization •If you want to get fancy, work RSSI

and accuracy readings. •Whatever you do, remember that

no single signal input is reliable.

SOME TIPS

Do NOT use background modes! !

SOME TIPS

For beacon deployment: !•Don’t underestimate the time

it takes to deploy •You don’t ALWAYS have to

push up the advertising interval - it often makes very little difference to the end user !

SOME TIPS

And remember the badger: !!

The Tech Keeps Getting Better !

The Tech Keeps Getting Better !

It’s what we do with it that counts. !

BeaconBeThe

beekn.net @dusanwriter

doug@dot-3.net

THANK YOU

Think of how beacons bring content closer-and-closer to a specific context.

GETTING CLOSER

GETTING CLOSER