We have invested heavily in digital competence,” says Block, “hiring in every field from UX design and software development to data management and data privacy. “We have accelerated tremendously in the last two years. But the body can only do so much if the bones are bad.īlock’s Home Smart team has been ramping up their in-house software expertise during the pandemic to match Ikea’s skill at making furnishings for “the many people.” (The company is very fond of repeating this phrase despite its questionable syntax, as it stems from the company’s motto: “to create a better everyday life for the many people.”) Some of it already made its way into firmware releases for the Trådfri gateway and updates to the Home Smart app, which did help improve the overall user experience. I was given a preview of this work at the end of 2019. That means it was built from the ground up to support the entire Ikea Home Smart ecosystem as it exists today - covering lighting, blinds, sound, and air purification - as well as what’s still to come. It was the Home Smart business area that developed the new Dirigera hub, with insights the team has gained over the last eight years. Overnight, Block’s hobby was embraced by all of Ikea with a budget to match his ambitions. Home Smart became a full-fledged strategic business area in the middle of 2019 under Block’s leadership, putting it alongside traditional business areas like Living Room, Bedroom, and Textiles in terms of importance to the company. Rebecca Töreman is responsible for Ikea Home Smart product. It certainly looked intuitive and reliable, which are two words that most people wouldn’t readily associate with the company’s current Trådfri gateway and Home Smart app. I saw several devices added - or “on-boarded” in Ikea-speak - without a hiccup. That’s around the same time that Matter is supposed to launch, the new smart home standard that promises to make connected devices more interoperable, flexible, and private, no matter if you purchased them from the likes of Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, or any of the long list of companies already signed up.Īhead of today’s announcement, Ikea’s Björn Block, business area manager, and Rebecca Töreman, business leader, showed me the new hub and app working together in a real-time demonstration. Unfortunately, both the hub and the new app aren’t scheduled to arrive until October. Ikea’s new Matter-ready Dirigera hub is now official after a month of leaks and is set to arrive alongside an entirely new Ikea Home Smart app.
Ikea has a new hub and app that could bring an end to its smart home usability issues.
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