The smart home era is upon us, but connected devices have been designed to fit into the Internet of Things (IoT), leaving the humans that use them at a loss. Delight is slowly rising as early adopters conquer the IoT learning curve. But as manufacturers continue to flood the market with innovative new technology, consumer demand is falling. That’s a strange phenomenon, but it’s true.

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While demand falls, delight of consumers using connected devices is slowly creeping up, although satisfaction remains nominal. Connectivity and reliability issues continue to plague the smart home market, discouraging mass-market adoption. While tech-savvy early adopters and manufacturers are fascinated, willing, and able to create smart homes with various connected devices, the typical consumer is not. Clashing standards, complicated installation, and network constraints all stand in the way of the ideal, easy-to-use smart home.

To create a smart home, connected devices must work together seamlessly. But the lack of device maturity quickly turns user aspirations into frustration. Manufacturers are looking to sell sophisticated experiences, but the complex path is deterring consumers.

The IoT learning curve is steep, and typical consumers are intimidated; security cameras and other devices are not delivering on their promise of reliability and ease, leaving an opportunity to improve Internet of Things to better serve the Internet of Humans. The silver lining is that the early adopters have climbed the learning curve and are finding improvement in the overall experience. This suggests that the next generation of IoT, after ironing out the reliability and usability issues, will come closer to the smart home consumers are dreaming of.

Learn more about consumer delight trends in the smart home market with the Argus Insights Smart Home Delight Report.

Dr. John Feland is the founder and CEO of Argus Insights, a market intelligence company that sits between traditional research firms and social analytics companies to provide focused and actionable analysis on where consumers are taking the market, who is winning and why. John holds an S.B. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. An expert in consumer response to technology, John is a frequent speaker.