It seems there are a lot of interesting ideas on this forum, but it isn’t clear how to prioritize, and surveys of self-selecting users probably don’t give the most accurate idea of what might benefit the greatest number of users.
I suggest that the SmartThings community would be better able to prioritize if there was some knowledge about which devices are most used with SmartThings. I assume the SmartThings staff has access to all the device data statistics as device type is captured in the Raw Description data field , perhaps they could post a list of the top-50 devices or device categories, and then the user community could better identify what features are missing or need improvement, and SmartThings could then indicate how they intend to prioritize the implementations and improvements. Otherwise, it seems like users are just suggesting stuff only to have it fall into a black hole of “great idea, I’ll pass-it-on to developers” which may be well-meaning, but leaves users wondering just what is happening.
I think it’s always going to come down to the people doing the work though, and their particular use cases and needs. This is another example where the openness of the platform is both a blessing and a curse…
People that have Amazon echo devices want that prioritized. And the developer in the user community that has access to one is going to work on that, instead of something else. Then you apply that to people with Ecobeee thermostats, or Amazon things, or Hue light bulbs, etc.
I would be happy if the SmartThings folk focused almost exclusively in keeping the lights on and making sure things are running reliably.
tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
3
SmartThings considers all the above information (in general, and much more), to be proprietary and strategically confidential. So don’t hold your breath.
