In a world where technological progress is constant, understanding the views and experiences of users is essential. With the use of technology, there are many dangers. Issues with privacy and security are among them. This thesis deals with understanding the perception of privacy and security of smart home IoT devices. The literature review consists of understanding concepts of trust, possible ways of intrusion, and prevention and elaborating more about the Internet of Things technology and smart homes. The review also contains notes on previous findings of the user's perception. The review of the literature also connects possible ways of intrusion with the underlying IoT architecture as well as explains notions of privacy by design, compliance, and GDPR. To understand the phenomenon of privacy and security in the context of a smart home, a simple qualitative study was conducted. Sixteen participants who are part of the general public were interviewed. The collected information was analyzed using a general inductive approach, and answers were grouped into categories as suggested by Thematic Analysis. Interviews were done online and a transcript summary can be found in the last Appendix. The findings from the interviews suggest that privacy and convenience matter most to the users. Participants demonstrated a willingness to purchase if they perceived a device as something that will increase their quality of life and were willing to share data such as location but they were not willing to lose anonymity. What type of data and for what purpose was mentioned as most important. When it comes to security attacks, participants were less worried about how it might happen and more worried about what might happen to them and what are the consequences for them. In the conclusion of the study, I present advice for students and academia, device manufacturers, and service providers as well as the general public as the last main stakeholder. Since technology is not static, it would be of importance to revisit topics of privacy and security of IoT.

This thesis project was conveyed in collaboration with Block Zero, a strategic Design Studio in Malmö, Sweden, with the purpose to design a product that develops a new type of interaction within the Smart Home. This design project will primarily focus on the research, exploration and definition of possible solutions, and the resulting design and development of the final product, a Smart Home Health Hub. From a global perspective, throughout the following document is covered a description of the design process from initial research to the final prototype. The project is defined in this approach and establishes the mentioned principles to guide the execution of the project through a deductive method, synthesising until the final result.