Designing the Taxonomy of Capabilities in SmartThings
summary
SmartThings defines a reusable taxonomy of capability cards that map 150+ device features into UI modules, with over 150 capabilities currently specified on the developer site. Plugin pages are assembled as a sum of capabilities rather than per device type, enabling compound cards, device grouping by capability, and new service plugins (energy, air quality, security) that aggregate location data. The system adds activity-history pages, automation recommendations, and a developer workspace to create custom capabilities.
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chapters (17)
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:55Device Cards
- 1:34Device Plugin Pages
- 2:01The Problem
- 3:25The Challenges
- 3:46Every Smart Thing Can Be Different
- 4:01A Generic Layout
- 5:28Modularity
- 5:45Device Types
- 6:17Unified Philosophy
- 7:13Capabilities
- 7:54Individual Capabilities
- 9:34Compound Capabilities
- 10:24Plugin Pages
- 14:07Device Groups
- 14:37Service Plugins
- 15:20Collaboration
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