For the IoT to be successful, it is essential that connected devices provide a friendly user experience. This is especially important when it comes to consumer products for such market segments as smart homes, health and fitness, connected cars, and gaming. But I think it also holds true — although to a lesser degree — for the wider deployment of connected equipment and smart machines in business environments. Simply put, consumers and businesses will resist using devices, appliances, and equipment that are too difficult to set up or too confusing to operate. Consequently, for many IoT scenarios, we can expect to see connected devices increasingly utilize voice- or speech-powered interfaces that offer hands-free operation for the user. However, voice and speech will not replace other forms of UIs like touch and gesture; certainly not any time soon. Rather, they will be combined with these technologies to provide multi-modal interfaces designed to optimize interaction with connected devices.