Advancing IoT Process Modeling: A Comparative Evaluation of BPMNE4IoT and Traditional BPMN on User-Friendliness, Effectiveness, and Workload

In the evolving Internet of Things (IoT) landscape, integrating advanced technologies into business processes has become crucial for enhancing efficiency and automation. Accurate representation of IoT within business processes is a prerequisite for leveraging automation and monitoring benefits, underscoring the limitations of Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) 2.0 in effectively capturing IoT-specific behaviors. For this reason, this study investigated the enhancement of IoT business process modeling through BPMNE4IoT, an extension of the standard BPMN 2.0, focusing on its user-friendliness, effectiveness, and workload compared to traditional BPMN. The comparative user study with 30 participants demonstrated that BPMNE4IoT significantly improves the modeling experience, reducing mental and physical strain and increasing satisfaction. These findings support the importance of user-centered design in IoT modeling tools to enhance productivity and foster adoption, highlighting the need for further investigation into the impact of features and scalability within complex IoT environments.