Making digital tv easier for less-technically-inclined people

  • Authors:
  • Michael J. Darnell

  • Affiliations:
  • Microsoft, Mountain View, CA, USA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 1st international conference on Designing interactive user experiences for TV and video
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

Digital TV systems are becoming increasingly complex. Less-technically-inclined people may find these systems difficult to use. This qualitative usability study observed less-technically-inclined people using a typical multi-device, multi-remote-control digital TV system after having been instructed by a more-technically-inclined member of their household, who had also just discovered how to use the system. The results showed that, overall, the problems experienced by the less-technically-inclined people were similar in nature to those experienced by the more-technically-inclined household member. The most serious problems involved determining which remote control to use for a given function, making remote control mode errors, and having difficulty going back to TV from recordings and locked channels.