i-TV | User Centered Design

Introduction

Interactive TV is a relatively new medium and people are unsure how to navigate or find information. The mode of interaction is very different to that of the Internet and conventional TV and therefore each person who uses interactive TV for the first time is essentially on a very steep learning curve. As with any digital interface, the navigation and information structure of an interactive TV service should reflect the way users want to find information or buy products

User Centered Design involves scientifically structuring the information on an interactive TV service logically for its' end users. User Centered Design designed and tested by Usability Specialists with input from real users is much more likely to be usable upon launch. Getting a thorough understanding of usability implications before building of the service commences can considerably reduce development costs and timelines.

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The Process

The Usability Specialist creates wireframes (page mock-ups of individual screens) of the interface after a careful consideration of the service's intended content, intended audience, scenarios of use and technical constraints. These prototypes are created using tools such as Visio and Freehand. Each element in the wireframes is verified by employing specialised techniques such as card sorting to elicit user feedback on the developing User Centered Design. The wireframe is constantly revised based on this feedback and any necessary design modifications are made. Throughout this process the technical feasibility of the proposed solution is constantly monitored.

User Centered Design has 3 key deliverables:

1. Interaction Schema - wireframes providing a page-by-page storyboard and descriptions of screen elements and features. It details what each screen should contain, and how the user can interact with it. It illustrates screen layouts, navigation rules and information flow. It is essentially a blueprint for design.
    
2. Service map - a graphical overview of the proposed service structure in the form of a hierarchical diagram. It depicts all of the screens within the service and the relationships between them.
    
3. Style guides - used to guide designers/site builders in developing the entire service. The style guide will offer rules for the use of navigation, design elements, controls, labelling, and error messages.

If you are planning an interactive TV service or considering redeveloping the existing service and would like to understand more about how our User Centered Design service can help you achieve a usable and scalable design then please call or email us and a consultant will be happy to talk to you.

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User Centered Design and Usability Evaluations: The Usability Company's work with Victor Chandler

The Usability Company was employed by Victor Chandler for User Interface (UI) and User Centered Design (User Centered Design) services. The objective was to build these capabilities in order to make incremental improvements to the existing Victor Chandler site and to inform the development of the future Victor Chandler site.

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User Centered Design and Usability Evaluations: The Usability Company's work with Camelot

Camelot enlisted the help of The Usability Company for its User Centered Design needs for online gaming on The National Lottery website. The Case study illustrates how User Centered Design plays an integral role in developing the most appropriate processes and structure for websites to fit specific business and user needs. The User Centered Design work completed for Camelot required a review of subscription and registration processes, customers' personal account management features and the online gaming process in order to determine the best options for processes and structure. Usability Evaluations were also conducted at key stages in order to test the User Centered Design's recommendations with real users and to inform the User Centered Design and Camelot team in choosing the best fit solutions.

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User Centered Design and Usability Evaluations: The Usability Company's work with The Planning Portal

The Usability Company has conducted usability evaluations for The Planning Portal over the last two years and continues to work closely with the site's content and development team

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