User Experience of Television

THE UX OF TV
A NEW FRONTIER FOR
USABILITY PROFESSIONALS
NYC UXPA AUGUST 21, 2012

© 2012 Razorfish. All rights reserved

Who we are

Kyle Outlaw Ed Mansfield
XD at Razorfish Sr. IA at Razorfish
Past: R/GA, WorldNow, Modem Media Past: Chase
Specialties: mobile, tablet, social, online video Specialties: mobile, tablet, financial services,
Clients: AXE, Citibank, Ralph Lauren, Victoria automotive
Secret, Kraft, Morgan Stanley Clients: Ford, XM Radio, Merrill Lynch,
Twitter: @koutlaw Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan
Twitter: @elmansfield

© 2012 Razorfish. All rights reserved 1

Let’s face it. Despite our
love for TV, the experience
is broken.


For Example:
• Too many remotes
• 1000 channels and nothing on
• Clunky channel guides
• Lack of device compatibility
• Constant interruptions
• And the list goes on…

Image Source: Gizmodo


OUR MOBILE DEVICES NOT TOO LONG AGO…

Image Source: Wikipedia


WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW YEARS MAKES


“Well, you just end up with a table full of remotes, a
cluster full of boxes, a bunch of different UIs -- and that's
the situation we have today. The only way that's ever
gonna change is if you can really go back to square
one and tear up the set-top box and redesign it from
scratch with a consistent UI across all these different
functions and get it to the consumer in a way that
they're willing to pay for it.”

–Steve Jobs, Patron Saint of User Experience Practitioners

Source: AOL:


Our TVs are much too complicated.
It doesn’t have to be that way.


Who will change it?
We will. TV is the next big problem
for UX to solve.


But How?
By knowing what’s going on … and getting the skills
in the connected TV to do it.
landscape…

This is what we want to talk about today.


IN THIS PRESENTATION WE’LL COVER

1. THE RISE OF CONNECTED TV
Definition, Stats/Trends

2. THE WAR FOR YOUR LIVING ROOM
Key Players, An Elephant in the Living Room

3. IMPLICATIONS FOR UX
Challenges and Opportunities

4. LET’S DO THIS
Prototyping and Evangelization

5. KEY TAKEAWAYS
Recap and Reference Materials


1. THE RISE OF CONNECTED TELEVISION


What is Connected TV?
It’s a term used to describe the integration of the
internet and web features into TV sets and
set-top boxes, as well as the convergence between
computers and these television sets or set-top boxes.

Source: Wikipedia


Also known as:
• Smart TV
• Cloud TV
• Hybrid TV


But why should we care?


Connected TV is already here.
It’s just not very evenly distributed.

Source: William Gibson – “the future is already here it is just unevenly
distributed.”


Millions already have this capability in their homes.
227 million have access through game consoles.

96.56 million

67.2 million
63.9 million

Source: Nintendo (June 2012); Microsoft (April 2012); Sony (March 2012)


90%
80%
Connected TV sales are 70%
growing with 91 million units 60%
projected for 2012. 50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2012 2014 2016

Source: Global Flat-panel TV and Connected TV Forecast - Kantideep Thota Source: Global Smart TV Market (2011 – 2016) Critical
Capability, Use Case Analysis & Forecast By Accessories, Platforms, Middleware, Application & Geography - MarketsAndMarkets.com


Consumer activities while watching TV

Second screen viewing is
the new normal. 80% of US
adults mobile multi-task
while watching TV.

Source: Yahoo! and Razorfish survey Source: Ericsson presents TV & Video Consumer Trend Report 2011 - Ericsson


Cord-cutting is on the rise. Cable is
not. 2.65 million Americans cut the
cord in 2008-2011.

Source: HBO Here are those cord-cutting stats you asked for – Rebecca Greenfield


Our appetite for live on-demand streaming content is
breaking records.

June 2010 April 2011 August 2012
1.6 million viewers 2.4 million viewers 3.2 million viewers

Source: Viewers opted for the Web over TV to watch Curiosity's landing – CBS News


40% of Americans live-streamed.
Live-stream viewers were also
2x more likely to watch
primetime coverage on TV.

Source: Apple and the iPhone TV: one day all televisions will be this way – Computerworld Source: Olympics Platforms
Score – Variety


This has all caught the attention of
some big players…


2. THE WAR FOR YOUR LIVING ROOM


The Next Technology War
“As the Consumer Electronics Show continued in Las
Vegas, at least one theme became clear: The next
big technology war is for your living room.”

- Hayley Tsukayama, Washington Post


MEET SOME OF THE CONTENDERS


THE TV SET MANUFACTURERS


THE GAME CONSOLE MAKERS


THE SET TOP BOX MANUFACTURERS


THE CONTENT PROVIDERS


THE CABLE AND SATELLITE PROVIDERS


There is an elephant in the living room.
Where’s Apple in all of this?


“I finally cracked it.”

Source: Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson


THE MYTHICAL ITV

Image Source: ADR Studio


Or maybe just an iBox?

Source: Apple in talks to use Apple TV as cable box, report says - Hayley Tsukayama
Image Source: ADR Studio


Above all the hope is that Apple will bring some much
needed standardization…
For now we have a very fragmented television ecosystem to contend
with.


3. IMPLICATIONS FOR UX


What does all this mean for
usability professionals? To
begin with we’ll need to
contend with the 10 foot
experience.



What is the 10 ft experience?
It’s a software user interface designed for display on a
large television with interaction using a regular television-
style remote control.

Source: Wikipedia


While there are similarities with mobile, and tablet
design, the 10 foot experience is an altogether
different beast. Let’s talk about the challenges
and opportunities.


First, the challenges…


1. CONSIDER THE USER’S ENVIRONMENT

Image Source: MorgueFile


2. UNDERSTAND THE PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS



3. KNOW THE DISPLAY RULES



4. EVALUATE THE CONTENT



5. IDENTIFY THE INTERACTION METHODS



Now let’s talk about the opportunities
and advanced capabilities.


1. NEW INTERFACES


2. SOCIAL TV AND COMMUNITY VIEWING


3. SUPER-NICHE AND ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING


4. APPS AND GAMES


5. RECOGNITION AND PERSONALIZATION

Source: Razorfish Emerging Experiences


4. LET’S DO THIS


For most of us, connected TV
remains unchartered territory.
How do we get started?


A Call to Action for UX
• Evangelize it
• Share knowledge across disciplines
• Demo key services and devices with partners
• Upgrade our TVs sets or set top boxes


Last but not least, the best way is to
learn by doing.
We can create prototypes.


Advantages to prototyping
• Give project visibility and buy-in within customer
and developer organizations
• Encourage early participation and involvement
• See the design in its intended context
• Provide immediate observation of user
performance and consequences of design
decisions

Source: UX For the Masses - Neil Turner

Source: Advantages of and cautions about using prototype - Rex Hartson; Pardha S. Pyla


Inspired by Lean UX
• Concept
• Prototype
• Validate internally
• Test internally
• Learn from user behavior
• Iterate

Source: Lean UX: Getting out of the Deliverables Business - Jeff Gothelf


Key ingredients
• Sketch pad and pen or pencil
• Wire framing software
• Photoshop
• HTML editor
• FTP client
• Browser-enabled set top box
• Wide-screen TV monitor
• Video content


Hypothesis
We believe that employees will use a TV-optimized
web site view, share, comment on and help curate
agency case studies, interviews, and demos.


1. SKETCHING


2. WIREFRAMES


2. PHOTOSHOP AND EXPORT IMAGES


3. ADJUST THE CODE FOR TV DISPLAY


4. UPLOAD IT


5. TEST IT ON PC


5. TESTING ON CONNECTED TVS


KEY SCREENS


Some things we are learning:
• Keyboards and TVs don’t mix well
• Hierarchy needs to be as flat as possible
• Everything needs to be 3X larger
• With text display less is more
• Browser behavior varies widely across devices


5. SUMMARY


Key Takeaways
• TV is the next big problem for UX to solve
• Connected TV is here already but it remains a
fragmented ecosystem in need of standardization
• Know the challenges with designing for TV
• Understand the opportunities and new capabilities
• Evangelize internally and with clients
• Embrace the prototype


We are in the very early days of the
reinvention of television.
We need to insert ourselves into
the process at the very beginning.


In closing…
“When you’re young, you look at television and
think, There’s a conspiracy. The networks have
conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little
older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in
business to give people exactly what they want.
That’s a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is
optimistic…
We can have a revolution!”
–Steve Jobs


THANK YOU!


APPENDIX
User Experience and design for connected TV
Re-thinking User Interface Design, Jim Mischel
http://blog.smartbear.com/software-quality/bid/167284/Re-Thinking-User-
Interface-Design-for-the-TVPlatform

Samsung User Experience Guidelines, Samsung Developers Forum
http://www.samsungdforum.com/Guide/View/Developer_Documentation/User_Ex
perience_Guideline_1.5

Google TV design patterns, Google Developers, Google Developers
https://developers.google.com/tv/android/docs/gtv_android_patterns

Opera design guidelines for Wii, Dev.Opera
http://dev.opera.com/articles/view/creating-web-content-for-tv/
Make your website TV friendly with our 10 great tips, Sam Nurmi
http://royal.pingdom.com/2012/03/14/make-your-website-tv-friendly-with-our-10-
great-tips/

Make your website TV friendly with our 10 great tips, Sam Nurmi
http://royal.pingdom.com/2012/03/14/make-your-website-tv-friendly-with-our-10-
great-tips/

APPENDIX
UX and TV
The Shift From Watching TV to Experiencing TV, Richard MacManus
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_shift_from_watching_tv_to_experienci
ng_tv.php

Designing for Context: The Multiscreen Ecosystem, Avi Itzkovitch
http://uxmag.com/articles/designing-for-context-the-multiscreen-ecosystem

Prototyping
Lean UX: Getting Out of the Deliverables Business, Jeff Gothelf
http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/2011/03/07/lean-ux-getting-out-of-the-
deliverables-business/


APPENDIX
Apple TV

Apple in talks to use Apple TV as cable box, report says, Hayley Tsukayama
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/apple-in-talks-to-use-apple-tv-as-
cable-box-reportsays/
2012/08/16/f5ad15d6-e796-11e1-8487-64e4b2a79ba8_story.html

Here Are Apple's Plans To Make TV A Thousand Times Better, Jay Yarow
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-apple-is-telling-cable-companies-it-will-make-
apple-tv-work-2012-8

Apple, Microsoft, Google and the sad state of TV, Janko Roettgers
http://gigaom.com/video/apple-tv-set-top-box/

Apple “iBox”: The Classic Concept and Renderings of Apple iTV, Farhat
http://hitechanalogy.com/apple-ibox-classic-concept-renderings-apple-itv-artist-2/

Apple's New Front in the Battle for TV, Jessiva E. Vascellaro and Shalini Ramachandran
http://online.wsj.com/article
SB10000872396390444233104577591713616924328.html


APPENDIX
Apple TV

More Apple TV Hints, Directly From Steve Jobs, Evan Niu
http://m.aol.com/dailyfinance/default/articleStory.do?category=main&url=http://www.dailyfin
ance.com/2012/06/15/more-apple-tv-hints-directly-from-steve-jobs/&icid=dsk_df_news

One on One: Walter Isaacson, Biographer of Steve Jobs, Nick Bilton
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/one-on-one-walter-isaacson-biographer-of-steve-
jobs/


MORE REFERENCE
Bodymetrics and Kinect

How Bodymetrics and Razorfish are out to Change Retail, Shareen Pathak
http://creativity-online.com/news/how-bodymetrics-and-razorfish-are-out-to-
change-retail/233471

Cord cutting

HBO, Here Are Those Cord-Cutting Stats You Asked For, Rebecca Greenfield
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/08/hbo-here-are-those-cord-
cutting-stats-you-asked/
55292/


APPENDIX
Connected TV Blogs
Lost Remote
http://lostremote.com

Techcrunch
http://techcrunch.com

Mashable
http://www.mashable.com

GigaOm
http://gigaom.com

Venturebeat
http://venturebeat.com


APPENDIX
Linkedin Groups

Connected TV
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2553526&trk=group-name

Emerging TV
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Emerging-TV-4543560?gid=4543560&trk=group-
name

UX TV
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/UX-TV-3773977?gid=3773977&trk=group-name

Smart UX
http://www.linkedin.com/search-
fe/group_search?pplSearchOrigin=GLHD&keywords=Smart+tv

Social TV
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Social-TV-next-generation-media-
2188349?gid=2188349&trk=groupname


APPENDIX
Image Credits

Slide 2: Scrap Television Graveyard – thesuccess
http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/738604

Slide 3: How Grandma Sees the Remote – Roz Chast
http://gizmodo.com/357331/how-grandma-sees-the-remote

Slide 4: Mobile Phone Evolution – Anders K. Larsen
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Mobile_phone_evolution.jpg

Slides 32, 33: iTV concept designs – ADR Studio
ADR Studio, http://www.Adr-studio.it/

Slide 36: Screenshot of XBMC Media Center home screen using default PM3.HD
skin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Screenshot000.png

Slide 40: Modern HDTV Stand – breda


APPENDIX
Image Credits
Slide 40: Modern HDTV Stand – breda

Slide 42: SMPTE Color Bars – Denelson83
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SMPTE_Color_Bars.svg

Slide 44: PlayStation 3 BD Remote (with and without PlayTV overlay) –
Alphathon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PS3_BD_Remote.png


APPENDIX
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Tiffany Milano @TiffanyMilano for her research assistance.


User Experience of Television

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