Presentation by the BBC's Head of Audience Experience & Usability, Jonathan Hassell and Chris Rourke, MD of User Vision (www.uservision.co.uk) on the benefits of usability and accessibility research for the web, and other media platforms. Presented at Internet World, London, April 2009
22. Researching New Media Experiences
Deep understanding of users
Applying proven and innovative UCD
methods
Learning and applying the results
Confidence & control
Challenges
Audience recruitment
Formative tests
TM
27. Researching the experience in context
Diary Studies let users record their
experience
Can enhance other findings
TM
28. Researching how things are organised
+++ My Programmes
+++ My Channels
+++ My Messages
+++ My Stuff
+++ Manage My Programmes
+++ Manage My Channels
+++
+++
TV
Radio
My Stuff/Profile
+++ Films
+++ [catch up TV categories ]
+++ Viewed
+++ Favourite Channels
+++ Available
+++ Categories
+++ Brand New
+++ Days
+++ Channels
+++ All
+++
+++
Guide
Scheduled Guide
+++ [a specific user account]
+++ Gmail
+++ Services
+++ A to Z
+++ Favourite Apps
+++ Featured
+++ New
+++ [a specific web application]
+++ Web Apps
+++ Manage
+++ Most Popular
+++ Last Chance
+++ On Demand
+++ BBC iPlayer
+++ iTV Player
+++ 4OD
+++ Demand 5
+++ [catch up Radio categories]
+++ Trailers
+++ Saved Searches
+++ [a specific recommended channel]
+++ Appearance
TM
29. Presenting & Discussing research results
Facilitator: “So if you did that and the
Radio stopped. What would you
think?”
Participant: “I’d be annoyed and
think why has it stopped?”
(M) Some people will not know how many
days the iPlayer covers. Despite having
lots of publicity, it should not be presumed
that everyone will understand that the
iPlayer covers 7 days. Some of the
participants did not know this and the site
did not explain it.
Recommendation: Tell the user clearly that
the iPlayer is for the last 7 days with a clear
message on the homepage or even
better, in the masthead of the page.
TM
30. EMP - Overview
BBC wished to test their next generation,
accessible media player with disabled users.
8 day diary study involving
6 blind, visually impaired users
2 physically disabled users
Users used a range of screen reader and
switch technology.
Post test debrief of all participants.
TM
31. EMP - Positive feedback
Being blind, I can’t read newspapers or TV Finding programmes using the
guides in the traditional sense, I often only category system is very easy. I
realise programmes have been on a few chose FACTUAL then HISTORY. Easy.
days after they have been broadcast,
Being able to go back and watch again is
of tremendous benefit to me.
iPlayer has the opportunity to
become the main way blind people
can easily access TV content. iPlayer
I discovered that if switch users want to
allows you to navigate television
pause the clip, all they have to do is scan
programmes using a screen reader.
once which gets them on to the Play/Pause
That’s a big benefit.
button to pause the video, and then scan
and select again to resume. Easy.
Very good. It was easy to use, on
the whole, and very user-friendly.
Signposting was logical and clear
throughout.
TM
32. EMP – Negative Feedback
Can we have some consistency please? Lacks sufficient tab focus highlighting for
For most programmes you use a Flash Switch Users. It is unclear.
based player but to listen live to Radio
Scotland I need to download and install
RealPlayer which I have had numerous
accessibility issues with in the past. I found the IPlayer Flash controls to be quite
inaccessible. I was never able to access
controls during playback.
it took a while for me to find radio
programmes on History. I eventually did a
search within the Radio Link, where I input
“history programmes”. This brought up
various documentaries on History.
Therefore, Switch Users would find it
tiresome without a Skip Navigation to jump
to the main content.
TM