ExperienceLab

What will TV be like in 2020?

The rapid changes in consumers’ viewing habits brought about over the last decade by such services as Sky+ and Freeview show what can change in a short period in the TV domain. VOD and IPTV services through a set-top box have also emerged over the last decade but have been slower to make real changes to viewing habits. However, their impact is set to accelerate over the next decade. User interest in VOD is definitely present (as high usage of BBC iPlayer suggests) but ‘discovering’ content in broad VOD libraries, particularly on a TV screen, (or even thinking to consider VOD content instead of on broadcast channels) requires a substantial change in user behaviour. This change will only be brought about by UIs that really take account of user needs and so facilitate this change.

Why are radios not more user friendly?

So picture the scene, my new husband and I are on honeymoon in the Cook Islands just finishing a nice lunch by the beach when we hear there is a tsunami warning. So we head to our hire car in an attempt to get away from the waters edge and turn on the radio for more information. The reception isn’t great so, as the announcer starts to reel a list of where and when the tsunami is expected, in a bid to sharpen up the reception I hit the tuning button once. Sadly instead of sharpening up the signal it loses it altogether and persists on ‘searching’ through the stations perpetually without ever finding one.  

Revolution in connectivity for mobile devices?

I got to play with one of the Flip video cameras for the first time yesterday. These are video recorders, the size of a compact camera that seem to work brilliantly even in very low light and some models can even record in HD quality.

Beyond the video recording functionality, the aspect I was particularly excited to see was the reason for the name 'Flip'. The camera has a built in USB socket that 'flips' out from the side. I gather it also has any software required to transfer the videos built in. Whilst not exactly rocket science, this is a real innovation in connectivity and so user experience, and one I am delighted to see. No more hunting around for a memory card adapter or USB cable to transfer content could have a big impact on the regularity with which users transfer their content. 

Could we start seeing similar built in USB features on camera and mobile phones in the future? I do hope so.

Teen perspective on social networking

Work experience students can be a rich source of insights. Two teenage interns spent a week teaching us (older internet users!) about how they use social networking websites. 

They told us what they loved about the sites, what they felt was missing and how the sites fit into their lives. Naturally Facebook was a firm favourite, used whenever possible, but it was interesting to learn that Twitter did not seem to hold any appeal for them.