With
the looming government plans to turn off the nation's analogue television
signal between 2006 and 2010 i-TV is rapidly becoming a major frontier
of usability practice. If, as expected 99.4% of the population is
within range of the new digital signals and 95% have access to digital
receiving equipment, i-TV is set to become as integral to British
life as the telephone. A simple comparison between i-TV and the Internet
proves this beyond doubt.
In 2000, Internet penetration in the UK rose dramatically
by 12% to 34%. Digital TV penetration is 30%, around 7 million,
which could look unfavourable when compared to Internet penetration.
However, in less than a year, digital television has been installed
in about the same number of households as the Internet has in five
years. By 2008, digital television is expected to reach 18.5m households.
With the established presence of just a handful of pioneering retailers
offering their services or promoting their wares, this virgin market
is bracing itself for an explosive migration of business to the
medium. Imminent launches are expected from Virgin Trains, Orange
and Egg on top of this, interactive adverts from the likes of Orange,
Eurostar, Boots and Britannia will deepen the offering to viewers
of ITV Digital.
What role is usability to play in this? Well the answer is quite
simple Where the internet evolved from small and personal sites
into global brands, the conventions of design evolved with usability.
Of course there were mistakes along the way, but the medium could
afford this as there were so many operators. i-TV however is a different
prospect, where the internet was a village market of stalls and
local traders, i-TV is an enormous Mall, where every major retailer
will need to consider a presence and where the setup costs can be
huge.
Usability in this climate of big names competing
in users living rooms requires a service which is usable to every
member of a family, and easy enough for those without the tools
of a computer or knowledge of digital shopping to master at their
first transaction.
Traditionally usability studies involve one user at a time, but
as we all know, television is a social medium and debates can begin
over something as simple as choosing between Eastenders and Brookside.
For this reason the format of testing must be examined and honed
quickly and effectively. The frontier is open, and there is a looming
rush for the new market, Usability specialists will have a major
say in the eventual profile of i-TV and it is up to them to make
it as easy to navigate as possible.
Return to
newsletter |
