User-Centered Interaction Design Patterns for Interactive Digital Television Applications (Human–Computer Interaction Series)

When a new technology – such as interactive digital television – is introduced to a wider audience, ease of use is often critical to success. By focusing on these usability issues with the aim of supporting user acceptance for interactive TV, Tibor Kunert provides clear guidelines for designing the user interfaces on interactive TV applications. This guidance is presented in the form of design patterns, and a new approach is proposed that helps designers and developers to explore design alternatives and to evaluate the trade-offs that need to be made in order to maximise usability. The 42 design patterns containing 185 guidelines provide comprehensive and empirically-validated guidance for designing interactive TV user interfaces. A pattern language is developed which can be used for designing specific applications, for enduring usability, and for defining corporate style guidelines and developing application templates that help streamline the process of production. Technology is meant to make life easier and to raise its quality. Our interaction with technology should be designed according to human needs instead of us being required to adapt to technology. Even so, technology may change quickly and people and their habits change slowly. With the aim of supporting user acceptance of iTV, the focus of this book is on the usability of iTV applications. A method for developing interaction design patterns especially for new technologies is presented for the first time. The main characteristics covered in this new approach are: systematic identification of recurrent design problems; usability as a quality criterion for design solutions; integration of designers into the pattern development process including identification of designers' needs, and iterative evaluation and optimisation of patterns to encourage designers to accept and use them; usability testing to identify proven design solutions and their trade-offs; presentation of specific design guidelines. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introduction....Pages 1-17 Interactive TV Applications and Their Context of Use....Pages 19-46 Types of Design Guidance for iTV Applications....Pages 47-84 User Tasks and Requirements for iTV Applications....Pages 85-98 Design Pattern Collection for iTV....Pages 99-175 Method of Pattern Development....Pages 177-245 Conclusion....Pages 247-255 Back Matter....Pages 257-352