Usability evaluation of remote controllers for digital television receivers

In order to develop a useful and ergonomically attractive remote controller for ISDB (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting), which will begin very soon in Japan, we performed experiments with elderly and young subjects to evaluate the usability and the training effects of four types of remote controller: a button type, a trackball, a touch panel and a voice recognition system. We set the subjects the task of selecting an icon on a HDTV monitor as quickly and as accurately as possible using each remote controller. Semantic differential and ranked order questionnaire surveys were also conducted, and these results were analyzed statistically. The results showed that the trackball type was the most preferred, with no major differences in preference among the other three types especially for elderly subjects. From the analyses of the questionnaire surveys and operation time, we conclude that the reasons for the rankings obtained are as follows: Users preferred devices which they could operate without having to look down; Users preferred devices with which there was a significant learning effect in a relatively short period. It is considered that these are necessary conditions for an ergonomically attractive remote controller which users will want to use.