User Interfaces for Interactive TV - A Case Study with End Users

The study described in the present paper investigates user interface metaphors for Interactive TV (ITV) services for residential customers. Due to the fact that ITV is an emerging technology, it was interesting to obtain information on user expectations and requirements regarding visual presentation and navigation concepts. The study investigated several entrance metaphors according to their acceptance and the ideas and suggestions for improvement they stimulated. A series of usability studies involving a number of representative test persons were conducted, applying a combination of various techniques such as the co-discovery technique and the thinking aloud method. The study's main results proved that the interface metaphors should above all be easy to use, support navigation and information retrieval for the variety of multimedia services offered. Finally, they must be accepted by the target users.