Technological innovations and growing audiences have advanced the television and video industries. This one-day, interactive workshop at TVX 2017 will bring together academics and professionals to understand the design challenges and opportunities that have arisen from development in three burgeoning areas: the VR/360 video space, voice interactions, and engagement of younger audiences and developing markets. Let’s come together and develop a framework for understanding how these new experiences have shaped the TV landscape.
This workshop aims to bring together the expertise of a diverse group of academics, industry practitioners, and others working in the television and video experiences space to build a shared understanding of the television landscape and how new technologies are rapidly evolving relevant use cases. We will lead structured discussions and brainstorming activities to explore the impact of VR, voice interactions, and access of emerging populations on watching behaviors. This interactive workshop should culminate in the synthesis of key opportunities of each emerging experience.
Since the introduction of the TV, the user experience has evolved from a single use case involving groups surrounding a single screen, with viewing limited to programming on 2-3 channels, to ever more complex systems involving competing and complementary technologies, devices, services, programming, inputs and interactions, contexts, and expectations which are further convoluted by the ecosystem of user, programmer and advertiser intentions. Most recent developments in this space include virtual reality, voice controls, and video apps targeted at young audiences.
Virtual reality technologies have taken video consumption to an unprecedented level of immersion. Though the idea of virtual reality has existed since Charles Wheatstone’s research into and development of the stereoscope in 1838, we are still trying to figure out what is practical in the near term, as well as its future applications. Virtual reality allows people to interact with content in a much more complex way than ever before. For the first time, consuming video content involves a physical aspect tied to the viewer’s present context. And while increased immersion may be impressive, virtual reality content is much more difficult to create than normal video, and viewing it comes with its own set challenges and social stigmas.
The emergence of voice control as a reliable interaction mechanism has opened the door for a new suite of possibilities. People can use their voice in lieu of a remote to conduct searches on their TV, and may soon be able to use voice as an authentication mechanism. However, machine voice recognition that is robust enough for consumers is still in its early stages, can only be used for simple actions, and is riddled with recognition errors. Social stigma and challenges in exposing interaction possibilities without a visual component currently limit the widespread adoption of voice control.
In addition to new technologies, the target audiences of these experiences have also changed. While older demographics still subscribe to cable TV and traditional outlets, younger audiences (13-18 years old) show a preference for online streaming experiences and mobile devices. Parents of even younger audiences, below 13 years old, are seeking ways to give their kids access to kid-appropriate content. Even very young kids access online content on TV.
These emerging areas present new opportunities and challenges for researchers and practitioners. In order to gain a better understanding that supports design and exploration in VR, voice controls, and needs of young audiences, we will bring together experts in the field to collaboratively articulate a framework based on their shared experience.
Please email us with any questions at yttvx2017@gmail.com