Posted Live from MEX

Speakers: Gus Desbarats, Chairman, and the Alloy design team.

How do real users interact with mobile multimedia content? Is it possible to design a device more suitable for consuming mobile multimedia?

Gus described a study with …

• 5 respondents
• all with prior mobile multimedia experience
• positively disposed to idea
• Age 24 – 33
• Sharp 903V 3G handset
• Involving Vodafone web/mobile TV/music/telephony

Mobile TV Observations…

• Used when time to kill – train, station, can watch exactly what want.
• Always watched in public
• Watch with earphones – too anti-social with speaker
• Became very disappointed with poor quality sound and vision, image size much smaller than screen.
• Lack of controls is a turn-off. Can’t scroll through channels like TV.
• Users are unsure about TV ergonomic – where to hold the screen/phone?

Ingredients for an ideal device…

• More immediate, simpler access
• More recognisable controls
• Correct form factor for content
• Better text entry
• Better coordination with broadband and home media servers

These requirements lead to an ‘ideal’ twin screen MMI device – a high res watching screen and lower res touch screen. This would provide one touch hard-key device access for different modes (camera, phone, music etc). This leads to very specific control screens/keyboards and portrait or landscape depending on the task.

Notes Posted Live from MEX – More detailed report, including panel discussion, will be available after the event.