Realisation of user-centred design – RBB

In ImAC we have deliberately chosen to involve users in the main phases of the project to get continuous feedback.

As a result of a number of focus groups involving end users held in November 2017, we have come up with several concepts about the presentation of accessibility services in 360° content. The outcome highlights the users’ desire to align the presentation of access services with existing TV-centred services. To assist the immersion of people from the target group in 360° content, several concepts to guide the user to the speaker as well as the position of the audio in the scene were discussed. The result was the definition of different presentation modes (details under D2.2).

These modes were implemented in prototypes with sample content. Additionally, we wanted to define the dimensions of the field of view in a head mounted display, in which the accessibility services (subtitles and sign language interpreting) can displayed while ensuring comfortable consumption. Both aspects were tested with small user groups starting in April 2018. The results will feed into new accessibility services to be evaluated in two consecutive pilot phases.

One of the more surprising results was that the users liked the idea, that the field of view will be, initially only, automatically changed towards the first speaker, to support orientation and identification of all speaking persons.

By Doreen Ritter

Tagged as: sign language, subtitles, user-testing