Multi-Modal Controller Usability for Smart TV Control

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to suggest a multi-modal controller type for Smart TV Control. Background: Recently, many issues regarding the Smart TV are arising due to the rising complexity of features in a Smart TV. One of the specific issues involves what type of controller must be utilized in order to perform regulated tasks. This study examines the ongoing trend of the controller. Method: The selected participants had experiences with the Smart TV and were 20 to 30 years of age. A pre-survey determined the first independent variable of five tasks(Live TV, Record, Share, Web, App Store). The second independent variable was the type of controllers(Conventional, Mouse, Voice-Based Remote Controllers). The dependent variables were preference, task completion time, and error rate. The experiment consist a series of three experiments. The first experiment utilized a uni-modal Controller for tasks; the second experiment utilized a dual-modal Controller, while the third experiment utilized a triple-modal Controller. Results: The first experiment revealed that the uni-modal Controller (Conventional, Voice Controller) showed the best results for the Live TV task. The second experiment revealed that the dual-modal Controller(Conventional-Voice, Conventional-Mouse combinations) showed the best results for the Share, Web, App Store tasks. The third experiment revealed that the triple-modal Controller among all the level had not effective compared with dual-modal Controller. Conclusion: In order to control simple tasks in a smart TV, our results showed that a uni-modal Controller was more effective than a dual-modal controller. However, the control of complex tasks was better suited to the dual-modal Controller. User preference for a controller differs according the Smart TV functions. For instance, there was a high user preference for the uni-Controller for simple functions while high user preference appeared for Dual-Controllers when the task was complex. Additionally, in accordance with task characteristics, there was a high user preference for the Voice Controller for channel and volume adjustment. Furthermore, there was a high user preference for the Conventional Controller for menu selection. In situations where the user had to input text, the Voice Controller had the highest preference among users while the Mouse Type, Voice Controller had the highest user preference for performing a search or selecting items on the menu. Application: The results of this study may be utilized in the design of a controller which can effectively carry out the various tasks of the Smart TV.