The Minimal Remote: A Standard Input Device for Consumer Interactive TV

Abstract

This paper is a polemic and a plea. The almost complete lack of user interface conventions in consumer entertainment equipment, if carried over to the new world of Consumer Interactive TV (CITV), will result in chaos and confusion for CITV users as well as developers. Interface designers of computer software know exactly what sort of input devices a computer user will have, namely, a QWERTY keyboard with 83 to 103 keys, including 10 to 12 function keys, a control key, escape key, a tilde, slash, and so on. In addition, the user will have a mouse (or an equivalent pointer) with two unlabeled buttons, one for “selection” and the other for “menu.” This standardization of keys and labels allows great freedom in the design of software because software can be designed independently of any hardware. It also permits users to move from system to system with no relearning of the basic capabilities of the physical input device (albeit, how these “key primitives” are assembled into commands may require significant relearning.) As a community devoted to reducing the anxiety levels of consumers, our goal should be to create the same environment for CITV, a world that is a stranger to conformance and convention today. A basic set of core controls should be present on all CITV devices. We must define these core controls carefully because they will be the tools by which the future shape of CITV applications will be cut. In this paper, I argue that all CITV input devices should include • a pointer (with associated select key), • a twelve button dial pad, and • four function keys. Individual input devices can enhance this set of “core controls” (as a keyboard can add a separate number entry pad), but they should not omit any of them. I call this CITV input device with only the basic set of core controls a “Minimal Remote.”