Differences to Note - TV versus The Web

Designing usability and navigation for TV can sometimes tend to be very tricky. Most of us are strongly acquainted with how an Internet Browser works. But TV is a whole new paradigm.

The best example that can be sighted here is the function of the 'Back' button. In case of the web, pressing the back button on your browser will take you to the previous page where as in case of interacting with the TV, pressing the back key will take you one level up in the navigation. This is because we are looking at a more confined and restricted navigation realm.

The best example here is a 'DVD of a Movie'. You can choose from the main menu what you would like to watch - movie, credits, interviews or xtras. Once you are in one of those sections and you decide to go back, you arrive at the main menu.

This is where it gets interesting - On one hand, you have several functions that need to make your TV experience interactive. And on the other hand, you have only a handful of keys available to perform those tasks.

REMEMBER - In most of the cases, there is no MOUSE. You will have keys from 0-9, +, -, Back, Forward, Up, Down, Select or OK and in certain cases Multiple function keys called as 'Hotkeys' - Red, Green, Yellow, Blue. (Refer to the picture of Generic Remote in the previous post).

So what are the things that we need to consider while designing for TV?

.......coming up in the next post.