My television lets me step through the channels. To do this, I use the remote control’s CH button. Similarly, my television lets me page through the list of programs, five channels at a time. To do this, I use the remote control’s PG button. In fact, it’s one button for the stepping and paging functions.
The programs in the list are shown in numeric order, so smaller numbers are higher in the list. Pressing “+” will page the list up, so “+” leads to smaller numbers. Similarly, pressing “–” will page the list down, to larger numbers. This follows the same mental model as scrolling in a computer window, including the one you’re reading in, now.
In contrast, when I’m watching one channel (full-screen, so with the program guide hidden), the same two buttons have the inverse effect. The “+” button increases the number of the channel (which is like moving down in the programs list, not up). This follows the same mental model as a spin control in many computer programs.
Imagine using the one button in succession for the two functions:
first as PG to page through the menu
and then, after selecting a channel,
as CH to step through the channels.
I see in this an excellent problem for a practicum student or as a class assignment that’s combining user research, design, GUI, and handheld devices. Possible questions:
- What research would confirm that this is, in fact, a problem?
- If you confirm the problem, is it entirely on the hardware side? How many people are affected?
- Is there a business case to fix the problem?
- How could you fix it? What design methods and processes would you use? Why?
- How could you demonstrate that your design fixes the problem? Is there a lower-cost way to validate the design, and, if so, what are the trade-offs?
