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BBC Internet Blog details
Listing ID: 2225
Title: BBC Internet Blog
Description:
BBC staff discuss issues and technology related to the BBC's internet services.
Category: Internet
Owner:
listed on: April 16, 2009 06:39:25 PM
Number Hits: 1 times
Recent Posts:
| BBC iPlayer Beta: Less is More - Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:39:00 +0000 |
Good design is simple, reducing complex tasks to straightforward sequences of elegant interactions, making sure that there is no unnecessary step in the way. The big design challenge for the next version of iPlayer was how to create this simplicity in light of more features and functionality without overwhelming our audience. Let's consider the two basic tasks: find and play. The goal is to minimise our audience's time spent on the first task while maximising their time spent on the second one; ultimately discovery is just a means to enable people to watch their favourite show, which is why they come to the iPlayer in the first place. Thus, the primary design challenge was to elegantly weave the new functionality and features into the iPlayer fabric while keeping the user interface simple. The following four design strategies informed our solution framework: NavigationWe recognised that watching TV and listening to the radio are two different activities that respond to different user needs. The previous version of iPlayer mixed radio and TV content on each page. However, user data showed that very few people used the iPlayer for both at the same time. Radio and TV iPlayer use peaked at different times of the day and had little overlap. (Table 1 most likely overstates the overlap as the number reflect hardware not users).  Table 1: Average Daily BBC iPlayer Users In other words, very few people are indifferent to whether they watch TV or listen to the radio when they come to the iPlayer. This makes sense as watching TV and listening to radio are not perfect substitutes; TV is an immersive experience that tends to get the audience's undivided attention while listening to the radio tends to complement other activities and is a less immersive experience. People come to the iPlayer to either watch TV or listen to the radio.  Table 2: TV and Radio Use by Time of Day Therefore, we decided to make TV and radio the top navigational choice. The two pages, however, are identical in terms functionality and look and feel; it's only the content that differs. The TV page is the home page as more people come to the iPlayer to watch TV than listen to the radio. As a matter of fact TV and radio are the only two top navigational choices down from five in the previous version.  Image 1: iPlayer V3 Header This reduces V3 to three key pages: TV, Radio and media player. Fewer pages imply less navigation between pages and therefore less clicks to find content. The radical simplification of top-level navigation implies, however, that most of the navigation has to take place in context and in page which poses different challenges which will be discussed next.  Image 2: iPlayer V3 thumbnails of the 3 key pages (TV, Radio, EMP) BrowsingCollapsing Home, TV Channels, Radio Stations, Categories and A to Z into one page required us to rethink how content is accessed and bundled. Our design guidance came from considering the three primary discovery modes that we identified: browsing content, finding missed shows and exploring content of a certain type. The design of the TV and Radio page therefore consists of three parts that directly respond to the three user needs: the drawers on top of the page allows users to discover shows that they might not know about; the EPG on the lower left half of the page allows users to find what they missed; and the categories module on the lower right hand corner enables users to browse content by type.  Image 3: The three browsing modules (drawers, EPG, categories) The drawers enable all scanning behaviours, combining four different sources for content discovery: Featured (editorially selected), For You, Most Popular and Friends. Each of them has a different flavour that might appeal to different users at different times. As it is impossible to know beforehand what might be of interest to the users, they can easily switch between the different sources. Upon arrival the drawers are partially open to reveal the available options. As soon as they interact with any of the drawers, the chosen one expands to show more content. As soon as another drawer is selected, the focus shifts accordingly. The drawers are a playful and efficient way to surface content, making the best use of the limited screen real estate. Earlier design treatments considered having four different modules, each containing one of the sources. However, it became clear that that solution would break the simplicity of the navigation.  Image 4: The drawers default state  Image 5: The drawers selected state The EPG and the categories module, on the other hand, are more utilitarian by nature. The users know what they are looking for; the primary design challenge is to enable users to navigate the EPG or the categories and to get them to the searched item as quickly as possible. PersonalisationV3 personalisation features consist of For You, My Categories and Favourites. The different features are revealed over time as users engage with the content rather than all at once potentially overwhelming them. Favourites accompany the users throughout their iPlayer experience giving them universal access to their favourite shows at all times. Like a shopping cart it is pervasively accessible on top of the page connecting discovery - where shows are added - and watching - where they are consumed.  Image 6: TV Favourites in open state My Categories are woven into the categories browsing module, in essence bookmarking the ones of interest to the users. Once users have chosen their favourite shows and categories and new content gets surfaced in the For You drawer, discovery requires less active engagement: users will always be only one click away from accessing their favourite BBC shows. Less time spent discovering means more time enjoying.  Image 7: Categories Look and FeelThe new carbon fibre look and feel of V3 replaced the shiny look of V2 while keeping the distinct and iconic black and pink of the iPlayer. The new "materiality" of the interface gives the interface depth and texture that adds dynamic to animated components such as the drawer.  Image 8: Carbon Fibre look and feel details To underline the selected state in the top navigation a visual element inspired by the old radio dial was introduced while a streamlined font and color hierarchy was created to maintain a simple user interface. In a nutshell V3 offers new functionality in a new user interface that aims to make it easier for our audience to find what they want to watch or listen to. Streamlined navigation, new functionality and a new taxonomy will enable our audience to find more quicker giving them more time to enjoy the content. So what's next? We keep working to improve the experience with the goal to enable our audience to spend less time looking and more time enjoying on all platforms. The new iPlayer on mobile devices with Favourites launched recently and will soon launch on the other platforms as well. Fabian Birgfeld is Head of Product Planning, BBC FM&T |
| Who wants to be Senior Technologist, Internet Standards? - Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:52:00 +0000 |
The new role that George Wright mentioned in his recent update on the BBC and HTML5 is now up on the BBC Jobs website: The Internet Standards role involves liaison with various Internet and Web organisational and technical bodies to allow the BBC to influence and shape future standards, build prototypes to prove or disprove emerging research, and feed into new BBC products and services to create innovative new user experiences. You can read the rest of the job description on BBC Jobs. The closing date is 12 September. |
| What's On BBC Red Button 28th August - 10th September - Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:56:56 +0000 |
Reading and Leeds Festival* This festival season music lovers can press the re And join us from 6am on Monday 30th August for highlights of the very best performances of the festival. Sky/Virgin: Freeview: (Not available on Freesat) Reading and Leeds Festival Highlights Press RED each day for exclusive highlights from this years Reading and Leeds festival. We will be featuring a different band each day so don't forget to keep coming back to check out the action. Find out more about the Reading and Leeds festival on our website - bbc.co.uk/readingandleeds Sky/Virgin: Freeview: (Not available on Freesat) Cbeebies JAQ
Press the Red Button to play aquiz featuring some of your favourite CBeebies characters! Viewers canpress the Red Button to play along with a quiz, hosted by CBeebies'presenters Sid and Cerrie. The quiz features 10 questions on avariety of CBeebies favourites e.g. Something Special, Numberjacks,Big and Small, ZingZillas and many more. The quiz is choc full of greatclips from all the shows. It's justfor fun but viewers can play again and again to improve their score. Get moreinfo on all the CBeebies characters right here: bbc.co.uk/cbeebies The quizwill be available from Saturday 4th to Friday 10th September dailyon Freeview, Sky and Virgin. Sky/Virgin: Sat 4thSeptember, 6:00am-7:00pm Freeview: Sat 4thSeptember, 6:00am-8.50am Danny Baker
EverySaturday morning from 11th September, warm up for the weekend'ssporting action with Danny Baker's mixture of the wacky, the whimsical, and thedownright strange. Catch Dannyunder the BBC Red Button on digital TV, and on the 5 live and BBC Sportwebsites from 9am to 11am - find out which matches will be covered on the BBC,plus all the weekend's other fixtures. Every show,viewers' texts and tweets will appear on-screen, and we'll be asking you tosend us your photos too. FollowDanny on bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/dannybaker Sky/Virgin/Freeview: Sat 4thSeptember, 9:00am-11:00am (Not available on Freesat) Doctor Who Prom
Press yourred button for a VIP access all areas view of the Doctor Who Prom. Staged atthe Royal Albert Hall in July of this year, Matt Smith (The Doctor), KarenGillan (Amy Pond) and Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams) are on presenting duties,and you can see them talk about the Prom as well as their preparations as theyget ready to take the stage. Red Buttonviewers can also see exclusive music not featured in the main Doctor Who Promsshow as well as a look at the audience through the eyes of some of theDoctor Who aliens. Find outall the latest Doctor Who news at bbc.co.uk/doctorwho Availablefrom Monday 6th September. Sky/Virgin: Mon 6thSeptember, 9:25pm-6:00am (7th) Freeview: Tue 7thSeptember, 7:10pm-8:45pm & 9.40pm - 5:50am (8th) (Not available on Freesat) Prom: Maestro
Press thered button during Saturday's BBC Two Prom to watch a close-up cameraon conductor Sir Simon Rattle leading the Berliner Philharmoniker,with expert commentary from Matthew Rowe. Find out more about the BBC Proms at bbc.co.uk/proms Sky/Virgin/Freeview: Sat 4thSeptember, 9:00pm-11:10pm (Not available on Freesat) Dragons' Den - After The Den
TheDragons are back for an eighth series and for the first time viewers will beable to press their red buttons to venture a little deeper into the Den. Findout why the Dragons chose to invest and discover how the entrepreneurs feelonce they've escaped the rigours oftheir trial by fire. With behind the scenes footage and insights from all fiveDragons the access-all-areas Red Button shows are a must for fans of theseries. Onthe Dragons' Den website BBC Radio 1's Dominic Byrne will be meeting members ofthe public who will be putting the products pitched each week through theirpaces. A new business section offers a glossary of terms that link through torelevant pitches from across the series and we also have latest updates fromsome of the famous faces that have previously pitched in the Den. All thisalongside the regular comprehensive coverage of each week's main pitches. Anddon't forget you can share your views on the week's pitches via the website andon Twitter (@bbcdragonsden) Catchthe Red Button extra scenes every Sunday and Monday until 19thSeptember. Sky/Virgin: Sun29th August, 7:55pm-4:00am Sun 5thSeptember, 7:55pm-4:00am Freeview: Mon30th August, 9:55pm-10:50pm Sun 5thSeptember, 7:55pm-9:00pm Essential
Watch the best from the EdinburghFestivals on the BBC's Red Button. Enjoy extracts from The Culture Show and TheReview Show as well as highlights from all the rest of our TV, Radio and Onlinecontent. For more onall of this year's Edinburgh Festivals visit our website bbc.co.uk/edinburghfestivals Sky/Virgin: Thu 2ndSeptember, midday - 6:00am (3rd) Sat 4thSeptember, 6:00am-6:00am (5th) Freeview: Fri 3rdSeptember, 11.45pm -1am & - 4.10am - 5.50am (4th) (Not available on Freesat)
The RoyalEdinburgh Military Tattoo is the most famous military spectacle in the world,and in 2010 it celebrates its sixtieth birthday. In this archive-richdocumentary Bill Paterson tells the story of how the Edinburgh Tattoo grew froman all-Scottish military pageant into an internationally-renowned event, withacts from across the globe joining the traditional pipes and drums and militarybands on the esplanade of Find out more at - bbc.co.uk/edinburghfestivals/ Sky/Virgin/Freeview: Mon30th August, 7:55pm-9:00pm Get Baking
Digitalviewers can press red after the BBC Two series The Great British Bake-Off,for Get Baking and help raise moneyfor Children in Need. Afterwatching judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood challenge the contestants to bakesome of their best recipes on BBC Two, Red Button viewers can watch the judgesbake each of these recipes to a winning standard and learn how to do itthemselves. This is apart of a BBC Learning campaign to get the nation to learn how to bake and goon to raise some money for Children inNeed. Get Baking atbbc.co.uk/food Watch on GetBaking on the Red Button after every episode until 25th September. Sky/Virgin: Tue31st August, 8:55pm-4:00am (1st) Tue 7thSeptember, 8:55pm-4:00am (8th) Freeview: Tue31st August, 8:55pm-9:30pm Tue 7thSeptember, 8:55pm-9:30pm (Not available on Freesat) News Multiscreen: Video Choice
Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock) BBC Sport Multiscreen*
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