INTERACTION DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR INTERACTIVE ...

Screens may change in the future as technologies become more advanced and
viewing habits change. For example, the advent of HDTV may mean that a greater level
of detail can be incorporated into the enhanced areas due to increased resolution. As well,
people may become accustomed to reading text next to video. As of now, however, the L
design seems to be the most graceful design for enhanced programming on the TV and
the Web.
Principle: Pay attention to existing standards
In chapter four, I surveyed the array of existing standards for designing for
television (including aspect ratio, safe areas, resolution, scan lines, color, typography,
etc.) and for the Web (including video, graphic safe area, resolution, color, typography,
etc.). As a general rule, when designing an iTV application that will be viewed primarily
on a television monitor, design for the television experience, and pay attention to TV
appropriate colors and fonts. The same holds true when designing applications that will
be primarily used on a computer monitor.
Mullet and Sano caution against the dangers of unwarranted innovation in
interface design: “Constraints free the designer to focus their resources on those portions
of the problem where innovation is most likely to lead to a successful product. The very
essence of the GUI lies in a desire to eliminate the need to re-invent common components
in every application. This not only makes the designer’s job easier; it also lowers the
barriers that slow user acceptance of the environment” (1994). In order to help facilitate
widespread acceptance of iTV programming in the United States, designers should pay
careful attention to existing standards in favor of widely innovative designs that raise the
barriers to user acceptance.
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