ITC lead quest for Easy TV

The drive to make digital television more user friendly has entered a new phase with the launch of Easy TV 2002 on November 6.
The event was organised by the Independent Television Commission (ITC), the Consumers' Association and the Design Council, as part of an ongoing initiative launched last year to promote the need for easier to use digital television equipment.
Chaired by broadcaster Muriel Gray and opened by Dr Kim Howells, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the launch brought together designers and manufacturers of digital TV as well as politicians, broadcasters and consumer groups.
It followed the first Easy TV conference in November last year, aimed at highlighting public attitudes to technology, media consumption and digital TV.
New research unveiled at the launch recommended that a more user-centred design approach is needed for digital TV products in order to ensure that everyone is able to participate in and benefit from the digital television revolution. While the functionality of digital TV equipment is dramatically increasing, user abilities are not. The greatest impact of this trend will be on the ageing population which has most to benefit from enhanced entertainment and information services, but who are the group most likely to face the biggest usability barriers.
The strategic objectives of the Easy TV initiative are to encourage digital television manufacturers to place an increasing level of importance on making digital equipment and services easier to use and to include viewer inputs in the design phases of new products and services.
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