Media, Business & Tech

To create applications and systems that are easy to use, it is crucial to understand the user and the context in which the app will be used. Understanding the context helps design systems that anticipate use cases at a relevant time of use. The more unobtrusive and transparent the experience is at the time of use, the better the design. This means the user does not have to think about the device he is using, changes in the environment, or changes in context, and can rely on great functionality and ease of use independent of his situation.

 

In traditional systems, the context of use did not change much. Whether the use was in the office or at a personal computer at home, the surroundings were similar and there was no need to adapt to different environments. In today's world, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs provide different services in different contexts. These services are consumed by a variety of users and require different interaction models, use cases, and planning. For this reason, UX professionals should first design for the context of use in order to provide better experiences and ultimately enhance the intended purpose of the product.

Via Nicolas Weil

With the number of video formats and video-enabled devices growing, content providers are stuck with the extra cost and effort. Is being on every platform worth it?

 

The good news: As 2012 progresses, streaming media continues to reach more viewers worldwide than ever before. It appears that this growth will continue as increasingly more people watch content on web- and mobile-connected devices.

 

The bad news: The variety of web-connected tablets and smartphones continues to grow, as well as the range of mutually incompatible standards available for viewing streaming media. For content providers, this means that they have to serve more platforms than ever before, at their own expense.

 

The combination of these two factors poses major challenges for streaming media content producers and distributors. To get a handle on the issue, we’ve asked numerous industry experts to delve into the questions and answers linked to “getting your content on all devices”—including whether the effort is worth the expense.

 

Via Nicolas Weil