Pro-IDTV: A sociotechnical process model for designing IDTV applications

• Published in: The Journal of systems and software 2019-08, Vol.154, p.234-254
• Main Authors: Buchdid, Samuel B., Pereira, Roberto, Baranauskas, M. Cecília C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Human-computer interaction; Interactive digital TV; Organizational semiotics; Participatory design; Process model; Socially aware computing
• ISSN: 0164-1212; 1873-1228
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2019.04.078

•This paper introduces a conceptual model and a new design process model, named Pro-iDTV.•The conceptual model and Pro-iDTV are grounded on a holistic and a sociotechnical approach.•Different practices and artifacts to support design activities are presented and explained.•A case study situated in a real setting of a TV broadcast company is presented.•Results from the case study exemplify the process in action and suggest its viability and benefits. TV is considered a pervasive social medium; with the arrival of digital technology, interactive Digital TV (iDTV) has come into existence, and TV usage has changed. On the one hand, these changes increase TV's potential in terms of its processing capacity, its potential to connect with other devices, and its ability to connect people to broadcasting companies in a two-way trade. On the other hand, these changes also increase the complexity of user interaction, as well as the social and technical challenges for designing solutions. Broadcasting companies may not be prepared to include iDTV application design in their production chain, and there are few theoretical references that can help them. This paper proposes a process model for iDTV named Pro-iDTV: a process for designing iDTV applications grounded on a sociotechnical approach that uses principles of Participatory Design and Organizational Semiotics. This process model was created and applied in a TV company, providing a practical understanding of the real forces that govern the organization, for, in addition, the process has the ability to tailor solutions to fit to this context. This study's results reflect the viability and benefits of the Pro-iDTV for supporting the design of iDTV applications in a practical setting.