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BBC Object-Based Media
Creatively pitching ideas to the BBC for a project on how to create hyper-personalised experiences using object-based media that inform, educate and entertain its audiences.
My Role(s):
User Researcher, UX Designer, Visual Designer
Tools & Processes:
Design Thinking, Human-centered Research, Double Diamond, Experience Design, User Research, HMW Statements, Concept, User Testing, Pitching to Clients
*Book design by AJ Huxtable-Lee. Illustrations by Georgia Byron
How might we use object-based media
to create hyper-personalised BBC experiences?
In collaboration with a team of Digital Experience Design students at Hyper Island, our brief was to use human-centred research and design practices to help the BBC understand future audiences and their needs and visualise future scenarios. Then, develop creative ideas that use Object-Based Media to allow the BBC to help inform, educate and entertain their audiences that also align with the BBC’s public purposes.
Object-Based Media is content that’s tailored to your circumstances, preferences and devices, such as programmes that understand your viewing habits, and flex to fit or experiences that reflect the things you love, and offer extra information just when you might need it.
(You can find out more on the BBC R&D website)
As part of Team Divide, we conducted user research to understand how people consume content with their families, with a particular focus on young families with children. The BBC R&D team were looking to explore how they can use Object-Based Media (OBM) to create personalised BBC experiences.
Throughout our research, we discovered that although families spend time in the same room together, they often don't interact with each other because they are busy doing their own things on multiple devices. Additionally, the team found that 'voice will be the new interface' and decided that focusing on ideas that utilised voice as the main input was an interesting challenge to tackle
I came up with the portmanteau of 'devisolation' which we used as the focal point of the pitch to the BBC, which drove our ideas. The ideas were aimed at recreating the family togetherness while carrying out chores that would normally drive families to use technology as a childminder, through the use of OBM.
'Devisolation'
dee-VICE-oh-lay-shon
noun
a portmanteau of 'device' and 'isolation'. Social isolation within families that has been encouraged through the use of devices and media content within the same home.
"because of devisolation, our family is home alone together."
Through desk research and multiple interviews with young families, insights revealed that:
1. Families perceive quality time to be spending time together and interacting with one another.
2. Parents feel guilty when using screens as a childminder.
3. There are many concerns about children and screen time.
As a result of these insights, three possible opportunity areas were pitched. As the pitch was taking place in the BBC CBeebies studio, I came up with the suggestion that we could deliver our pitch in the form of a children's storybook. I even pitched in my pyjamas!
1. Encourage interaction with kids through personalised audio when using the BBC's Cook Along Kitchen Experience (CAKE).
When a parent is using BBC’s Cake to cook with their kids, the content can be personalized by adding a special audio layer for kids. The extra layer transforms the recipe into a game so that the child can interact with the parent in a playful way. This game can help young children learn where food comes from and gives them interesting facts about nutritional information that can inform, educate and entertain.
2. Create quality family time, by adding interactivity to the "cooking dinner" time using immersive Magic Leap technology.
A BBC application for the Magic Leap mixed-reality glasses that enables parents and children to have an interactive cooking experience. While the parent is cooking the child can use the Magic Leap glasses to see virtual content related to the meal or ingredients which can provide further fun facts. Examples of this include showing a potato field which shows the user the life cycle of a potato, the benefits it provides and also recipes that can be made with potatoes to inspire children to eat healthily.
3. Interactive personalised audio quiz game for families using BBC's content for clues.
Everyone loves a quiz and the third opportunity area pitched to the BBC was an interactive quiz for the whole family that uses a smart speaker and hyper-personalized BBC content to match the interest and the level of the individual players. Without screens that act as a social barrier the game makes it easy to make eye contact and create an active game for the family. Smart speakers that use omnidirectional microphones can pick up where each player sits and can be used to differentiate individual players.
