Despite convergence in the telecommunications and media space, mobile and media companies continue to maintain their own standards, devices and technologies.
Understanding customer need is a critical step in delivering the better products and services that people will buy. For a product to be useful it has to be usable, and to be successful it has to be desirable too. Our inclusive design proposition provides understanding and delivery of products and services that are people centred, yet population aware, and above all, business focused.
By 2020, nearly half the UK population will be over 50. With the advent of advanced mobile services, accessibility is a challenge for mobile product and service providers. Existing and emerging regulations and standards need to be carefully considered.
Our work on digital TV is a case in point. We were appointed by the DTI to carry out research into how consumers engage with digital TV. One of the key objectives was to identify issues around the usability of digital television for all consumers, with a particular focus on individuals with special needs. This work showed that a substantial proportion of the UK population would be excluded from the TV service under an all-digital regime.
The need for accessibility has helped to highlight and solve problems common to everyone, and represents an important commercial opportunity. Building on the work with the DTI, we have developed a programme focusing on accessibility for mobile service providers.
