Elderly viewers identification: designing a decision matrix

Abstract

The central role that television-viewing plays in the daily life of elderly people motivate several research efforts towards the improvement of the benefits of companionship and information they seek from this media. Along with the advent of technical and interactive improvements, TV operators may provide the user with a more personalized television experience (with specific services that can, for example, increase the quality of life of the elderly) supported in a reliable viewer identification system. In this work, based on a prototype usage approach, guided interviews and direct observation of elderly viewers; we attempt to find the most suited viewer identification (vID) method for different combinations of social context, physical and psychological characteristics. A total of six vID methods were prototyped allowing the gathering of quantitative and qualitative data concerning the complex trade-off that influences the choice of the most suitable method. The analysis of these trade-offs was used to contribute for a decision matrix that, for a specific set of input values, returns the most appropriated vID method.