More Teen Lab TV Research: Giving Teen True Control of Their Televisions

This is part three of a three part series on our recent research on the TV habits of our Lab Members from all over the world. Here’s part one and part two if you missed them. If you have questions or want a briefing for your organization, please let us know.

Sure, we learned in part one of this report that nearly 100% of our Lab Members control what they watch, but in today’s world, does that really translate to control? When we use our computers, we can rapidly find what we want and save it – in any folder with any name. But that’s not possible with television – and boy did we get an earful about that. So what do today’s youth want? Here goes:

I want to save my shows.

Our Lab Members want to store what they want, where they want it. And there’s lots of it. They want it to be flexible and adaptable and, most important, easy. This would be from any device they are using at the time because they imagine a world where what they watch is more important than what they use to watch it. Get it? The device is a means to an end, not a destination. The will choose the best tool for the job: on the bus, it’s the phone; on a plane, it’s their iPod; doing homework, it’s their computer; just chilling, it’s the television. And like that.

My shows need to move with me.

Not a difficult concept – conceptually – but still nearly impossible to get. They tell us to imagine a world where they have their stuff, including television programs, let’s say on a thumb drive. They watch their show (from the thumb drive) on their computer at school (okay, during a study break) and then move the thumb drive to their phone (watching the same show) and then move the drive to their television when they get home – still using the same thumb drive! Priceless.

I want to share my shows.

So take that same thumb drive and let them pass selected portions of that stored content – the shows they want to share – and let them pass it to their friends. And they want to share with more than one at a time. Better yet, they want to “push” a show they are watching to their friends so they can watch together. As we already know (see part two) finding content is a huge challenge. But once someone finds it, they really want to share it. In fact sharing it makes them “cool” because it was so hard to find. We need to help them do this.

Okay, that’s our wrap on our television research for now. We are constantly doing new studies and we have some great research in the can. We are here to share this information with you and we’re happy to do a briefing for you and your team. Just let us know.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, lest you think our work goes unnoticed, a delightful video from the folks at CNET: Top Tech Flops. Wonder where these product managers ended up...

CNET: Top Tech Flops

New Teen Lab TV Research: What We Can Do to Improve the Viewing Experience

This is part two of a three part series on our recent research on the TV habits of our Lab Members from all over the world. Here’s part one if you missed it. If you have questions or want a briefing for your organization, please let us know.

After reviewing the feedback we got from our Lab Members in our television study, a few things became clear. As the creators of the technologies they are using, there are things we can do to add value to the viewing experience. Here’s what tops the list:

Make finding shows easier.

In the video below, I think our Lab Member from Israel says it best. She’s busy, pulled in a million directions and yet she wants to see her favorite shows. And she needs our help. Teens want to watch TV when they have time and that means they first need to find them. They want to do that using all their devices – phone, computer, television and more – and they want it to be even easier than using iTunes.

Make search match the way they think.

Here’s the second part of their request – how they look for their favorite programs should be based on the way they think – not how we think. That might take a minute for your adult brain to understand. What they are saying is “sitcom” is not necessarily the best description of Hannah Montana, yet if you are using a conventional TV search engine, that’s probably how it’s listed. Teens don’t think in broad, adult-driven categories based on some strange lexicon attached to the entertainment industry.

Add intelligence and make it personal.

We need to make TV search adaptable and intelligent so it learns the user’s individual preferences which are not often considered in a television setting. All too often television preferences are collected in the aggregate – all viewers. Even today my TiVo learns from my household (rather than for me and then my daughter) which creates an eclectic mix of recommendations based on Cartoon Network and “24” as my daughter and I duke it out for TiVo control.

We’ll have part three for you on Monday. In the meantime, please let us know if you would like a private briefing on the complete results.

Update: Read part three!