I'll briefly go through the  notes of the of the last meeting  just done in in note form and I haven't attributed anything to individuals , because we're working strictly as a team here and  n nobody's working equally , user interface: Sorry .  we we s we saw that the the problems with existing remote controls were the  b a boring shape and boring colour .  and and we s we saw that the  what we needed to do was to to make sure the device  controls several items , that switching was easy , that you shouldn't need to point the thing at  anything in particular ,  that it need to be contoured to make it interesting , that the keys might be concave , simply because that hasn't been done before that we know of .  should have interchangeable fascias so people can personalise it ,  illuminated so that people can see it in dark rooms .  before I do that , however , I will go through some new project requirements that  the the management have placed on us and  will be challenging in terms of what we discussed at the first meeting .  the  the ma the management has had it's own thoughts on this and  the they don't necessarily agree with with what we  we thought .  and and then we'll as a result of that we will then talk through the the functions that we see the the device  actually b carrying out , and we have  forty minutes to do this in and I  Anyway . Now , the n the new requirements are  the the management team see that  teletext is no longer of any importance given the  the rise of the internet .  now , what is not q quite clear from their directive is whether they mean th they don't want it to cover teletext or whether they don't want it to cover , you know , videos , D_V_D_s ,  satellite boxes , which   we saw as being fundamental to the  to the exercise .  and on that basis  I I think we we need to bear that in mind ,  but possibly  keep at the backs of our minds that the reality that people even when they  no longer they don't look at teletext anymore , they certainly do look at other things .  the the logo  being at b the bottom of the screen there , the the the two R_s in grey against  a yellow background .  now this doesn't necessarily mean that we have to give up some of our ideas about making it attractive to the t to the market .  it also has to be simple , which to some extent goes along w with the first one , and that we've already said that it must be simple 'cause that's what people want anyway .  but they also want it to be simple to get it to the market quickly , which    is is is their choice , but   we we need to talk that through .  okay , so  after the meeting it'll be summarised and  industrial designer: user interface: project manager:  notes sent out and  etcetera .  again I there is no order of precedence here  so I I I'll leave it up to you to who who who thinks they would like to go go first ? marketing:  I don't mind . project manager: marketing: I got a how do I start there ? project manager: Oh , if you click on the   the one that that looks like a projection screen , no the one to the right of that . Took hundred people and covered all the aspects of what  is needed by people and what they want to see .  everything kinda from functionality and how individual functions are how mu how how often they're used and how much their necessary and stuff .  along with  looking less ugly , if it looks better , eighty percent of people said they'd spend more money on it . Which is a a plus for us , if we can make it look better , it'd be  more cost effective and we can put the price up . I can empl I kinda take that to mean as  they they don't  they , yeah , they only use they only work for the television or yeah like as in in my flat I've got six remote controls for a stereo system , a digital box , a D_V_D_ player , a video player and T_V_ . If it was   th my behaviour is to use multiple things at the same time and multiple remotes aren't really matched well to my behaviour . I took to mean that they just they use it a lot , they use it regularly rather than standing up and manually change channels or volume . And  yeah ,  I think the big issue is fifty percent users only use ten percent of the buttons , 'cause  wh if we got a remote that like well we'll have some buttons taken off by the lack of teletext , but  oh and we're going to see  on the  that some of the functions like audio settings aren't h hardly ever used and used very aren't considered relevant by the user . marketing: I dunno maybe some kind of system of you press a button on the T_V_ or maybe that's b it would have to incorporate , but like some kind of system where you can f use something else to find the remote control . And  , yep , the  time taken to learn new remote controls is  don't want to make it too complicated , easy to use for  new like first time users and stuff . And  repetitive strain injury , I suppose we should make it more comfortable and make ma possibly even use have to make it , yeah , fewer buttons , like I was saying about the whole mice the mouse idea of it feels more comfortable . project manager: Gosh , must be some telly addicts out there if they get R_S_I_ from their television remote , is all I can say . It also asked  if we would if people would pay more for speech recognition project manager: marketing: and younger people say they would . And  there was another section on our on the report for  L_C_D_ displays , but the data wasn't there , so . project manager: Yeah , I must say that  the  I c can't remember what  f you know phone service I was using the other day , but that had sorta speech recognition which worked  remarkably well , so that is indeed a   a thought marketing: And  it would cut out the R_S_I_ as well if you project manager: and it it cuts out  I was was gonna say , you can't get a lot of R_S_I_ , industrial designer: project manager: j just get jaw ache . marketing: Yeah ,  oh yeah , so possibly the speech recognition is possibly something could add into the design .  functionality ,  like people's opinions on functionality , the relevance to the remote and how often they're used . Using the using the d swi the power switch to switch on T_V_ is a high relevance of nine , but it's not frequently used . So m we can maybe even start to cut down on or I was possibly even thinking of a design that maybe some of the buttons are hidden from everyday use . And keep the v volume selection and channel selection very easily user interface: It could be oh  I was just gonna say  maybe like the flip phones that they use ? industrial designer:  . user interface: that flip out and they have the like texting , and then the numbers on one side , marketing: Oh yeah . project manager: If people really don't use those buttons to any extent at all  remove them altogether . marketing: Just remove them completely ? project manager: We we could actually have we could actually have a remote control with  user interface: That might be the project manager: I wonder whether we could get the remote control with no buttons at all if we went for voice recognition , given that  the  now the the age structure we were looking at   w we had usage by age structure , what we didn't have was what proportion of people using remotes were in those particular age groups . project manager: Forty no sorry for forty five to fifty five age group ,  to put myself right in the middle of it ,  u use remote controls to a great extent . marketing: industrial designer: project manager: Yes we marketing:  no this is for pay more for speech recognition . So , we're looking at  well again , we don't know the relative proportion the relative numbers in the age groups . project manager: If we wanted something different , truly different , then the buttonless remote control w would be it . industrial designer: P Well the only problem I can think of with that is if you've got a lot of people that don't wanna be bothered learning how to use new rem remote controls . If you just kind of take away everything that they're used to knowing , that's gonna be quite a change . project manager: But if you just lift it up and say , channel one or B_B_C_ industrial designer: It might marketing: Or even  you could even just have it left on . user interface: Maybe i marketing: You could just put it down once on top your T_V_ and never have to user interface: Yeah , have a big kind of like the satellite box or the cable box project manager: user interface: and have it just go on the T_V_ and then it doesn't matter where in the room you are , industrial designer:  . project manager: It c well it I can I can see technical problems with that in terms of the , you know , the sound from the television , industrial designer:  . project manager: because if somebody actually on the television says   , you know , I_T_V_ and you're watching B_B_C_ then then it might  change itself , marketing: B_B_C_ one . marketing: project manager: so it probably needs to be  possibly actually need a button on it user interface: Yeah , that's true . project manager: Or or something just to identify that you've lifted it up and it's use . And and then just say , oh I don't know , a thought and and then user interface: Yeah . project manager: marketing: Relevance of two out of ten , project manager: Vol volume , marketing: yeah . project manager: yes  industrial designer: They're not used often project manager: th industrial designer: but they are quite important when they're used . And  I would say ignoring ig ignoring power for the moment ,  the channel and volume industrial designer:  . project manager: and th w w given given that we've been told to ignore teletext . So if we can design something that that looks interesting , know , or looks different ,  incorporates the the logo and and the colours and  we can still have our interchangeable fascias even if it's the yellow and grey ,  and  I dunno , buttons or or buttons as an option . marketing:  you were saying about  it could technical problems of like  someone on the television saying a channel number and it changed project manager: marketing: 'Cause I've seen I've seen this used on computers before , where you just you address the remote , project manager: Depe  i depends whether  industrial designer:  . project manager: if we want to make this so simple that anybody can walk into the room and lift it up and say marketing: Oh I see . marketing:  I'm just thinking of the point of view of peop you could still like lose this remote . project manager:  and I I I s so I suppose one  could make it so desirable that if people lose it they immediately go out and buy another one . Do you want to just carry on with marketing: Oh no project manager: or marketing: I I interrupted you , project manager: no no , no  b I was in the middle of in the middle of your report there . We could make things much more f I think the the eighty percent of people would spend more on  a remote  that looks better , combined with  decrease the or take out the limited functio functions that we don't really use much . alright take out teletext , but as for channel settings and stuff it might it might  turn people somewhe peop some people that want the whole functionality away . But , since if we're marketing a more kind of fashionable approach then it'd it would be fashion and fashion over practicality . S s we could we could make it dual function voice recognition and still have buttons on it  marketing: Oh , we could , yeah . We c yeah , project manager: 'cause we're marketing: we could even have it as like a yeah the buttons control this and the voice functions control the f things that you would do all the time , so . marketing: So  yeah , if we could  power on and channel selection and and volume selection , wouldn't have to really project manager: The  the the advantage of doing away the buttons altogether is it makes the thing cheaper . project manager: No , it cou certainly opens up the possibility for making it  , you know , visually very distinctive . Okay , who sorry , have you have you finished there Andy ? marketing:  yeah , yeah , that's everything . marketing: Do you want the cable ? user interface: Yeah , let's see if I can make this work . user interface: So the method , I looked online for examples of other similar products and then just kind of was trying to brainstorm some possible design ideas and  identify what the necessary things are , what people are what you really wanna have a remote control do . There's a user centred one and an engineering centred one which I will have pictures of and then we kinda have to decide which one this should be . This one  this is the user centred , it has  quite a few    fewer buttons marketing: user interface: and then this is the engineering centred , which has a lot more buttons , project manager: user interface: and probably this is one that people complain about , about having too many buttons that you don't use . So basically , what a remote control is is you it's to send messages to the television set , you know , turn on , off , switch the channels and the volume and things such as that . And so for this product it's gonna be television only , and then it has to have the  logos for the company and the colours . And so , for my personal preferences , I think this one is easier to use and has quite a you know , fewer buttons .  we want something that sends messages easily to the television and I was kind of wondering about this example that they have . It looks kind of narrow at the top , and I was thinking maybe if it were wider at the top , project manager: yeah . E the unique style , maybe have it light up so it's visible in the dark ,  the changeable face-plates , and the lighting up and visible I was when we were talking about havi losing it , maybe to have a button on the television that you press and it maybe if it makes a noise or lights up or something like that , so it's easier to find if someone has hidden under the couch or something like that . project manager: Okay , can I  I'm actually gonna use the  it's gonna cause great technical problems over here . industrial designer: Oh yeah , they're all they're not connected to anything on the table , you just leave 'em on and walk around with 'em . project manager: Yes , rather than the  the the traditional in fact ,  I won't even go that far .  something like this shape , you know , sort of something that you can that's sort of a more vertical shape ,  that you you sort of hold in your hand , well I'm trying to think    l  l such as   something you hold up like that , possibly with a couple of buttons like that , but with the the entire top with the , you know , the  the infrared or whatever source . project manager:  so that you know , it's flying off in all directions , industrial designer:  . project manager: so that    again the n need to look at the the the technicalities of  actually achieving that in terms of whether the , you know , the power requirements of the  such a source ,  you know , compromise the our our need for  you know , it it being   permanently  you know , available . industrial designer: project manager:  whether whether different technology   th all all these remotes are presumably infrared , and like they have been for a long time .  we we possibly need to be looking at at at something different ,  you know , short range , not like the old  radio remote controls where you'd change next door's telly when you change yours .  industrial designer: user interface: project manager: but   I think basically i if we're going for i if minimum number of buttons is our priority , then we should , as I say , r know , really bite the bullets and and reduce the buttons to absolute minimum , you know , possibly with backup channel and volume buttons and on off .  so that it can al it could  almost end up like that , but again , except that  you know the risk of losing it .  anyway okay  so Kate , wh what are your  your thoughts on this ? industrial designer: Yes ,  . industrial designer: Which one does this plug into ? user interface:  I think it's all there . user interface: H industrial designer: I can't did you could you see it on you screen when it user interface: Oh yeah .  the basic function of the remote control is to send messages to another sh system , the the T_V_ or the D_V_D_ player or whatever . marketing: industrial designer:  and it does this  by well , you need to start off you need an energy source and this energy source will feed into an integrated circuit chip and the circuit chip is the part that actually composes the different messages  within the remote  which will then be sent to the  the television , the D_V_D_ to tell that what to do .  and you need a user interface , which controls the chip and thus the messages and  the user interface is that's basically just you kn the s sorta design of the actual remote which you hold in your hands and what buttons will be on it .  what we need  technically speaking for the remote control is some sort of energy source ,  some sort of user interface , which I think we've mostly been talking about the user interface and the design of that . industrial designer: which feeds into the circuit chip  which maybe then we could have that feed into a switch which would send signals f to  a subcomponent and on to a light bulb between so it'll light up once we start once you start pressing buttons .  also send signals to the  infrared bulb , which will be the part that actually what ? Sends signals to the the television . user interface: industrial designer: And so my personal preferences I I just think we need sorta big  energy source that won't die out ,  perhaps some sort of rechargeable battery or a battery dock you could place it in , so it'd constantly be charged , so you wouldn't have to  be worrying about it running out of batteries and not changing channels for you .  a wide range  sender-receiver , so that you can hit the buttons from basically anywhere in the room , and the channel'll still be changed .  also definitely a user-friendly interface  and I think we've all sort of mentioned adding a a locating device on it , so when it does get stuck under the couch cushions , as they inevitably do , you can find them easily . project manager:  I don't suppose we've got any statistics on the the life expectancy of  remote controls , particularly sort of independent ones .  given you know , the number of things you buy these days , which you know , have a a a lithium whatever battery in , that's  , you know never needs replacing . industrial designer: project manager:  perhaps we should have the the disposable remote control ,   you know , one some sort of typical usage . By which time  when all's said and done , the digital television will be taking over in that time scale . project manager:   p perhaps we should , know , reduce the  , you know , the sort of moving parts even more by not even having a battery compartment and  industrial designer: Just having one that's guaranteed to last five to ten years ? project manager: Yeah , and if if anybody manages to run it down , we'll we'll give 'em a new one . user interface: project manager:  it's , you know , it's what it saves in cost and you know there there's a well , it's actually a marketing gimmick .  so I th think you know the idea of a rechargeable one is   unless you're really high tech and it sort of just recharges itself if it's n by , you know , magnetic waves or whatever , if if it marketing: It could have like  know like a cordless phone in your house it s got like a base that sits there all the time . industrial designer:  yeah user interface: I would think that people might forget project manager: I I th I think user interface:  people forget to put their cordless phones back on there , marketing: industrial designer: project manager:   I know that somei times my my wife goes out in the morning and says oh I should have put the phone on to charge industrial designer:  . project manager: and then then she's had those for so long that if she hasn't worked that out by now . Yeah , when it turns itself off , that's when I plug it in , project manager: Yeah , yeah , yeah , so   industrial designer: yeah . user interface: project manager: what so wh what what do we think about the  the the permanent  battery ? industrial designer: Yeah , think that's a good idea . project manager: Is the  you know , we we we are really going for the ultimate in ex  external simplicity here . project manager:  you know , cut cost within the manufacturing and  you know , if we have a high tech interior , then then that that sh may well be cost effective .  I can't think of anything off the s top of my head , industrial designer: They usually have the little light  source , project manager: but there are certainly things that you buy . industrial designer: I dunno what the heck they're called , user interface: Yeah , they have that little solar industrial designer: the but project manager: Som well some do , industrial designer: yeah , the little cells that project manager:  th th but there are battery ones industrial designer: Yeah . industrial designer: Most of them , don't they have sort of a combination of the two , like when there is light , they'll work off the light , project manager: Yeah , industrial designer: and if there isn't , they'll kick into this battery , project manager:   industrial designer: so we can maybe do something like that whereas there is a battery , but if there's enough light , then it's using the light , so that it's not actually draining the battery all the time , but you will have the battery there for when you need it . project manager: I would think is i is is probably , you know , no more than minutes in its entire life . industrial designer: Oh , it depend if it's  depends who who's using it , who's just sitting there clicking clicking clicking clicking , user interface: Yeah , some people are project manager: If , but I say if if people are getting R_S_I_ from it then  then  then then perhaps we're looking at the wrong market industrial designer: yeah . marketing: W project manager: n marketing: like like this  this  market research thing says number of times per hour that it's used , channel selection a hundred and sixty eight user interface: Per hour ? project manager: Right . project manager: Oh , I must admit I hadn't  I'd I'd missed that . user interface: marketing: But then again , if you think it of the amount of , you know amount of use it's like project manager: Yeah . project manager: Well that's right , and and I I don't I don't even know whether the I don't even know whether the s the signal lasts as long as you actually keep the button pressed , industrial designer:  . project manager: sorta tenth of a second , no matter how long you press it for , I don't know I don't actually know . user interface: Though I think with digital T_V_ , like I know on my cable box , you're not supposed to do that because the channel can't keep up with it if you just press it like that , project manager: Yeah . user interface: so you're supposed to use the menu and go through the different project manager: industrial designer: project manager: Right , so I've got a message to say five minutes , I dunno how long ago that appeared . Possibly no buttons at all  , but if you can incorporate  channel change and volume buttons  in into the design , then then that's fine .  in the  the the role of the of the  the user interface des designer becomes b you know more important here , because , you know , shape is no longer an a   a serious constraint .  I don't see why we shouldn't go for voice recognition  and the the only buttons that I think we need are channel control , volume control and on off .  it needs to incorporate the corporate logo ,  the the grey and yellow colour scheme and there's no reason why we can't introduce  interchangeable  covers . So are we doing just the television or are we doing so not D_V_D_ players , project manager: No . project manager: I think that's quite clear from the the information that we've been given , industrial designer:  . marketing: Didn't you mention the teletext , just television only ? project manager: Oh yeah well th that's one I s that's one I sent you , industrial designer:  . industrial designer: project manager: Okay , so  we can all give some thought to that  for for the next meeting , thank you very much indeed