Insights from User Perceptions Towards the Design of a Proactive Intelligent TV Assistant

Recognising the potential to enhance the television (TV) experience, the integration of proactive behaviours in an intelligent TV assistant is thought to reduce the user’s interaction effort and promote a more natural, friendly and empathetic use. However, existing research lacks a comprehensive understanding of the desirable dynamic and features of proactive behaviours in the TV context and their effects on perceived empathy and overall user experience (UX). This paper discusses the appropriateness and usefulness of proactive behaviours in an intelligent TV assistant prototype, seeking insights into their effects on perceived empathy and UX. To operationalise the study, the Wizard-of-OZ (WoZ) method was used to analyse users’ perceptions of the design of the proactive scenarios that compose the prototype. The results showed that the prototype provided a good UX and was perceived as being empathetic. However, although all proactive scenarios were seen as useful some issues related to their suitability to the user’s context and preferences were identified. The results of this study provide significant contributions to the TV domain, highlighting users’ propensity to adopt proactive TV assistants and emphasising the importance of personalisation for better UX and perceived empathy.