Specification and evaluation of an attention-aware remote control

This paper defines requirements for entering text in interactive digital TV, based on theories of shared attention, in order to prototype a remote control that makes user interaction more natural. Physical prototyping of this newly created device features movement recognition and sensory feedback as modalities of interaction. In usability tests, data was collected on users' performance and satisfaction, as well as data on their cognitive load (attention) and state of meditation (relaxation) captured through an Electroencephalogram device. The results showed that the prototyped solution, analyzed for a sample of 18 users, increased performance in typing long texts in 26.5%, raised satisfaction scores by 15% and relaxation scores by 29.4%, and maintained the users' cognitive load compared to use of an infrared remote control.