An Investigation of How People Multitask While Watching TV
The purpose of this research was to understand multitasking behaviors while watching TV. A more thorough description of this study can be found in the 2017 ACM Digital Library Publication.
Background and Research Goal: In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of TV UI interaction across different forms of video (live, internet-streamed, recorded, delayed-live, on demand, etc..) we must observe people in their natural environment, using their own TVs while they view their preferred content during their typical TV watching hours. This research was originally intended to surface purely interaction data, however, while documenting thousands of TV UI interactions during analysis, it became apparent to me that another element exists that impacts UI interaction, and the investigation to better understand the paradigm of multitasking while watching TV began. The goal of this investigation was to understand what types of multitasking events occur while watching TV, when the multitasking take place in relation to the TV content and whether tasks are related or unrelated to TV content.
My Contributions: I co-led the data collection phase of the study led the development of a systematic way for coding qualitative behavioral data (65 hours of recordings total) and independently pursued the investigation and analysis around Multitasking while watching TV. I published a white paper around How People Multitask While Watching TV, which I presented in Hilversum, Netherlands at the ACM International Conference on Interactive Experiences for Television and Online Video 2017.
Method: This study used naturalistic observation methodology, where two video cameras were placed in ten homes across the San Francisco Bay Area in order to capture how people watch television in their own home over the course of two-weeks. One camera faced the primary TV in order to capture TV interaction, while the other camera faced the primary TV viewing area in order to capture participant behavior while watching TV. After the video recordings were completed, retrospective interviews were conducted with each of the participants in order to gain rich qualitative insight on their intentions behind events where TV interaction occurred.
Outcome: It was found that multitasking occurred almost 40% of the time when people were seated in front of the television. Most multitasking occurred during TV programs — not during the interval between TV programs. Of the time people spent multitasking, 36% was spent on a device, mostly a smartphone. However, only 10% of device-related multitasking was related to the content being played on the TV.
Impact: This research resulted in “Top TV Watching Tasks”, which are leveraged while designing task instructions for all TV usability studies across our research team. This study also contributes towards the greater body of foundational knowledge around common multitasking behaviors while watching TV.
Example of view from two cameras, one facing the TV (left) and another facing the primary TV viewing area (right). Cameras fed into a multi-input splitter so that both views were merged side-by-side and time stamped:
