NORCE will participate in the SFI project MediaFutures, starting in the autumn of 2020

To provide a foundation for a democracy, it is important that all are able to participate. This means that content or presentations must be provided in experiences that are adapted to their needs, be it circumstantial, disability, personal interests or technical aptitude.

In the project, NORCE will lead Work Package 4 - “Media Content Interaction & Accessibility”. This work package will address both methods and technologies for interaction between media content and users, from sensors to multi-device adaptations to personal needs.

The main research question is:

How can we make media content more engaging and accessible to all user groups in order to reach a wider audience?

An example of an experimental accessibility solution based on existing NRK content and infrastructure was created in a joint hackathon with NRK, NORCE and Motion Corporation, where basic hyper-personalization of the presentation was demonstrated. This allowed users to watch TV together, but use their personal devices, typically their phones, to adapt the experience.

In the hackathon, both a blind and a deaf employee of NRK participated, and a number of groundbreaking personal adaptations was possible. From adjusting the readability of the subtitles, to adjusting the clarity of foreground sound, hearing audio descriptions or even watching sign language - all this was available on any number of devices, in any combination. This demonstrated that in a single living room, with a single TV, a personally adapted experience can be had together without disturbing the experience for any of the other viewers.

The MediaFutures SFI is hosted by the University in Bergen (UiB) and is located in MediaCity Bergen. NORCE will participate with media researchers from Tromsø. For more information, contact Njål Borch.