Evaluating Layout Usability for Webtv Access

WebTV is a device which enables access to the Internet using a TV set rather than a conventional computer. User interaction is typically supported by a remote control. This results in a discrete approach to intra-page navigation, which yields specific requirements on page layout. We analyze the factors of page layout that may hurdle discrete navigation of web pages, and we propose a metric supporting a quantitative evaluation of their usability in a context based on a WebTV device. This can serve to evaluate the accessibility through WebTV of sites that have been developed according to the good practice of design for conventional access based on a PC. It can also serve to support competitive evaluation of different layouts and to evaluate the impact of possible alternative choices of design in the construction of a web page.