Designing the BRAVIA remote controller began in response to our users. As the functions of terrestrial digital broadcast-ready televisions have become increasingly complex, the associated remote controllers are becoming equipped with more buttons. Accordingly, more customers have begun saying that "remote controllers are too complex and confusing." In response to such concerns, our main theme has been to reduce the number of buttons and make these units easier to use.
Toward this end, we have set a priority level for each button and decided to place the channel and volume keys at the bottom of the remote controller. Contrasting button and base colors have been used to highlight the buttons. The buttons for more complex functions have been placed at top, with black selected for both the base and keys to give a blended appearance.
Most earlier remote controllers have been used not only for televisions but also for other devices. The remote controller for BRAVIA is, however, a remote controller that has been designed exclusively for television sets. For that purpose, with the aim of "easy-to-use" functionality, this remote controller has large channel keys in the middle. To increase the operational feel, from the beginning, we've aimed to make the letters bigger by repeating a trial-and-error process and have achieved the largest letter size we could possibly adopt. The indented position on the back (for fingers) was also studied to improve the operational feel.
Before deciding on the final design, many prototypes in various patterns with the actual weight were made and subjected to user tests. Through these user tests, we were able to reconfirm the different ways in which people hold and use a remote controller, depending on the person. When terrestrial digital broadcasting becomes widespread in the future, the popular demand for remote controllers will change. In such a changing environment, accordingly, we will continue to develop easy-to-use remote controllers.
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