Allow users to select preferences on initial set-up, with universal defaults

Rationale

The equipment may allow users to adjust various features of the display and interaction to suit their needs and preferences. These possibilities are covered within the guidelines on on-screen interfaces. It is important to allow users to set these preferences during the initial tuning and set-up procedure. As well as meeting their needs as quickly as possible, this has the benefit of introducing the range of set-up options to them, including those that they may not need now but may want to use at a later point.

Directions and techniques

Present options on set-up

As part of the initial set-up sequence when the equipment is first powered up and connected to a display, users should be given the option to set whatever preferences the equipment allows them to alter. This can include such things as:

• Text size, colours and backgrounds in menus and the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG);
• Switching on content access services (subtitles, audio description and sign language interpreting);
• The choice of a simpler user interface, if provided;
• Favourite or hidden channels;
• User profiles containing personal combinations of the
  above settings.

Information about how these settings can be accessed and changed later, within the menus for example, can also be provided at this time.

Default to spoken output

If the equipment provides spoken output of the menus, on-screen programme guide, etc., this should default to ON at a medium volume level, with the option to turn it off and information about how to activate, deactivate or adjust it later.

Adopt universal defaults

Default settings should meet the needs of a wide range of users, reducing the need for individual users to alter the settings. For example, rather than using a very small text size and providing the option to increase it (something that may be difficult for people who cannot read the default size), a larger default size can be used.