A week of intensity looms as MIPTV, MIPFormats and the inaugural MIPCube is no more than a couple of weeks away. MIPTV will most likely be the orderly chaos it always is, a whirlwind of deals, negotiations, meetings, champagne, cocktail parties, late nights and early mornings. MIPFormats, again, holds promise of interesting talks, a thrilling Pitch competition and great networking opportunities.
As for MIPCube, it looks like it could be a very interesting place to be. Not only is there a TV hackathon on a boat, there will also be a number of cutting-edge companies displaying their services and products and some quite interesting presentations during the course of two days, in a dedicated zone called Innovation Alley.
In a post late last year (“Knowing your audience – and their thoughts“), I wrote about UX testing of TV viewers, using the latest available technical equipment. At MIPCube, my colleagues from the MediaCity Lab will bring all their gear into play as they prepare to exhibit just how useful it is to actually know what your audience is thinking, feeling and experiencing. This is extremely interesting not only when it comes to produced content, but also as a part of the development process; basically testing what reactions and feelings your very ideas awaken.
I asked Sebu Björklund of the lab about what these new solutions can actually promise to deliver to clients.
Is it possible to integrate data to show your audience’s actual emotions when confronted with your actual product?
Sebu Björklund: Yes. By integrating all our methods and equipment into one product, any client can watch the test subjects as they experience the product or the content, and at the same time observe what’s going on beneath the surface. Challenging to explain, but easy to grasp when you see it!
Can you actually measure excitement levels for a given product, service or content and follow the results as the experience evolves?
> Yes. Depending on the product tested, some clients need to know the instant reactions – almost reflexes – while others are more interested in the long-term excitement, for instance when testing a feature movie. For us, that means we’ve had to tweak our services into a number of different options – think of a smorgasbord of test possibilities! – to suit all possible clients.
Is it then possible to measure engagement or frustration with commercial breaks, ad placement, product placement and so on?
> Actually, yes. For one client we did extensive research on ad placement and frustration levels, while for others the issues have been centered around demanding multitasking capabilities of consumers. We’re also moving into the area of testing the experience of using a second screen when experiencing content, which is an area we find very interesting.
To get to know the full extent of our lab’s methods, come see us in the Innovation Alley, March 30-31, at MIPCube (in the Gare Maritime, next to the Palais). And be sure to take in all the other cutting-edge stuff on offer as well!
Simon Staffans is a format developer at MediaCity Finland. The company is also deeply engaged in UX research and audience research. Staffans is also THE person to follow on Twitter when ‘mipping’ in Cannes!
It’s still not to late to register directly for MIPCube, nor to upgrade your MIPTV access to include our future-of-TV event. See you there!
