Media Guidance Application Disability Compensation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing media accessibility methods fail to effectively compensate for individual user disabilities, as they are not customized and primarily focus on transcribing dialogue, neglecting the overall context of media assets, thereby limiting comprehension for users with sensory impairments.

Innovation Solution

A media guidance application determines user disabilities and supplements media assets with tailored data, such as audio descriptions or textual summaries, to ensure accessibility based on the user's specific needs, by comparing user disability levels with threshold levels for each media asset and requesting appropriate supplemental data from a database.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If traditional subtitle methods are used to convey audio information visually, then character dialogue can be transcribed, but the actual context of the media asset is not described and the approach is not customized to individual user disabilities

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontext informationVSAvoidcustomization to user disability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides different types of supplemental data based on the specific disability of the user. For visual impairments, audio descriptions are provided; for hearing impairments, visual captions are provided. This local quality approach ensures that the type of supplemental data matches the user's specific needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of data presentation by selecting different types of supplemental data (audio descriptions, visual captions, tactile feedback) based on the user's disability level. This allows the system to adapt the nature of the supplemental information to match the user's specific impairment characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If a one-type-fits-all approach is used for supplemental data, then implementation is simple, but the data is not customized to compensate for the disabilities of a particular user

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimplementation simplicityVSAvoidcustomization to user disability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically selects and provides different types of supplemental data based on real-time detection of user disability characteristics. Rather than a static one-type-fits-all approach, the system adapts its behavior based on the user's specific needs, switching between audio descriptions, visual captions, and other forms of supplemental data as appropriate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms to detect user disability characteristics and adjusts the type of supplemental data accordingly. By monitoring user responses and disability indicators, the system refines its supplemental data selection to better match user needs while maintaining manageable implementation complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If supplemental data is provided for all media assets, then accessibility is maximized, but the system complexity increases due to determining disability levels and selecting appropriate data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccessibility assuranceVSAvoiddisability determination system

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-determining disability levels and pre-selecting appropriate supplemental data types before media playback begins. This allows the complex determination logic to be executed in advance, reducing the complexity burden during actual media consumption while ensuring reliable accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary layer of supplemental data selection that mediates between the media asset and the user. This intermediary component handles the complexity of disability determination and data selection, shielding the user from system complexity while ensuring reliable accessibility through appropriate data matching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9288531B2Methods and systems for compensating for disabilities when presenting a media asset

Publication Date: 2016.03.15 ROVI PRODUCT CORP

AI summary

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for supplementing media assets in order to compensate for a particular disability of a user. Specifically, a media guidance application determines whether or not a user can comprehend a media asset based on the particular disability of the user. Upon determining that the user cannot comprehend the media asset, the media guidance application supplements the media asset with supplemental data, which compensates for the particular disability of the user.