Social experiences within the home using second screen TV applications

Today, using second screen devices while watching TV is quite common, whether related to what happens on TV or not. One area of research looks at using second screen devices to support social interaction. While most research in this area focuses on supporting social interaction between remote viewers, in this article, we focus on social interaction between collocated viewers, using second screen applications that were designed for a specific TV program. We present the results of five studies that were carried out in three different phases of a user-centered design cycle (analysis, design and evaluation) and report on the social interaction that occurs when groups of viewers use such applications in the home and on the factors that have an influence on this social experience. Based on these findings we formulate a number of guidelines for the design of social second screen applications. We found that most participants valued such applications because of the increased interactivity and the social experience. Furthermore, applications that incorporate some form of competition are especially compelling. However, care needs to be taken when introducing competitive elements into an application and when choosing a suitable TV genre.