WorldDAB and RadioDNS reveal guidelines for broadcasters and car manufacturers.
Based on open standards, the guidelines aim to provide clarity and certainty to help deliver the best radio experience to drivers.
As modern car devices evolve, drivers have become accustomed to interacting with larger format screens, and richer visual information.
With car manufacturers looking to improve the user experience, the use of brand logos to enhance radio service navigation have become more commonplace.
For broadcasters, the document sets out how to provide logos over both IP and DAB/DAB+, including the correct format and defined sizes.
“Radio is still hugely popular in cars and must continue to offer the best possible experience to drivers as cars go digital and get connected – part of which is displaying consistent branding and content,” said Laurence Harrison, Chair of the WorldDAB Automotive Working Group.
“WorldDAB has worked together with RadioDNS, EBU and several other key industry groups to produce these guidelines and provide clarity and reassurance to both car manufacturers and broadcasters on how to work together.”
“Too often in cars we see out of date or incorrect logos, or broadcasters not making the most of the screen space available – this set of recommendations will help both broadcasters and automotive manufacturers deliver the best experience to drivers and listeners,” said Nick Piggott, Project Director, RadioDNS.
“The document will continue to evolve over time and we’d encourage any interested parties to get in touch if they’d like to contribute or find out more.”
The guidelines were based on consumer research which showed drivers expect a great, simple user experience, with a radio button to access DAB easily and quickly. It also found that an A-Z station list provides the best way to search for stations, pre-sets should be easy and intuitive to set, and that terminology must be consistent and easier to understand. This formed the basis for the resulting guidelines document, which is split into seven consumer use cases:
I want….
- to find DAB radio easily in the car media system
- to find DAB stations easily
- the list of stations to be up to date
- to be able to easily set a station as a pre-set
- to keep listening to my station if it’s available
- to know more about what I’m listening to
- my DAB radio to be set up for me
The document can be downloaded from WorldDAB or RadioDNS and those interested in contributing can get in touch here.
WorldDAB and RadioDNS will be hosting a joint Automotive Workshop during EBU’s Digital Radio Week. The workshop takes place on Tuesday 13th February at 14:00 and more information on this, and the RadioDNS Hybrid Radio Seminar, can be found here.