Reviewing Your Windows Media Center Application
The Windows Media Center SDK contains detailed recommendations about designing and implementing an application. In the final analysis, though, the most important question is, "Does my application effectively implement all of the features necessary to make it a successful Windows Media Center application?" Use the following checklist throughout the envisioning, planning, and development process to evaluate progress, generate test cases, and verify functionality of the user interface.
Installation
1.1 Is the user informed when installation is complete and provided with instructions for what to do next?
1.2 Does the Extras Library tile go directly to the application for users who have already installed it?
1.3 Are updates to the application done automatically without requiring a new installation?
1.4 Does the installation process note requirements for use of the keyboard or mouse?
1.5 Is the installation process comprised of understandable executable steps?
1.6 Is the installer program digitally signed?
1.7 Can the user complete the installation without restarting the computer?
1.8 Does the installation process refrain from triggering any unnecessary Windows dialog boxes?
1.9 Does the installation process gracefully exit if the user chooses not to install or deselects options during installation?
1.10 Is the application installed for All Users by default?
1.11 Are diagrams or instructions provided to configure hardware needed during installation?
1.12 Can the user uninstall the application completely through the Programs and Features Control Panel?
1.13 Does the installation process register the application (RegisterMCEApp.exe)?
1.14 Are accurate instructions for launching the application provided at the end of the installation process?
1.15 Is the user informed of special hardware or software requirements prior to installation?
1.16 Does the installation automatically uninstall or update the previous version of Windows Media Center if a newer version is available so that the user does not have to do this manually?
1.17 Can the user successfully install the application from a Media Center Extender?
Registration
2.1 Does the registration process handle the user's personally identifiable information in a secure manner?
2.2 Does the application allow users to register without providing personally identifiable information?
2.3 Does the application display its privacy and use-of-information policies when gathering personally identifiable information?
2.4 Does the application make any registration information entered on the Windows Media Center PC available on the Media Center Extender?
2.5 Does the registration process display the terms of service or Microsoft Software License Terms to the user?
2.6 Does the application provide a way for the user to delete the user's registration and signup information?
2.7 Does the application give the user a way to edit the user's registration information?
2.8 Does the registration view indicate which fields are required?
2.9 Is registration information made available in Windows Media Center for applications that provide registration outside of Windows Media Center?
2.10 Using the data gathered at the time of installation, can registration be completed at a later time if the user does not have access to a keyboard and mouse?
Text Entry
3.1 Does the user have the ability to enter text with the remote control only?
3.2 Do onscreen keyboards (OSKs) or triple-tap (TT) solutions provide complete alphanumeric text entry, including punctuation?
3.3 Is there a clear and obvious indication where text entered with an OSK or TT device will be entered on-screen?
3.4 Can the user switch seamlessly between all available input paradigms (keyboard + mouse, remote control + OSK or TT, touch screens)?
3.5 Is text entered by the user persisted if the page is refreshed?
3.6 Does the application hide password characters appropriately?
Input Devices
4.1 Does the application support mouse-only navigation?
4.2 Does the application support keyboard-only navigation?
4.3 Does the application support remote control-only navigation?
4.4 Does the application support touch-only navigation?
4.5 Can the user switch seamlessly between mouse, keyboard, touch, and remote control for navigation?
4.6 Can the user navigate scrollable elements using any of the input devices (remote control, touch, keyboard, or mouse)?
4.7 Are clickable UI items positioned so that they are not hidden behind the mouse navigation and transport controls at an 800 x 600 resolution?
4.8 Can users navigate scrollable items using the Channel Up/Down buttons on the remote control (PAGE UP/DOWN keys on the keyboard)?
4.9 Do media transport controls (Play, Stop, Fast Forward, Rewind, Pause, Replay, Skip) work at all times while the application is active?
User Experience
5.1 Does the application provide a way for the user to add the experience to Extras Library and other appropriate entry points?
5.2 Does the application refrain from automatically asking the user to register or add the service to Extras Library?
5.3 Does the application provide the user with obvious feedback when navigating or waiting for a response?
5.4 Is the quality of video media content acceptable when viewed in full-screen mode (VHS quality or better)?
5.5 Are there visual cues to indicate scrollable items?
5.6 Are non-text visual cues (iconography) used in a standard and consistent way easily understood by users?
5.7 Is the user's permission obtained before interrupting the current media experience?
5.8 Does the application provide progress feedback for processes that take a while to complete?
5.9 Can the user navigate away from the application without interrupting a long-running task?
5.10 Do pages load within a reasonable amount of time?
5.11 Does the application provide functionality for sorting, filtering, or grouping for large lists of data?
5.12 Can the user easily tell what each clickable item does before selecting?
5.13 Does the application proactively inform Media Center Extender users when any task must be completed on the Windows Media Center PC?
5.14 Does the application implement parental controls for content not suitable for minors?
5.15 When MediaCenterEnvironment.CreateDesktopShortcut is used to open a browser window, does the application exit DirectX Exclusive mode to keep the window from being hidden behind Windows Media Center?
5.16 Does the application use only Windows Media Center "ten-foot" dialog boxes (and not Windows "two-foot" alert dialog boxes)?
5.17 Does the application function as expected when it runs on a Media Center Extender?
Media Playback and Transport
6.1 Does the next item start playing correctly when a media item in a queue (playlist) finishes?
6.2 Does the current media experience continue to play when the user returns to the page from full-screen mode?
6.3 Are all media files playable without error? (Note Media Center Extender media format requirements.)
6.4 Is all downloadable media content stored in the All Users shared documents folder so that it is available to Windows Media Center galleries?
Navigation
7.1 Is the experience free of errors when the user returns to the page from full-screen mode?
7.2 Are there obvious location cues as users navigate deeper into the application?
7.3 Can the user return to the home page of the application easily from anywhere in the application?
7.4 Does the Back button always navigate the user back to the previous location in the application?
7.5 For lists that span multiple pages, is the user informed which page they are on and how many pages are in the list (for instance, "Page 4 of 12")?
7.6 Is the focus position retained when navigating lists of content spanning pages?
7.7 Does the user have the option to cancel long-running tasks?
7.8 Is the user notified before selecting links known to lead to pages not designed for Windows Media Center?
7.9 Is the user given the option to open pages not designed for Windows Media Center in a separate browser window?
7.10 Can users easily scroll through long lists that span multiple pages without being interrupted by excessive animation?
Readability
8.1 Is text readable and iconography easily distinguishable on a 20" standard definition TV from a distance of at least ten feet?
8.2 Does text in the application have appropriate leading between the lines?
8.3 Is the color palette for the application "TV safe" based on a standard definition TV (NTSC or PAL)?
8.4 Is the application free of design elements that produce a flicker on some standard definition TVs (for example, single pixel lines)?
Page Layout
9.1 Does the layout allow room at the lower left for the Now Playing view item when appropriate?
9.2 Does the layout on each page take into account the extra screen width visible on a 16:9-ratio wide-screen display?
9.3 Does the layout scale proportionally when viewed at various resolutions or when it is resized in a window?
9.4 Does the background color defined for the areas behind the Now Playing view item and mouse navigation and transport controls integrate smoothly or complement the application background?
9.5 Is the application free of clipping or over-scanning of content when viewed on a CRT television?
Item Focus
10.1 Is the focus on a logical item when each page loads?
10.2 Is the focus always on a single element (especially interaction with Windows Media Center objects)?
10.3 Are all focusable elements selectable with remote, mouse, and keyboard?
10.4 Is a consistent color used for denoting focus throughout the application?
10.5 Does the application reserve the visual style for highlighting exclusively for the item that has the focus, and refrain from using a similar style on elements that do not have the focus?
10.6 Is the visual treatment for highlighting the focus consistent among similar types of focusable items (such as pictures or buttons)?
10.7 Does the visual design for highlighting the focus provide sufficient contrast with other elements on the page?
10.8 Does the focus always move intuitively, logically, and consistently between focusable elements (up, down, left, right)?
10.9 Can users move the focus on and off of the Now Playing or Video view item using the keyboard or remote control?
Help and Instructions
11.1 Does the home page of the application provide information on what the application does and how to start using it?
11.2 Where users need assistance, are illustrations and diagrams used when appropriate?
11.3 Are all instructions written so they will lead to the desired result?
11.4 Is the help area free of information that applies only to the non-Media Center version of the application?
Stability and Performance
12.1 Does the application run without causing any instability in the Windows Media Center environment, such as hanging, crashing, script timeouts, or session aborts?
12.2 Does the application detect the versions of Windows Media Center and make API calls as appropriate?
12.3 Can the installed components be run from a non-administrator user account (required for Media Center Extender users)?
See Also