New services and innovation

Innovation 4 change

Overcoming challenges and developing ideas in an open innovation context

Sustainable and Innovative Solutions with Innovation 4 Change

We consider innovation and sustainability fundamental tools in generating value for all our stakeholders. One of the ways we promote these values is by actively taking part in ethical change initiatives with other companies, universities, and research centres.

In this vein, the Innovation 4 Change programme presents a stimulating and interesting opportunity.

Created in 2016 by the Collège des Ingénieurs Italia, the Polytechnic of Turin, and CERN Ideasquare, Innovation 4 Change is a project which unites organisations and institutions in responding to the challenges presented by partners in a social, economic, and environmental context, through innovative business ideas.

In the last two editions of the contest, 2021 and 2022, we participated in the programme as a partner, leading interdisciplinary teams of talented young people towards finding practical, disruptive solutions to the challenges identified within our business environment.

2022 Edition

From TV viewers to TV users

Television viewers sitting on the sofa watching television today are profoundly different from those of yesterday. Indeed, even the term "TV viewer" no longer fits the new generation of TV programme "users"; the term "TV user" seems more appropriate.

What do TV users do in front of the television? Simple: they interact!

Users demand an increasingly active role, not only when it comes to choosing content, but also while watching it, each sharing their own "TV experiences" on the various social platforms. This is the social TV phenomenon. The team that Rai Way followed in the 2022 edition of I4C conducted extensive research on this subject, gleaning insights of enormous value:Users show a strong desire for interaction with their favourite TV programmes; it interesting to note that some TV users, while interacting, consider such activities to be an end unto themselves.It is precisely this awareness that provides the impetus to promote positive interaction that can serve a public service function, in full synergy with those television programmes that promote culture, education and values such as inclusion, integration and sustainability.

The name for all this is "ClickPillz"!

A new model of social TV

ClickPillz is a Web platform that expands the TV entertainment experience. Users interact in a micro-learning environment, competing with each other according to the logic of gamification through informative quizzes and additional content to explore, offered by the platform and linked to the TV programmes the TV is tuned to.

How does it works?

When registering, you select your favourite TV programmes and your interests (history, literature, economics, health, etc.)

Time to switch on the TV! While watching your favourite programmes, the application will automatically link to the content on air.

The application will now be offering quizzes, additional content and themed educational activities.

Each activity will award points that can be used to climb the leaderboards and win cultural experiences.

ClickPillz is a tool for social learning, connection and entertainment for everyone, leveraging the new consumption habits of TV products to offer interactive educational and public service content, giving social TV a virtuous outlook on entertainment and culture.

The level of interaction between TV and the Web on which it is based represents a full-fledged innovation from a technological and social point of view. The interaction experience it proposes – in the future increasingly integrated with the connected TV ecosystem – represents a form of easy access to digital life, because it takes advantage of the simplicity of a device that has always been in our homes.

2021 Edition

Digital Divide: Can TV Play a Part?

The digital transformation has greatly impacted our day-to-day lives. The devices which now guide us through our day represent a gateway into a world with no borders; this is the driving force of the modern economy.

But not everyone is able to access new media, or interact with them. A large proportion of the population (considering, for example, the elder demographic, or those experiencing a digital divide) can’t participate in the social, political, and cultural life taking place online.

The team at Rai Way, as part of the Innovation 4 Change programme, considered this very topic, and designed a useful tool to be integrated into television which aims to reduce this divide. An intuition deserving of the podium, taking second place.

Identifying the problem

The I4C team identified the problem related to the technological and digital divides of a very specific demographic: those affected by Alzheimer’s.

How would they encourage them to interact digitally in an easy and accessible way, when it came to their needs?

Target demographic

Those affected by Alzheimer’s; 1 in 4 elderly people suffer from this condition.

Needs

Someone affected by Alzheimer’s needs to:

Maintain social relationships;
Experience continuous mental stimulation;
Avoid being alone.

Insight

There is at least one television present in each house. 70% of TV audiences are more than 50 years old.

The solution

The proposed idea includes the use of a television set – not necessarily a Smart TV, but a traditional one also – as a tool to connect the elderly to their doctor and/or loved ones.
This is made possible through an auxiliary device which can be connected to the television, which will be able to bypass the antenna signal and insert personalised digital content into channels.
The strength of this proposed solution is user experience. Once the device is installed and configured, the user only has to tune into a specific channel on their TV using a remote control to establish a connection with the other party. It’s as easy as watching TV!

The possible applications

This solution can be adapted to suit different contexts.
Taking advantage of the familiarity we each have with television, whatever the make or model, allows some obstacles to be removed – these obstacles no longer impede digital broadcasting.
In making the usage simple and incredibly similar to the use of a regular television channel, it would be possible, for example, to offer public services (such as P.A.’s telematic services) like assistance for those who are less tech-savvy, or interactive services for added-value TV programmes with a renewed user experience.
Imagination is the only limitation.