2. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Breaking the Sound Barrier: Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Robert Tannen Logicon Technical Services & Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati TANNERRS@EMAIL.UC.EDU

3. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Constraints on Visual Bandwidth Constraints on Displays »Limited Screen “Geography” »Multiple Applications/Windows »Richer Web Content (video, animation) Constraints on Visual Attention »Limited Field-of-View »“Tunnel Vision”

4. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Increasing Bandwidth Potential Solutions »Present less information »Design visual displays to optimize layout »Transfer display to other modalities Divide information delivery among senses Visual display for primary content Auditory display for background processes

5. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Sound as a Solution Omnidirectional »Not constrained to screen or field-of-view. Alerting »Re--orients visual attention. Displays Changes over Time »Suitable for presenting continuous, dynamic information.

6. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Designing an Auditory Display Goals »Perceptual Salience »Global Usability »Unobtrusive Key Design Questions »How do people listen? »Which sounds to use?

7. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Two Ways of Listening Everyday Listening »Content of sounds determine meaning »Examples: speech,object/event recognition Musical Listening »Information is conveyed by relations (spatial, temporal) among sounds. »Examples: Morse code,rhythm,EKG »Sounds themselves are not meaningful

8. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Classes of Sounds “Real” Sounds - Earcons »Meaningful sounds and speech as symbols Abstract Sounds - Tones »Arranging tones to create emergent patterns

9. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Real Vs Abstract Sounds Earcons »Culturally Defined »Brief Duration »Closed Design Abstract Sounds »Application Defined »Continuous Carrier »Open Design

10. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability A Model for Auditory Displays Graphical Configural Displays »Utilize simple, abstract elements »Elements are organized on basic perceptual constructs: Symmetry (length, angle, area) Gestalt Principles (closure, proximity) »Information portrayed as changes in form

11. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Example: Configural Display Components are mapped to vertices Emergent symmetry indicates functional relations among components

12. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Portraying Data Flow with Sound Mapping Information to Sounds »System Component = Spatial Position »Transmission Speed = Pulse Rate Emergent Perceptual Constructs »Temporal Symmetry »Spatial Symmetry

13. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Conclusions and Limitations Potential for Global Usability »Semantically Neutral Sounds »Simple Perceptual-Level Constructs Obstacles to Auditory Display »Delivering sound in diverse environments »User acceptance/utility

14. Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Breaking the Sound Barrier: Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability Robert Tannen Logicon Technical Services & Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati TANNERRS@EMAIL.UC.EDU