Investigating Ecological Computing: Using Analogue User Input for Sonification of af Human-Computer Interface
Author
Nielsen, Christian Hagelberg
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2008
Pages
42
Abstract
Denne afhandling består af to dele. Først undersøges en økologisk tilgang til lyd – hvordan mennesker naturligt opfatter og forstår hverdagslyde – og hvordan det kan forbedre oplevelsen af at bruge menneske–computer‑grænseflader. Sammen med idéen om hverdagslytning danner dette grundlag for en praktisk metode til sonificering kaldet auditive ikoner: forenklede, genkendelige lyde fra virkeligheden, der bruges til at formidle information. Auditive ikoner kan tydeligt kommunikere handlinger og tilstande, men lyd – især auditive ikoner – fylder i dag kun lidt i de fleste grænseflader, blandt andet fordi ikke‑adaptive lyde kan opleves som irriterende. Afhandlingen fremsætter derfor hypotesen, at lyd, der tilpasser sig analogt brugerinput i realtid (kontinuerlige kontroller frem for simple tænd/sluk‑begivenheder), vil føles mere naturlig og forbedre interaktionen. I den anden del bygges en prototype, der genererer realistisk, adaptiv lydfeedback koblet til analogt input, og bruges til at teste hypotesen. Resultaterne viser, at interaktiv, adaptiv sonificering forbedrer brugeroplevelsen sammenlignet med statiske lyde og helt uden lyd.
This thesis has two parts. First, it explores an ecological approach to sound—how people naturally perceive and make sense of everyday sounds—and how this can improve the experience of using human–computer interfaces. Together with the idea of everyday listening, this perspective guides a practical method of sonification called auditory icons: simplified, familiar real-world sounds used to convey information. Auditory icons can communicate actions and states clearly, yet sound, and especially auditory icons, play only a small role in most current interfaces, partly because users may find non-adaptive sounds annoying. The thesis therefore hypothesizes that sound which adapts in real time to analog user input (continuous controls rather than simple on/off events) will feel more natural and enhance interaction. In the second part, a prototype is built to generate realistic, adaptive sonic feedback linked to analog input and used to test the hypothesis. Results show that interactive, adaptive sonification improves the user experience compared with static sounds and with no sound.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords