Guidelines for the integration of audio cues into computer user interfaces
Throughout the history of computers, vision has been the main channel through which information is conveyed to the computer user. As the complexities of man-machine interactions increase, more and more information must be transferred from the computer to the user and then successfully interpreted by the user. A logical next step in the evolution of the computer-user interface is the incorporation of sound and thereby using the sense of ''hearing'' in the computer experience. This allows our visual and auditory capabilities to work naturally together in unison leading to more effective and efficient interpretation of all information received by the user from the computer. This thesis presents an initial set of guidelines to assist interface developers in designing an effective sight and sound user interface. This study is a synthesis of various aspects of sound, human communication, computer-user interfaces, and psychoacoustics. We introduce the notion of an earcon. Earcons are audio cues used in the computer-user interface to provide information and feedback to the user about some computer object, operation, or interaction. A possible construction technique for earcons, the use of earcons in the interface, how earcons are learned and remembered, and the affects of earcons on their users are investigated. This study takes the point of view that earcons are a language and human/computer communication issue and are therefore analyzed according to the three dimensions of linguistics; syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5475406
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-53656; ON: DE85016506
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted. Thesis. Submitted to Univ. of California, Davis
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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