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From: steve@arezzo.siemens.com (Steve Giovannetti)
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors
Subject: Re: Audio feedback from GUI's
Message-ID: <STEVE.91Jun12161817@arezzo.siemens.com>
Date: 12 Jun 91 20:18:17 GMT
References: <1991Jun12.171211.2716@cs.umn.edu>
Sender: news@siemens.siemens.com
Organization: Siemens Corporate Reasearch
Lines: 37
In-reply-to: brsmith@cs.umn.edu's message of 12 Jun 91 17:12:11 GMT


>I've been toying with the idea of adding audio feedback to a graphical
>user interface.  Something subtle, to make it MORE intuitive.
>
>(This stems from watching _Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation_.  I had
>the stunned realization that the computer noises ARE intuitive, even
>to techno-geeks who watch too much TV... :-))
>
>Some of what I've been pondering.
>
>  Windows that make a "pop" when they appear, and a "poof" when they
>    vanish.
>
>  [ ...other sound effects... ]

  If I am sitting in a room with five other people, each with audio extensions
in their GUI, can you imagine the db level?  Five people typing away on
semi-noisy keyboards is bad enough, but all that popping, clicking, and buzzing
would drive me crazy.  Noises like that are cute but their novelty wears out
after a time directly proportional to the number of people in your office.  Of
course you could make everyone wear earphones, but how many people would go
for that?  Even if you turn down the volume there will still be an audible din
of creepy little sounds.  (enough to make you start taking thorazine ;-))
  I feel that for the visual feedback will have to do.  It is not distracting
to anyone other than persons looking on your screen.  I can't think of a
better solution in the multi-person office.  Force feedback may actually hold
some promise.  I have read somewhere that that the tactile sense actually
registers faster than the visual.
  I don't think that sound would be totally inappropriate but there are
limitations. 

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 Steve Giovannetti   				(steve@learning.siemens.com)

	     "Enita non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem!"
					      William of Occam
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