Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cme!swe.ncsl.nist.gov!bagwill From: bagwill@swe.ncsl.nist.gov (Bob Bagwill) Newsgroups: comp.human-factors Subject: Re: Audio feedback from GUI's Message-ID: <4455@durer.cme.nist.gov> Date: 18 Jun 91 15:32:41 GMT References: <1991Jun12.171211.2716@cs.umn.edu> <663@heurikon.heurikon.com> <668@heurikon.heurikon.com> Sender: news@cme.nist.gov Followup-To: comp.human-factors Organization: NIST Lines: 26 Some comments: 1) A beneficial side-effect of Auditory User Interfaces (AUI's [pronounced like when you get a boo-boo]) is that vendors will have to put some effort into making their machines quieter. Yay! 2) As big shops move to "lights-out data centers" with all personnel working remotely, perhaps audio feedback can substitute for listening to the disk drives and glancing at console lights. A justification for "Audio Extensions to X" and speakers on X-terminals? 3) Just like in some dorms, headphones will be mandatory in cubicles. 4) I don't think there is a useful class of general-purpose sounds. Sounds need to be domain and task specific. You don't want to use the same sounds for "end of page" and "meltdown imminent". I'll try to track down some of the references people have posted so my opinions can be made from a little dangerous knowledge rather than from my current state of blissful ignorance. :-) -- Bob Bagwill NIST Software Engineering Group/CSL Bldg 225, Room B266 rbagwill@nist.gov Gaithersburg, MD 20899 voice 301-975-3282 fax 301-590-0932