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More detectable, less annoying: Temporal variation in amplitude envelope and spectral content improves auditory
Liam Foley1, Joseph Schlesinger2, Michael Schutz3
1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|June 1, 2022
Summary
Designing auditory interfaces with percussive sounds and shorter harmonic durations can reduce annoyance and improve detection. This enhances the effectiveness of auditory alarms and human-computer interaction sounds.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Acoustics
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- Auditory interfaces, including alarms, are vital for human-computer interaction.
- Current interface sounds often suffer from poor detectability and high annoyance, limiting their effectiveness.
- Traditional sound designs use simplistic temporal structures, potentially hindering optimal performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate novel sound design principles for enhancing auditory interface efficacy.
- To determine if modifying temporal structures of interface sounds can reduce annoyance and/or improve detection.
- To explore the impact of amplitude envelope and harmonic duration on sound perception.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted to evaluate different sound structures.
- Experiment 1 compared percussive amplitude envelopes against flat envelopes for annoyance and detection.
- Experiment 2 assessed the effect of reduced harmonic duration on annoyance and detection.
Main Results:
- Tones with percussive amplitude envelopes were rated as significantly less annoying than flat envelopes.
- Percussive tones showed improved detection rates, especially at lower listening levels, without a detection cost.
- Reducing the duration of a tone's harmonics significantly lowered annoyance without compromising detection.
Conclusions:
- Modifying temporal structures of auditory interface sounds can enhance their efficacy.
- Percussive amplitude envelopes and shorter harmonic durations are promising design strategies.
- Findings contribute to the understanding of sound detection and annoyance, offering practical design considerations for auditory interfaces.
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