Haptic Interfaces for Accessible Audio Mixing

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Audio Engineering
• Accessibility Research

Background:

• Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) are essential tools for music production and sound art.
• Visual interfaces of DAWs create significant accessibility barriers for blind and partially sighted (BPS) individuals.
• Existing screen reader technologies offer limited support for the real-time, embodied interactions required in audio mixing and manipulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of vibrotactile interaction for accessible, non-visual engagement with DAWs.
• To develop and evaluate haptic prototype interfaces for BPS sound creators.
• To explore how vibrotactile feedback can convey critical audio production information.

Main Methods:

• Employed non-visual participatory design methods with nine BPS sound creators.
• Developed two haptic prototype interfaces: Haptic Audio Parameter Control Interface (HAPCI) and Haptic Fader Audio Meter (HFAM).
• Evaluated interfaces for conveying audio peak-level metering, spatial positioning, and continuous parameter changes using vibrotactile feedback.

Main Results:

• Vibrotactile feedback enabled real-time spatial and parametric awareness beyond speech-based tools.
• Haptic feedback distributed attentional demand across modalities, reducing auditory channel overload.
• Participants reported more fluid creative workflows and developed personalized interaction strategies with haptic interfaces.

Conclusions:

• Vibrotactile interaction significantly enhances non-visual control and embodied engagement with DAWs for BPS creators.
• Haptic feedback integrated into familiar hardware is preferred by users.
• Findings inform a design framework for mapping DAW data to vibrotactile feedback for professional audio production accessibility.