This follows from my individual project 'TransTime' but concentrating on the sound aspect.
The experimental task is in from of an activity, where participants collaboratively engage with each other to build temporal stories that use earcons.
The activity is designed for children aged 5-7. The application trains elementary learning to tell the passing of time and help develop diachronic thinking. It uses the appropriate stories that show how certain entities change qualitatively over the course of time whilst retaining their identity.
Stories consists of five life cycle stories, these are: activities during a typical day of school, human life - from an infant to old age, making a cake from ingredients, from seed to a tree and from caterpillar to butterfly.
A total of five puzzles completes each story. A series of virtual jigsaw puzzles /tiles are scattered in the interface; experimental participants are required to build stories by manipulating pieces, simply by moving pieces into their correct temporal sequence. Musical tone are associated with each piece to give auditory feedback about the correct sequence placement.
The sounds have a direct relationship to virtual objects, each objects were structured as follows: each object or tile has it's own timbre and the tiles belonging to a story were differentiated by rhythm, pitch or intensity. When a story is placed in the correct temporal sequence, each tile play its own sound in succession.
Interface of the activity on the MERL's Diamond Touch
Sounds were created using MIDI sound in GarageBand, it was then exported as a WAVE file (extension.wav) Squeak software (which is used to design activity in the MERL Diamond Touch) was used to split that wave file up into segments for the individual notes.
I had look at Roberts LA, Sikora, CA. Optimsing feedback signals for multimedia devices: Earcons vs. Auditory icons vs. Speech. Proceedings of IEA '97, Tampere 1997. Talks about mapping between the earcon and a function in the interface. It gave me insight on expectations in observation.
Sounds cool Phyllis- what kind of sounds are they in terms of they relate to the physical objects?
ReplyDeleteAre you doing another observation with kids to see how they get on with the new sounds?
Also have you heard anything from Bob or Andy regarding the final hand in or a date for the final hand in?
Hi Steve, I think that was a mistake I made when I stated sound related to the physical object. I meant to say sounds are linked to the virtual objects (something like this)
ReplyDeleteyes I have already done another observation with kids to see what effect auditory cues has on them performing task.
It's quite late, but am sure you've gotten an email from Andy in response to your blog. As you've probably read by now we will be told about submission soon.