Motivation • Inspirations • Examples • SonicTexting • Explorations • Conclusions

•• Conclusions ••

This thesis followed two layers of investigation:
the qualities of auditory interaction and the audio-tactile connection, studied most deeply in SonicTexting;
and the concept of audio tactility in mobile devices, addressed by the three explorations together.

  The sound design of SonicTexting was a constant process of reduction and editing to find the sound that would contain all information aspects, while creating an enjoyable sonic experience. This process of ‘editing out’ provided a large part of the answer to the question of the SonicTexting sound - it's auditory character. I found that the informative aspects of the sound defined - to a large extent - its expression.
 


Users created a mental model of SonicTexting that is at least partially audio-tactile. They came to depend on their hand-ear coordination to find the letter locations, as opposed to the hand-eye coordination of a visual display. One user compared between using the Keybong and using a keyboard:“With a keyboard, the space is laid out in front of you; with the Keybong the space is in the head, not in the Keybong”.
 

SonicTexting demonstrates that people can successfully and enjoyably use sound as a source of information with a digital object. One user described the change in experience after the visual feedback was removed: “a breakthrough of pleasure”.
Still, if presented with parallel visual information, this modality will dominate, even if the auditory information is of a better quality. The more central the sound is in the way the experience is constructed and instructed, the more people tend to depend on it.


  Audio-tactile interactions with mobile devices, such as the ones presented in this thesis, are feasible and interesting in business terms. The potential for enjoyment, play, and long-term mastery suggest that audiotactile products could have market success.

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Audio-Tactile • Michal Rinott • Thesis Project • Interaction-Ivrea 2004
m.rinott@interaction-ivrea.it