Use of Soundscapes for Providing Information about Distance Left in Train Journeys

This paper presents a study in the framework of the ISHT – Interior sound design of high-speed trains project. During a train journey between the cities of Stockholm and Gävle, Sweden, 9 travellers participated in a listening experiment to evaluate the use of sonification to convey nonspeech based information about the travel. We tested sonification for communicating the distance between two stations in the train journey. The participants could activate an iconographic representation of the sound in the landscape outside and listen to it through headphones in three conditions: with music, with a soundscape or with silence. Their interaction was logged, and ratings of their stated sense of knowing where the train was between the departure and arrival stations were recorded. Preliminary results show that our sonification helped participants to get an idea of the distance left for reaching the next station, and also that listening to the sonification was experienced as an engaging and pleasant activity.