Development of Sonification Strategies Facilitating Auditory Display

Information sonification is an emerging field of pervasive computing and is applicable in many wearable artificial sensory systems. This paper presents some strategies that can be employed in auditory interface design where using sound as representation gives insight into the improvement of comprehension and recognition of information sonification in an auditory graphing system. The design strategies are based on listening tests gathering contour identification responses and listening experiences from participants. The analysis of these responses from identification testing and surveys then suggests the method of the usage of auditory dimensions in auditory display. The empirical evidence benefits the development of sonification design strategies for auditory interfaces that can be extended to a wide range of interactive wearable applications. Our discussion will include potential applications of this knowledge in the fields of ambient information display and wearable auditory or audio-visual displays, i.e. ways in which timbre and spatialization can enhance the identification and discriminability of sonified data streams.