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sound as interface tool idea


imwithstupid
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Ok so i had this idea...which is based on some work i've done/encountered with the auditory community but I don't know where I should go to start the project. I was thinking the KDE team might be interested or i might start my own sourceforge project (though I've never managed a project there)...the intention is for it to be opensource and available to everyone:

 

Proposal: Sound Localization Sound Layer

 

Introduction

It has been shown in many different studies that users are more efficient in a multi-task environment where sound is used to direct their attention. This is especially true in immersive environments such as airplane cockpits and so called “information cockpits” (I know i should cite someone here). For example a pilot benefits greatly from hearing alerts, which seem to come from the object that needs attention. Similarly, there are business and home applications for this type of attention management. For instance an alert could direct you to the physical location of your mailbox when you have a new message or it could alert you to a window containing a rapidly climbing stock price.

 

The idea:

The idea for this project is to create a sound layer/plugin that brings sound localization type attention management to the everyday PC. This layer should be made to work on linux and windows machines and will be opensource.

 

Implementation:

The implementation of this idea should be fairly straightforward. At its simplest level the layer will take information about application or icon location and modify the panning of sound output to direct attention to particular areas of the desktop. The application should be no harder to write than a simple mixer (although it should be able to play sounds at different panning locations at the same time.) The program should also have a tiny memory footprint.

Additional adjustable parameters:

Intensity of panning

Individual application settings

People probably will not want their music to be localized

Should be easy to turn on and off (tray icon possibly)

Turn real time panning on and off

If someone moves a window while it is creating sound will the panning move with it or will it reset only after the window is dropped?

 

 

 

The bottom line is...this attention management stuff is nothing new. However, it has always been implemented on the application level and never as part of a sound layer or a interface plugin.

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Sounds interesting (no pun intended). However, a PC is not the same as the cockpit of an aeroplane and I doubt there exisst a need (though people might ofcourse 'choose' to use it) for it.

 

There are sure interesting things happening with the desktop. There's all this 3D stuff going on, real transparancy is around the corner and now this idea :).

 

Who knows how we will interact with the PC desktop a few years from now.

Edited by devries
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Maybe it would be better to post this in the "Workbench" ??

 

You are right ;) I've moved this into the workbench forum.

 

Seems like an interesting idea, though I'm slightly struggling with the specifics. If could be helpful, however, in many applications - such as making it easier for legally blind people to user a GUI (with the help of other applications, such as text to audio converters).

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devries: I think a computer can be as demanding as an airplane cockpit. For instance if a person is tasked with monitoring the vitals of several patients at in a hospital ward. I do agree with you that this might not have that much impact on the single user using a single monitor to use a single application.

 

tyme: fire away with the questions about specifics...i'll be here for a bit.

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devries: I think a computer can be as demanding as an airplane cockpit.  For instance if a person is tasked with monitoring the vitals of several patients at in a hospital ward.  I do agree with you that this might not have that much impact on the single user using a single monitor to use a single application.

 

tyme: fire away with the questions about specifics...i'll be here for a bit.

 

I get you... like in a hospital where several computers are networked? I think it would be interesting for "single" computers as well, but that what it would be really interesting for in networked computers in a mission-critical environment. Like hospitals...

 

The simplest example I can think (about sound, not about networks) about was when I first played Full Throttle. The stereo went from left to right indicating the direction the bike went in... it was awesome since this was the first time I experienced this.

Edited by Darkelve
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I don't want to be a dolt about this, but i must drive home the point that the only shred of orginality on my part is the level at which this gets implemented. Stuff like this has already been done on ships, in hospitals, airplanes, etc. It would just be cool if it we could take off the shelf systems an improve them just by using something that applies this technique.

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maybe you're wording is a little to technical or...erm...buzzwordish...hehe...but i don't quite get what it would actually -do-

 

i mean, give me an example of what it would do...say, if an error message popped up.

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Sure thing:

 

Say you had a large monitor (it just makes the effect better) and you are tweaking something in a console window somewhere in the center of the screen and off to the right you have your chat client open, but it's been relatively inactive for a while. When someone sends a message to the chat room the normal alert sound/chime will make noise, but you will hear it to the right of you. Similarly if your chat client is to the left, you will hear alerts to the left of you.

 

There are some ideas floating arround that the efficiency one gains from such a thing increases as the amount of tasks increases. So for someone typing a document and periodically checking a chat the efficiency increase will be barely noticeable. For someone watching 10 stocks, chatting and typing up a report the benefit would be great. Instead of looking at all the stocks when an alert is sounded one could easily zero in on the stock making the alert.

Edited by imwithstupid
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I see this being useful in 3 situations.

 

gaming

computing for the blind

assigning the sound to a virtual windows.

 

until computer UI's start to work like in the movie the minority report. :)

 

Sure thing:

 

Say you had a large monitor (it just makes the effect better) and you are tweaking something in a console window somewhere in the center of the screen and off to the right you have your chat client open, but it's been relatively inactive for a while.  When someone sends a message to the chat room the normal alert sound/chime will make noise, but you will hear it to the right of you.  Similarly if your chat client is to the left, you will hear alerts to the left of you. 

 

There are some ideas floating arround that the efficiency one gains from such a thing increases as the amount of tasks increases.  So for someone typing a document and periodically checking a chat the efficiency increase will be barely noticeable.  For someone watching 10 stocks, chatting and typing up a report the benefit would be great.  Instead of looking at all the stocks when an alert is sounded one could easily zero in on the stock making the alert.

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I think someone couldbuild the minority report computer with few problems. All of the parts exist....

-gesture based interfaces-exist, but need tweaking and learning to work as fast/accurate as they do in the movie

-giant panoramic screens-those exist...lots of them in fact

 

The biggest hurdle I see in making one would be the transparent screen:

-it could be a projected image...like some hud and displays in cars/airplanes

-it could just be one large monitor

-a transparent monitor would only look good if you had a dark wall to sit it next to. Otherwise you would get too much interference from the scenery behind it.

-the only reason to have a transparent monitor is to be able to watch something beyond the monitor while doing your task...In the movie he doesn't need to do this so it just exists for the bling factor.

-though I could see if you wanted a screen like this at say a factory to both watch the systems near you and to watch them on your computer.

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