This week was another key period in the development of my thesis project, because it led to the creation of my 1st janky prototype of what the potential output could sound like for my solution.

1.) All of the feedback that our visitors offered was very helpful in challenging the how I relate to this project, and they have really opened my eyes to other ways of qualifying what this project can be. I spoke with the following individuals during our evening of feedback.

  • Annelie Berner
  • Jim Schmitz
  • Huiyi Chen
  • Dana Elkis

I have listed the core notes/considerations that they brought to mind during the course of our conversation, and I also just want to express my gratitude to have such a wonderful opportunity to engage with these deep thinkers.

 

Annelie Berner

  • Fade In’s between the audio clips should lend themselves to a personal feeling as they are non obtrusive. However, consider providing an option for a designation sound, or other Fade In detail.
  • Would not have minded to know how many segments are present in a completed audio collage. Ex.) Decreasing circle as you move through audio.
  • It could be a service design project where segments are “sent” to the compiler (a la Wizard of Oz) as opposed to a full tool if necessary.
  • Can it be made more communal by inviting people to listen together?
  • Will the Elderly have an adverse reaction to this?

 

Jim Schmitz

  • Mobile is a good call as most people will not go out and grab a mic setup for a specific tool like this… typically.
  • Specific platform choices are key. Audio might need to be saved in the cloud to enable the act of saving, downloading, ect… as users migrate through the solution.
  • Initially had a different sense of the project, but that was due to the choice of audio provided in the example.

 

Huiyi Chen

  • The project is good to keep it simple, and focus on this one purpose. Too many features will not be helpful. Make this one feature good, and easy to use. Get to where the memory translates to sound easily.
  • Give them the agency of Fade In/Out OR Sounds OR Couple of seconds of silence between clips.
  • Would love to share the outputs within a group in an intimate manner.
  • Should be invitation based only, or at least limited to the core people who would have direct ties to the person in question.
  • Don’t have to use “real” recordings all of the time. Could offer generic recordings that will help bring key memories to the forefront of the mind. (Ex. Sounds of the beach)
  • Be open to ripping audio from a variety of sources. (Local Memorializing/Youtube/Social/ect…)

 

Dana Elkis

  • Are there ethical concerns?
  • Who has access to this final file?
  • How do I facilitate the community feeling?
  • Is it by invitation only, or is everyone invited?
  • What is the cover of this file? Text, Picture, Folder?
  • Is this rule based? Are there “Sound time constraints”?
  • If 2 people are on does it tell you? Dana would want to know…
  • What is the eye content or body gestures that can be replicated in sound?
  • Can you DL the file, and burn the CD/Tape or is this an exclusive web action or can it leave?
  • There is a balance between the need to control the memories. (Ex. This is how I want ppl to control it.) Authorship, Curation,… the head of every mix or tree.
  • Look at the interface for Soundcloud… the comment aspect helps to create more engagement for end users.

 

2.) I also connected to Lauren Race, an accessibility researcher with the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at NYU. Her feedback is connected to my interface centric inquiries in regards to how users from other aspects of the vision spectrum engage with digital representations.

As I move forward the need for more questions may pop up, and my questions will become more qualified in that area. For now our initial conversation is mostly sited below.

Questions:

1.) Do you happen to have any recommendations in regards to materials that might be able to inform the design considerations of something like this solution?

First, I recommend conducting a competitive analysis of audio social platforms, determining the pros and cons of each. Next, Cheryl Platz’s book on multimodality with a focus on audio interfaces could be a good resource for you: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design-beyond-devices/

2.) Are there any glaring areas or issues to avoid when creating something so audio orientated?

In general, I don’t recommend providing only one modality, like sound. This is because some folks learn best through hearing, some through sight, and some through touch. Therefore, it’s important to provide text equivalents, like captions or transcripts, for those who learn through sight.

3.) In regards to accessibility, do you think is it possible to serve multiple communities in an effective manner, or should the design mainly focus on one group?

I do believe it is possible to serve multiple communities, and we do this by including multiple modalities in our work. For example, you could be including the Blind community but excluding the d/Deaf community if your project only provides information through audio. I suggest looking into interfaces for d/Deaf users for some inspiration. You can sign into the NYU VPN and access the ACM library here: https://www.nyu.edu/life/information-technology/getting-started/network-and-connectivity/vpn.html to access the following papers on the topic: