Micro UX | Week 4 – 3D Audio exploration

Team: Binru Liu/ Catherine Achieng/ Qendresa Selimi/ Zhaolu Song

Brief: Re-design the acoustic properties of a physical space.

Time: 14.05.2021-20.05.2021

Soundscape and photography

Thinking of the article we have recently read, Understanding Problem Framing through research into Metaphors, I tried to map the elements and relations from photography to soundscape to get some inspiration. I found that compared to photography which can be adjusted by changing position, angle and light, the soundscape is less controllable. Can we make the soundscape more controllable? How about changing the soundscape and make it totally different for participants?

Mapping elements from soundscape to photography. Picture by me.

Contrasts

Based on last week's feedback and previous ideas, I thought more contrast soundscapes of different places and found places with less sound lack spatial cues. It could be extremely unbearable for people with Claustrophobia who have an extreme or irrational fear of confined places. For example, when people walk into an elevator, the missing of sound cues can cause stress and insecurity. Could we add more sound cues to the enclosed and small places? Can we reduce people’s anxiety by applying sounds from macro places into micro spaces and creating a different soundscape?

Contrast soundscapes. Diagram by me.

Street idea

We discussed that sound cues are missing in some enclosed places and decided to choose the alleyway as our micro-level place. I suggested applying 3D audios from different macro places, such as concerts, the sky and the forest, so participants will have a totally new experience when walking through the alley. Qendresa also looked into the visual part of the whole experience.

Street idea. Sketch by Qendresa.

I also started recording some 3D audios from busy streets. It was interesting to hear the 3D sound that a car is passing by from right to left, which made the experience immersive.

Street recording. Photo by me

3D street sound. Record by me.

3D audio of dining experience

We tried to edit these sounds, however, we realize it’s hard for us to control the sound from the streets and create a story. So, Catherine suggested we can go back and focus on the dining table experience that can be controlled by people. In that case, it could also be a storytelling experience. Then we discussed the dining story script, played around with the sound, such as kitchen utensils, sparkling water and cutting food, and recorded it with a 3D audio recorder.

Recording day. Photo by Rikkie.

Interim review

Presentation. Photo by Sebastian.

People are listening to 3D audio. Photo by me.

On the interim review day, we firstly showed our past research and then invite people to hear the 3D audio (click to hear our sound). Many students said it’s an interesting and funny experience. However, there are still many things we need to improve. Steph gave us many useful suggestions, like how to make participants involved in the scene instead of being observers, how to make food taste better with sound. Besides, John suggested we think it deeper and record a natural dinner conversation instead of acting. Ala advised us to think about how the dining table is a micro space. Through this week, we found the power of sound in creating a space and how to make 3D audio but we still need to think about the context of the experience.

Next week, we will think about the context deeper and iterate the prototype.

References

1. Figura, L.O. and Teixeira, A.A. (2007). Acoustical Properties. Food Physics, pp.417–426.

2. R Murray Schafer (1993). The soundscape: the tuning of the world. Rochester, Vt.: Destiny Books, United States.