Design Implications for a Ubiquitous Ambient Sound Display for the Deaf
By Tomitsch, M.; Grechenig, T.; Proceedings of the Conference & Workshop on Assistive Technologies for People with Vision & Hearing Impairments: Assistive Technology for All Ages (CVHI-2007), Granada, Spain, 28th - 31th August, 2007,Publication Date: 2007
Paper outlines the development of an ambient sound visualization system for deaf individuals displayed on the ceiling. Ambient sounds that provide clues about the environment include serendipitous events such as children playing in the next room, warning sounds such as a fire alarm, and critical information as exemplified by a knock on the door. The design process of the prototype was guided by expert interviews, an online questionnaire, and a design workshop at an organization for the deaf. Ten participants, 6 male and 4 female, aged 22 to 30 years took part in the workshop. Results from the workshop showed that participants highly approved of the idea to use the ceiling for ambient visualizations. The following implications were derived for an application designed for an ambient technologies environment: (1) Use either the entire ceiling or multiple areas as projection surface, (2) determine the location of occurring sounds, (3) use aesthetic visualizations for the display, (4) provide a second traditional display for higher level sound awareness that features an overview of the entire living space such as a desktop screen mounted onto a wall, (5) use icons for sound representation, and (6) show the location of other people in the environment on the map. Directions for further development of the prototype system are discussed.
Published by: CEUR Workshop Proceedings (Website:http://SunSITE.Informatik.RWTH-Aachen.DE/Publications/CEUR-WS/)
Link to text: http://sunsite.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/Publications/CEUR-WS/Vol-415/paper24.pdf
