Ears Lead Eyes

IF you find yourself

Designing a display to direct the users attention to critical intermittent information while they are involved in an eyes-busy foreground task

for example

• e1: classifying incoming threats while tracking another plane [Brock et al. 2002] http://www.icad.org/websiteV2.0/Conferences/ICAD2002/proceedings/13_DerekBrock.pdf
• e2: an ambient soundscape for peripheral awareness of remote processes [Kilander and Lonnqvist 2002] http://www.icad.org/websiteV2.0/Conferences/ICAD2002/proceedings/19_Kilander.pdf
• e3: dimensions of spatial audio that can be used to represent information in auditory displays [Carlisle 2002] http://www.icad.org/websiteV2.0/Conferences/ICAD2002/proceedings/SimonCarlile_tutorial_formatted.pdf

with the problem that

it is stressful to keep switching visual attention between different displays and intermittent events can easily be missed

entailing forces

• f1: the need to keep visual attention on one task
• f2: the need for immediate response to another critical but intermittent task

THEN Use sounds to provide the critical intermittent information

Apply

The adage that ‘the ears lead the eyes’

to construct

an auditory display that allows non-visual awareness of intermittent processes and directs visual attention using spatialized sounds when necessary

leading to

a display that allows the user to more effectively manage attention between the tasks to reduce response times, increase accuracy, and improve efficiency in attention

and

a dietic auditory display

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References

Brock D. Stroup J.L. and Ballass J.A. (2002) Using an Auditory Display to Manage Attention in a Dual Task, Multiscreen Environment, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Auditory Display ICAD 2002, Kyoto, July 2-5, 2002.

Carlisle S. (2002) An Overview on Auditory Dimensions That Can be Used to Represent Information, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Auditory Display ICAD 2002, Kyoto, July 2-5, 2002.

Kilander F. and Lonnqvist (2002) A Whisper in the Woods – An Ambient Soundscape for Peripheral Awareness of Remote Processes, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Auditory Display ICAD 2002, Kyoto, July 2-5, 2002.