Evaluating Use of the Doppler Effect to Enhance Auditory Alerts

ABSTRACT

Auditory alerts are an essential part of many multi-modal interaction scenarios, particularly in safety and mission critical settings, such as hospitals and transportation. A variety of strategies can be employed in the design of auditory alerts, often orienting manipulation of volume and pitch parameters. However, manipulations by applying a Doppler effect are under-investigated. A perceptual listening test is conducted (n = 100) using multiple alert sounds that are subjected to a variety of volume, pitch, and Doppler manipulations, with the unaltered sounds serving as a benchmark. Applying a mixed methods approach consisting of inferential statistics and thematic analysis, it is found that decreases in volume and a Doppler simulation of a sound moving away reduce importance and urgency, increase safety, are harder to detect, and are perceived as being more distant in perceptions of auditory alerts. Further, increases in volume and a Doppler simulation of a sound approaching are effective in communicating safety, whilst pitch manipulations were much less effective. Further work is required to provide wider, ecologically valid, verification of these findings, particularly as to how listener detection of Doppler and volume manipulations can be improved.

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Notes on contributors

Stuart Cunningham

Stuart Cunningham is Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University (UK). He holds BSc and MSc awards from the University of Paisley (UK) and a PhD from the University of Wales (UK). His research interests are in sonic interaction, affective computing, and digital media technologies to improve wellbeing.

Iain McGregor

Iain McGregor is the Programme leader for both the undergraduate and online postgraduate Sound Design degrees at Edinburgh Napier University. He specializes in listening studies and runs the University’s auralisation suite. Current research projects include Auditory interfaces, Foley, Human Robot Interfaces, Internet of Things, Sonification and Video Game Audio.