Day 25: Smart Devices

Today’s sounds are intended for a hypothetical smart lock and associated app. When working on something like this I find it tricky to strike a balance between “secure” and “welcoming” in the design. Nobody wants to trust their home security to a product that sounds too cute or friendly, but if a major selling point is the convenient and frictionless interface then it is important to create a positive emotional connection with the user. This is a place where UX research is so helpful, both for understanding what users are seeking from the product and also for understanding whether your sound design is signalling what you intended.

Day 24: Smart Devices

This might not completely fit the category of “Smart” device, but I’ve been thinking a lot about elevators and how they are a missed opportunity for experience design. The standard set of UX sounds associated with an elevator have remained more or less unchanged for decades. But within an environment like a corporate headquarters, hotel, or upscale retail location there is a lot of room for experimentation with branded sound design and visitor experience enhancement.

Rather than having “Elevator Music” what if we thought of the elevator the way we would a vehicle? What if elevators signalled whether they were going up or down with a sonic signature? What if the sounds you encounter on board the elevator mesh with the sounds you hear in the lobby when it arrives?

Day 23: Smart Devices

A momentary diversion…I just loved these pluck sounds and had to play around with them for a bit. They do sound a bit like something playful and childlike, and smart toys and child-friendly devices are certainly increasingly common.

Day 22: Smart Devices

Today’s sound set is designed for a bedside smart clock/alarm/sleep aid, like a Hatch or similar device. The goal is to create something that is soothing, harmonically rich, and intelligible without the use of voice responses.

Day 21: Smart Devices

As our connections and interactions with digital technology become more diversified and distributed we will need to rely more and more on UI sounds to communicate with users. I’ve never worked on vehicles before, and I’m sure there are many factors I haven’t considered, but it is an interesting challenge to think about how to construct a UI system for rideshares and autonomous operations.

For today’s post I used a single evolving pad as a source for three vehicle sounds: a pedestrian warning sound, which I thought might be interesting if it moved up the harmonic sequence as the vehicle accelerated rather than moving up in pitch; a backup/reverse warning sound; and an alert sound for passengers, possibly to mark the end of an autonomous cab ride or to remind you to buckle up. This is new territory for me but I’m eager to explore more!

Day 20: Patch Exploration

Day 19: Patch Exploration

Day 18: Patch Exploration

Another thing I’m a sucker for? Tremolo. Especially tremolo with a variable or progressive rate. Soundtoys Tremolator includes a very handy envelope function for controlling both depth and rate, which you can hear in this collection of sounds. It’s an easy way to add dynamism and arc to otherwise static patches.

Day 17: Patch Exploration

I’m a sucker for cheap tape machine sounds. Give me wow and flutter any day of the week. I’m not sure what the practical applications would be for UI sound design in a professional context; perhaps a brand that wants to highlight its vintage street cred, or a game with a 60s/70s flavor? Luckily in this project I don’t have to confine myself to brand style guides!

Day 16: Patch Exploration

With these musical gestures I’m not trying to create a functional system per se; rather I’m just looking at different variations on simple chords and melodies. The real work is in finding sounds that are inspiring to play, that feel compelling enough that you can play one chord or one note and have it feel intentional and compelling.