Abstract
Although data sonification i.e., the use of sound to represent data is gaining mo-mentum, its impact is still limited. The lack of shared design methods and tools is seen as an obstacle for the expansion of sonification from a scientific method to a mass-medium for better human-data interaction. The Data Sonification Canvas is a design tool that supports authors during the creative process. Our paper first describes the genesis of the Canvas, grounded in expert interviews and literature from sound design for film, human-computer interaction, and data visualization. We then present an evaluation study with 20 participants that measured the pragmatic and hedonic quality of the Canvas. Results show that users consider it a valuable, self-oriented, and practical tool that meets their needs in a struc-tured, yet straightforward manner. Areas of improvement include uniform the terminology; increase accessibility; include multi-media content and customize the spatial organization of the components.
Keywords
design tools; sound design; data sonification; sound design methods; human-data interaction
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.730
Citation
Lenzi, S., and Ciuccarelli, P. (2024) Designing tools for designers: The Data Sonification Canvas, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.730
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Research Paper
Included in
Designing tools for designers: The Data Sonification Canvas
Although data sonification i.e., the use of sound to represent data is gaining mo-mentum, its impact is still limited. The lack of shared design methods and tools is seen as an obstacle for the expansion of sonification from a scientific method to a mass-medium for better human-data interaction. The Data Sonification Canvas is a design tool that supports authors during the creative process. Our paper first describes the genesis of the Canvas, grounded in expert interviews and literature from sound design for film, human-computer interaction, and data visualization. We then present an evaluation study with 20 participants that measured the pragmatic and hedonic quality of the Canvas. Results show that users consider it a valuable, self-oriented, and practical tool that meets their needs in a struc-tured, yet straightforward manner. Areas of improvement include uniform the terminology; increase accessibility; include multi-media content and customize the spatial organization of the components.