Sleep is essential in our lives. Unfortunately, many individuals suffer from a lack of sleep and sleep disorders, which negatively impact their daily lives and cause many problems. Feeling negative emotions during the day can be a reason for sleep deprivation. On the basis of a study which explored how emotional states influence sound preferences for sleep, we have developed the SoundAsleep app. After the user answers questions about their emotional state, the app suggests three sounds that can help them fall asleep. We evaluated the app - its impact on sleep quality and more generally how people experienced using it - with twenty participants who used it every day for at least one week. Results from this evaluation further support that a relationship between emotional states and sound preferences for sleep exists. Finally, we suggest new directions for research and development of effective sound-based sleep aids.

A key challenge in sonic interaction design is the lack of a shared vocabulary for describing sound in ways non-experts can easily understand. To address this, we investigate the intuitive use of a lexicon originally developed for communication between sound designers and stakeholders. Building on a pre-study with pre-labeled stimuli, this new study tests the descriptors with a larger, unlabeled dataset. Through online listening tests, participants categorized sounds using selected descriptors, and their responses were compared to expert labels. Our findings confirm that descriptors such as Rough, Smooth, Metallic are the most intuitively well understood; Dull, Warm, Round and Non Round are also relatively well understood. These results inform ongoing research on sound preferences and the development of tools for personalized sonic interactions, helping listeners articulate their preferences for user-centered sonic interactions.

Sleep plays a vital role in our lives, yet many people experience sleep deprivation and sleep disorders that prevent them from getting adequate rest and being able to function well during the day. Not feeling emotionally well can be the cause of sleep deprivation. This study aims to investigate the relationship between emotional state and individual sound preferences to fall asleep. The study focuses on environmental sounds rather than music as the use of these sounds for sleep is under-explored. An online survey was conducted to assess whether people prefer different sounds to aid sleep depending on their emotional state. The results show that sounds such as Rain, Underwater sounds, and Singing Bowl sounds are preferred for negative emotional states. On the other hand, the sounds of Birds, Crickets, and Rain are selected more often for positive emotional states. Additionally, the paper describes the initial stages of a mobile app development that we are planning to use to implement the study’s findings. The app asks the user for their emotional state and suggests to them three different sounds to regulate their emotional state and help them fall asleep.

Interdisciplinary, collaborative workshops are one of the core activities in design disciplines. In design literature many descriptions of methods and analyses of results can be found. But can these activities have a long-term, trans- formational impact in the way practitioners develop their designs? The Audible Universe (AU) project aimed at developing sonification processes in the astronomy field. In this frame, the second AU2 workshop brought together, for 5 days in 2022, about 50 experts (astronomers interested in sonification, software developers, sound design- ers, experts in sound perception and educators) to exchange knowledge on how to approach the sonification of astronomical data. One core aspect of the workshop were ideation and evaluation sessions to introduce and provide practical methods for the design of sonifications. This paper presents a systematic analysis of the materials produced during these sessions based on shared environments and protocols used by participants, and through two follow-up interviews with software developers reports on the long-term impact that these sessions have had on the development of two specific tools for astronomical sonification.

In the mid 20th century Pierre Schaeffer introduced the term objet sonore in his now famous Traité des objets musicaux (1966) and Solfège de l'objet sonore (1967). Since then, the English term object has been used in relation to sound in many contexts. In this essay I argue that while conceptualizing sound as an object has had, and probably continues to have, many benefits for the development of audio technology and for production methods, it also obscures and undermines some fundamental and unique characteristics of sound. To exemplify how and when conceptualizing sound as an object seems to be unhelpful, I will use examples from media production, specifically the creative practice of Foley, and the use of sound in documentaries with examples from works by documentary filmmaker Erik Gandini and others. Overall, this essay aims to contribute to a better understanding of what sound is by highlighting its unique, often contradictory, characteristics - its ability to help us trace what is relevant and truthful in what is in front of us - rather than what it might have in common with other creative materials.

Sonification and sonic interaction design aim to create meaningful displays and digital interactions using data and information from the most disparate fields (astronomy, finance, health, security, for example) as the basis of the design. To date there are no standards and conventions on how to meaningfully link data to sound, therefore designers develop these connections on a case-by-case basis. Participatory workshops which target end-users and domain experts are a way for sound designers to find meaningful connections between data and sounds at the start of the design process so that final outcomes are more likely to be effective and accepted by users.In this paper, we present and discuss the participatory workshop methods we have developed within the \textit{Sound for Energy} project. In particular, we will highlight the aspects that can be easily transferable to other target domains. With this, we contribute to the effort of making sonification and sonic interaction design a more viable and accepted alternative to traditional, usually visual, displays.

Addressing climate change and related societal challenges requires the acknowledgement that our resources are limited, that a sustainable future depends on how we act now, and that responsibilities are shared. In this context, the choices we make when designing the world around us are of great significance and consequence. In this conversation, we reflected on how sound-driven design can contribute to a sustainable future. Sound is a unique design material that can metaphorically, and sometimes practically, embody sustainability concepts and their complexity. Our discussions encompassed whether current sound technology trends support sustainable behaviors; how notions of care, responsibility and agency are expressed through sound and listening by humans as well as the more-than-human world; and how cultivating a sonic sensitivity can afford new critical perspectives. Through this interdisciplinary conversation we were able to unravel several connections between sound and sustainability and map out directions for future work.

Energy from fossil fuel is responsible for about three-quarters of global greenhouse gases. Transitioning to sustainable solutions can greatly contribute to limiting global heating. To do this, people need to gain a global, as well as a national, perspective on energy consumption and production. This paper presents the design of Earth Electric, a collaborative sonic interactive sculpture that allows people to engage with energy data from different countries. A study is presented that evaluates user experience and experience of meaning. Results show that overall Earth Electric is effective in providing Sensory, Social and Systemic non-energy feedback to participants.

The SIG on Sound-Driven Design invites researchers and practitioners to delve into the multifaceted nature of sound, unraveling its physical, perceptual, emotional, and socio technological dimensions, and contribute to the discovery and development of design methods and tools. In the sound-driven perspective, listening emerges as element that adds depth and richness to the design space, adding to the role of the senses in the experience of the form quality of products, services, and systems. We propose to reflect on the holistic and inclusive character of “sound-driven” as it combines the diverse sonic, experiential, technical, and cultural manifestations of sound with the creative, integrative, mitigative, and purposeful essence of designing. We welcome contributions that offer insights and actionable knowledge on the process of sound-driven design by: Exploring the sonic and creative aspects, with a focus on the sensory, emotional and aesthetic qualities of the audible embodiment to create unique and innovative sonic identity for projects Examining the experiential and integrative aspects, with a focus on how sound enhance and reinforce other sensory cues, such as vision and touch, and ultimately interacts with other design elements to create cohesive and coherent experiences Tackling the technical and mitigative aspects, with a focus on the sources and systems that produce unwanted or harmful sound, in order to create more comfortable and healthy environments Framing the cultural and purposeful aspects, with a focus on crafting culturally relevant and meaningful sound for specific audience or community, conveying values and practices, bridging communities, and fostering connections among stakeholders

Describing sounds is complicated, partly due to the lack of a commonly understood vocabulary of timbre descriptors. Previous research has developed a lexicon to facilitate communication between sound designers and non-experts. This study investigates the useful- ness and understandability of this lexicon for non-expert listeners in the context of environmental sounds. Through online listen- ing tests, participants categorized pre-labeled sounds using the lexicon’s terms. The results indicate that many descriptors are intuitively understood by a majority of the participants, while others appear to be confusing. An ongoing study extension, which includes assessing the lexicon further on a larger set of everyday environmental sounds, is described.