effects of reproduction equipment on interaction with a spatial audio interface
Spatial audio displays have been criticized because the use of headphones may isolate users from their real world audio environment. In this paper we study the effects of three types of audio reproduction equipment (standard headphones, bone-conductance headphones and monaural presentation using a single earphone) on time and accuracy during interaction with a deictic spatial audio display. Participants selected a target sound emitting from one of four different locations in the presence of distracters whilst wearing the different types of headphones. Target locations were marked with audio feedback. No significant differences were found for time and accuracy ratings between bone conductance and standard headphones. Monaural reproduction significantly slowed interaction. The results show that alternative reproduction equipment can be used to overcome user isolation from the natural audio environment.
interaction design auditory i/o and sound in the ui