Test date : October 26, 2011
Location : MFA DT Lab, Parsons The New School for Design
Objective
Observe the level of attention, exploration and engagement with a sound installation.
Observe behavior of participants when confronted to a sound interface with no visual feedback.
Description
A computer sound interface is placed in a highly transited zone in an private open space. The interface uses a camera to sense movement and proximity and outputs sonic feedback based on those parameters. The camera and speakers were placed in a zone where people usually walk by (near a hallway), with the intention to see if the interface made them stop.
When users walk by the interface, depending on how much they move, a sound becomes louder, if the user freezes, the sound stops. A second control is provided depending on the proximity with the camera: as the user gets closer to the camera, a second sound (with different timbre and frequency) gets louder. Consequently, if the user walks away from the camera, the sound will decrease in loudness.
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