Issues in Auditory Display

Abstract

Auditory displays have been successfully deployed to assist data visualization in many areas, but have as yet received little attention in the field of artificial life. This article presents an overview of existing design approaches to auditory display and highlights some of the key issues that are of practical relevance to the use of auditory displays in artificial life research. Examples from recent experiments are used to illustrate the importance of considering factors such as data characteristics, data-display mappings, perceptual interactions within and between display modalities, and user experience and training in designing new visualization tools. It is concluded that while further research is needed to develop generic design principles for auditory display, this should not stand in the way of exploration of bespoke designs for specific applications.