usable audio - best practices for auditory content
DESCRIPTION
Learn how audio differs from text that is read by the user. This presentation points out the main challenges in using audio to transport information. Best practices and results from tests are presented. This is useful for anyone who creates content that is to be listened to - podcasts, radio, voice control systems etc.TRANSCRIPT
Usable Audio—Best Practices for Auditory Content
December 5th 2008
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About Your Speaker
• Jens Jacobsen• Information Architekt, Usability
Consultant• Created podcasts, websites & POIs/
games for museums• Founder, CEO Content Crew GmbH
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Example:
• Product activation via phone
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Audio Example—what went wrong?
Key Feature Audio:
• Audio is linear.• Other than text and images:
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Design
NewsMoneymaker
Community
Social News
TechnologyMusic
Sharing
KnowhowChinese Line
Tools
Political BlogsConnections
MoviesInsidersMain Sites
Junctions
Stations
Information Architects Inc. Japan www.informationarchitects.jp © 2007.6 V1.6
Web Trend Map 2007/V2INFORMATION ARCHITECTS JAPANANALYTIC DESIGN AND CONSULTING
Web X.X
Forecast
Nice
Unreal
Changing
TroubleInsecure
Storm
Line Color
News
Design
Yahoo
9 Rules
Yahoo Mail
Yahoo Answers
Getty
Yahoo MapsDelicious
Yahoo News
Adobe
Monster
CSS ZEN Garden
AIGA
Adaptive Path
Slashdot.org
MSN
Dell
Sohu163
Taobao
Soso
TomEastMoneyVnetPChome
Wretch.cc
Cisco
IBM
Sony
Microsoft
StumbleUpon
AIM
Hotmail LiveImagevenue
Xanga
Livejournal
Geocities
Statcounter XBox Live
Passport
Go.com
Livejournal
LastFM
Torrentspy
W3C
Firefox
Wordpress
IMDB.com
Craigslist
WiredOrkut
ThePirateBay
Flickr
Wikipedia
Wikipedia (D)
Wikipedia (Pl)
Wikipedia (Nl)
Wikipedia (SV)
Wikipedia (It)
Wikipedia (Es)
Wikipedia (Fr)
Wikipedia (Pt)
Sapo
Orange
Wikipedia (J)
OpenID
EBayApple
.Mac
Rakuten
LiveDoor
Hatena
Amazon
2ch.net
BaiduSina
Uwants
Myspace
SecondLife Mixi
Meebo
Trillian
Studiverzeichnis
Yahoo Messenger
Bebo
Nicovideo
CNet
About.com
ICQ
Seth Godin
Zeldman
Fake Steve Jobs
Daring Fireball
Guy Kawasaki
Jeff Croft
Swissmiss
Cameron Moll
Mark Boulton
Coudal
Edward Tufte
iA
Netvibes
iTunesOfficial Google Blog
Subtraction
OhMyNews
Useit
Boxes&Arrows
BoingBoingDesignobserver
Youtube (Jp)
A List Apart
CNN
USA Today
Der Spiegel
T-Online
Yigg
Heise
Spreeblick
Prägnanz
Bild
GMXWeb.de
Leo
MyVideo
NYTimes
Netscape
Memeorandum
Techmeme
Newsvine
Digg
PhotoBucket
Imageshack
Photolog.com
AOL
Terra
37 Signals
Wallmart
Washington Post
Metacafé
TheGuardian
Repubblica
Google.de Google.itGoogle.fr
Google.ukGoogle.br.com
Google.co.jp
Federated Media
Feedburner
Skype
LeMonde
ElPais
FAZ
Sueddeutsche
Media Matters
Huffington Post
C&L
Daily Kos
Beppe Grillo
Red State Malkin
NZZ
YouTube
Daily Motion
Google Video
Google News
Google Docs
Google Calendar
VOX
Tagged
Answers.com
WebMD
BitTorrent
Google Analytics
Google Maps
Google Checkout
GMail
Blogger
Adwords
Adsense
Technorati
MyBlogLog
Pandora
NetFlix
Comedy Central
ZeFrank
Office Live
PayPal
AdBrite
MegaUpload Sendspace RapidshareBadongo
Friendster
DeviantArt
Skyblog
Torrentz.com
Expedia.com
Edelman
Messenger
Wall Street Journal
The Economist
Micro Persuasion
Alibaba
UPS
Sourceforge
Versiontracker
Google Blogsearch
Yahoo.co.jp
Valleywag
Jeff Jarvis
Doc Searls
Dave Winer
Kotaku
Engadget
TechcrunchScoblizer
OM Malik
John Batelle FOX
Slate
Yahoo.com.cn
IXDA
You
BaLa Music!
BBC
Hi5
Money
Money
Money
Money
Webtoo
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Sharing
Movies
Technology
Tools
Know
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Music
Social News
News
Shari
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Tools
Tools
Social News
Social News
Technology
Music
Know
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Know
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Knowhow
Chinese Line
Chinese Line
Chinese Line
Mus
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Murdoch
Edelm
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News
Design
Design
Social Networks
Socia
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Key Feature Audio:
• Audio is linear.⇒• Overview difficult• Short term memory needed a lot• Rewind / fast forward awkward or even impossible
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So:
• We need a special information architecture for audio.
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Use of IA for Audio?
• Radio• Audio books• Voice control• Phone / hotlines• Navigation / car assistance systems
• Podcasts• On the Web
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Information Architecture
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Foundation for Audio IA…
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User Scenarios
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• How will audio be used? • Just listen: Radio• Listen, maybe rewind: audio book• Listen parts, skip, maybe rewind: Podcast• Listen, talk: voice recognition• Listen, use keys: voice recognition• Listen interactively: Web
User Scenarios 1/3
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increasingly interactive
• How are the surroundings?• Headphones / phone receiver / loudspeaker• At home• In the office• On the go
• How much experience do users have?
User Scenarios 2/3
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• What do the users want?• Entertainment
• Information
• Problem solving
User Scenarios 3/3
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increasingly goal-oriented
Metadata
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Journalism
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Writing to Be Heard
• Be short• Write easy sentences• Use present tense, name the doer• Avoid jargon & complicated words• Repeat, repeat, repeat
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Answer the „Seven Ws“:
• Who?• What?• Where?• When?• How?• Why?• Where from?
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Make Information Digestable
• One new information per sentence• Provide time for information processing• Relate to personal experience• Instead of
The new time management solution IS EasyPlan makes it possible to access all e-mail in order and answer them in a way…
• Write:You know it: you enter the office in good spirit. But turning on your PC you find 73 unread e-mails. IS EasyPlan helps you…
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Psychology of Learning
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Writing for the Brain
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• Mind short-term memory• Think of previous user experience• Adjust reading speed
User Centered Design
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Our Usability Study
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Our Hypothesis:
“Audio created which follows the rules of Audio Information Architecture is better.”
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Our Setup
Text Comparison
At the end of the 19th century, scientists were in agreement: All of nature's laws were known to man and fully understood, every observable phenomenon could be explained and described with a formula, only a few minor details would be left to discover.
Not until decades later most of them realized how wrong they were...
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The end of research [ethereal sound]
At the end of the 19th century, scientists agreed: All of nature's laws were known to man and fully understood. Every observable phenomenon could be explained and described with a formula. Only a few minor details would be left to discover.
Not until decades later most of them realized how wrong they were... [wobbling sound]
AP
Print text Audio text
General Problem: Audio on Webpage
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38%: ”Video would be nice“
18%: ”Dificult to concentrate“
38% aborted playback
Audio is difficult—so:
• Consider using video• Provide link for download• Provide RSS-feed (podcast)• Treat it as appetizer
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What about the Audio Players?
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Player 1
Player 2
Player 1 Player 2
Our Plans
• Produce video with same text.• Conduct study with ~100 participants.
• Develop audio player that • meets usability requirements• tracks audio abort
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1:31 5:43
Conclusion
• Create text with Audio Information Architecure in mind• Use a usable player• Don‘t think anyone listens a longer audio on the
web—but maybe he/she downloads it
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Your Turn
• For more info please visitwww.content-crew.de/audioIA.
Questions, comments, thoughts, please!