23
votes
Accepted
Why don't commercial products use Logarithmic Volume Controls?
Working as a sound designer in the games industry the response I have get from most programmers regarding this is that they simply don't realise that linear volume scaling is wrong. Once shown the ...
- 246
16
votes
Accepted
Why is music production software UI so skeuomorphic?
Because a lot of it relates to real-world counterparts.
This creates an instant bond with the controls, and allows for easier reading of purpose and meaning.
More specifically, and to answer Nick ...
- 4,704
9
votes
Why is music production software UI so skeuomorphic?
I am a former recording engineer and a current UX designer. I think skeuomorphism initially allowed engineers to transfer deeply ingrained behaviors from the physical interfaces they were trained on ...
- 618
9
votes
Why do some automated phone systems use a typing sound effect?
This is quite common on some IVR systems, and it's intended to transmit the idea of work is being done and the system didn't hang up.
Think about this: if a human person attended the phone, you could ...
- 38.3k
4
votes
Does any research exist on what makes one audible document better than another from a user's perspective?
Users with vision impairments will typically use a screen reader. If you have never tried one, I would highly suggest looking up the basics of how to use one (you already have one in your pocket — ...
- 171
3
votes
Why do some automated phone systems use a typing sound effect?
As other posters have said, the purpose seems to be to reassure the caller that they are still connected. I agree with you that if there isn't any actual typing taking place, playing a typing sound is ...
- 131
3
votes
Why don't commercial products use Logarithmic Volume Controls?
The scale doesn't matter most of the time and the label of that scale almost never matters.
In a broad sense, the user only wants volume controls with 2 settings: Off and the correct/desired volume. ...
- 8,878
2
votes
Accepted
Are there any guidelines on the use of speech in interfaces?
Yes. In regards to research on which gender to use, I suggest you read a book called, "Wired for Speech" by Cliff Nass.
I work as a voice user interface designer and I've compiled some lists:
...
- 106
2
votes
Accepted
Which time best represents the true time for an audio file
From a users perspective, the true value is the actual content a user intends to listen to (i.e. an interview). If the recording is too long or too short, it's the systems responsibility. The system ...
- 25k
2
votes
Does any research exist on what makes one audible document better than another from a user's perspective?
I'm learning to create documentation for our JAWS(screen-reader) users to navigate our organization-specific applications.
Within Word, the most important things appear to be making sure the ...
2
votes
Why is music production software UI so skeuomorphic?
As an amateur DJ and music producer I can relate to this. There are two reasons. One in terms of learning curve and the other in terms of cognitive effort.
The physical interfaces used in music ...
- 10.8k
2
votes
Are there easier names for Ripple Editing?
The conclusion I came to personally goes as thus:
Can we do better than the current industry standard?
Yes. A lot of jargon is derived from stuff that used to be ubiquitous but now is very rare. In ...
- 2,598
2
votes
What are alternate UI/UX for Knobs?
In all of the music apps and websites I've ever used, the most pleasant to use component for this scenario has always been the spinner. This is a text box containing the exact value, with increment/...
- 260
1
vote
Accepted
Using auditory feedback with Alexa?
Voice feedbacks are the best way of communicating a message to the user but, at the same time sounds like dings & beeps are the fastest ways of communicating them.
The users in some cases don't ...
- 1,533
1
vote
When is it necessary to have visual feedback if auditory feedback is primary?
Sorry if I misunderstand the question, but I've been given little detail.
I would say always, because:
People can have their sound turned off, because of their location or they forgot to turn it on.
...
- 121
1
vote
Why is music production software UI so skeuomorphic?
The article "Beyond Skeuomorphism" offers a detailed look at the evolution of music production interfaces. While it doesn't go into detail on knob skeuomorphism, it does mention that Steinberg's ...
- 2,814
1
vote
Why is music production software UI so skeuomorphic?
Historically, it would have been to make the transition from real-world recording studio components to their virtual ones easier for reluctant producers and musicians.
These days there's probably a ...
- 111
1
vote
Accepted
Time duration for skip backward and skip forward for audio?
I ran a usability test on a video player once and I learned two things:
Make the rewind shorter ( 5 or 10 seconds). Users said things like : "Oh, I missed this part I was not paying attention&...
- 983
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible