Understanding Design Preferences for Sensory-Sensitive Earcons with Neurodivergent Individuals

Lauren Race, Kia El-Amin, Sarah Anoke, Andrew Hayward, Amber James, Amy Hurst, Audrey Davis, Theresa Mershon

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Earcons are a critical auditory modality for those who perceive information best through sound. Yet earcons can trigger sensory sensitivities with neurodivergent individuals, causing pain or discomfort and creating barriers to information access. They must be carefully designed with neurodivergent representation in the design process to minimize the harm they impose. To address these challenges, we conduct a study on Twitter, a social media platform with frequent earcons, to understand how to design sensory-sensitive earcons for neurodivergent individuals. We present the results of our qualitative interviews with nine neurodivergent Twitter users, uncovering six key themes for designing sensory-sensitive earcons. Based on our findings, we offer a set of novel guidelines for practitioners to design sensory-sensitive earcons for accessibility.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationASSETS 2022 - Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
ISBN (Electronic)9781450392587
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 22 2022
Event24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS 2022 - Athens, Greece
Duration: Oct 23 2022Oct 26 2022

Publication series

NameASSETS 2022 - Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

Conference

Conference24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS 2022
Country/TerritoryGreece
CityAthens
Period10/23/2210/26/22

Keywords

  • Accessibility
  • Design
  • Earcons
  • Neurodiversity
  • Sensory Sensitivities
  • Social Media
  • Sound

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Hardware and Architecture
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Software

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