SENSORY AUGMENTATION OF SOUND

How could deaf or hard of hearing people perceive music better? Can existing sensory devices be improved for group listening and musical practice? How can we augment digital tools such as the sensory organ or the Brutbox with a function that makes sound visual or tangible?

These questions were the subject of research carried out by the Change2Regard partners with the collaboration of students from the Media Design master’s cycle at the Nantes Atlantique School of Design.

augmentation sensorielle

In this project, design appeared to be the discipline most suited to our subject. It places the user at the heart of its approach to understand the experience from their point of view and thus design an object or service that is as fair as possible. This research was therefore tested with the users concerned, namely deaf or hard of hearing people.

This report traces:

  • the methodology specific to the design approach: theoretical research, meetings with people involved, research into uses and forms, concept proposals, tests and exchanges with users, etc.
  • immersion in the depths of deafness during a dedicated day: listening by acoustic or digital bone conduction, the transducer, the subwoofer, the subpac.
  • les projets concrets produits par les étudiant.es de l’Ecole de design de Nantes Atlantique, et les retours de forces/faiblesses de chacun d’eux en vue d’une amélioration :
    • TOGETHER
    • ORCHESTRE DE BARBARIE
    • EMPREINTE SENSORIELLE.

The exploratory work carried out by the students in association with hearing-impaired people showed that there was no obvious technical answer. Each project only partially meets the complex specifications that were proposed. This exploration revealed the interest in continuing this research by creating prototypes, then using tests with the people concerned and ergonomics until the validation of a successful proposal that best meets the needs.

The open-source form of these productions as well as the European framework in which they were produced allows everyone to reuse, appropriate and/or develop all or part of the projects.

Download the “Perspective, design & sensory augmentation” report (in french) by clicking on the “Download” button below.

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