Investigation of multiple visualisation techniques and dynamic queries in conjunction with direct sonification to support the browsing of audio resources

Abstract

In this thesis, a prototype system for the browsing of audio resources was developed and an initial evaluation of this system was performed. The main contributions of this thesis are dynamic queries and multiple visualisation techniques in conjunction with direct sonification. Dynamic queries are queries that provide immediate feedback while maintaining consistency between the queries themselves and the graphical/auditory display. The multiple visualisation techniques are used to present different representations of collections of audio resources. Exploring the multiple representations allows for the discovery of new relationships within the audio collection. Existing techniques and mechanisms were examined from the areas of visual and auditory browsing; the conclusions drawn from this examination informed our design choices for the prototype system. The exploratory investigation of the prototype system focused on the specific domain of sound design. A series of tasks in the domain gauges the users subjective experience and investigates the use of our system within a real-world situation.