The Case for Audio in UX Design
While video is taking over the world, audio has its own special place. It's a powerful way to connect with users via sensible integration into your product design. Unlike video, audio has a longer shelf life, lower costs to produce, takes lesser screen space and is more discreet by consumption patterns. We must also note the rapid growth and adoption of headphones and earphones across the world. DYK: Apple sold over 100 million air pods in 2020. More and more products are turning audio and video first.
Let's look at four use cases across domains. This could probably help you think about your product, users, context and potential creative possibilities.
1. Automotive
I experienced this interactive feature back in 2019, however don't recall the name of this Indian internet product. One of the car comparison website gave users a sample audio of the car's horn. Every make has a peculiar sound and comparing this sound is an important aspect in the overall car purchasing experience. If you ask me, automotive websites could probably show dB stamps for honking, engine sounds and even cabin noise to help users compare better and make informed purchase decisions.
Here's how BMW India, enables users to experience the engine, through the power of audio. (Scroll down to find a "Start Engine" button to experience the engine sound)
3. Job Portals
Audio CVs make more sense than video as they are faster to produce for applicants, lighter on infrastructure and easy to consume for the recruiters. Audio samples of introduction, key skills or responses to specific questions can be recorded by the candidate. This helps recruiters to evaluate the candidate's articulation without a biased judgement due to very nature of the video format. Audio has downsides too, however this could be a good start point as its easier and faster to produce by candidates and consume by recruiters.
4. eCommerce
Certain category of products have an acoustic aspect when it comes to making a purchase decision. Here are a few random examples. Noisy printers & shredders, musical instruments, televisions, mixers and grinders. The audio samples and dB stamps by sellers could help customers evaluate the products better when making an online purchase.
Showcasing "decibel stamps" on your interface, shows how your business cares about inclusion, noise pollution and committed to the finer details of the human experience.
Let's look at four use cases across domains. This could probably help you think about your product, users, context and potential creative possibilities.
1. Automotive
I experienced this interactive feature back in 2019, however don't recall the name of this Indian internet product. One of the car comparison website gave users a sample audio of the car's horn. Every make has a peculiar sound and comparing this sound is an important aspect in the overall car purchasing experience. If you ask me, automotive websites could probably show dB stamps for honking, engine sounds and even cabin noise to help users compare better and make informed purchase decisions.
2. Food & Beverage / Dining
When you book a table, you never really know the ambience sound, which ideally has a great impact on your overall experience. Every dining occasion demands a certain ambience. Imagine going for a business meet and you step into a place that's too loud or that plays the romantic classics all through out. We could solve this by showcasing some sample music played at the restaurant, typical ambience on various times of the day and dB levels that enables conversions and enhanced overall user experience.
When you book a table, you never really know the ambience sound, which ideally has a great impact on your overall experience. Every dining occasion demands a certain ambience. Imagine going for a business meet and you step into a place that's too loud or that plays the romantic classics all through out. We could solve this by showcasing some sample music played at the restaurant, typical ambience on various times of the day and dB levels that enables conversions and enhanced overall user experience.
3. Job Portals
Audio CVs make more sense than video as they are faster to produce for applicants, lighter on infrastructure and easy to consume for the recruiters. Audio samples of introduction, key skills or responses to specific questions can be recorded by the candidate. This helps recruiters to evaluate the candidate's articulation without a biased judgement due to very nature of the video format. Audio has downsides too, however this could be a good start point as its easier and faster to produce by candidates and consume by recruiters.
4. eCommerce
Certain category of products have an acoustic aspect when it comes to making a purchase decision. Here are a few random examples. Noisy printers & shredders, musical instruments, televisions, mixers and grinders. The audio samples and dB stamps by sellers could help customers evaluate the products better when making an online purchase.
Showcasing "decibel stamps" on your interface, shows how your business cares about inclusion, noise pollution and committed to the finer details of the human experience.
Please note that you should also consider the accessibility aspect of the audio user experience. Not all users can experience the power of audio. So it's imperative for product designers to consider the needs of one and all.
How are you leveraging the power of audio in your product design strategy?