Your sound can be sculpted in your own signature sound so people can recognize your app without even seeing it, giving your app its own “hook”. When the sound gives the right impression, you win a lot with a small amount of effort.
Sound can give expression to interactions and reinforce specific functionality by providing feedback or adding decoration to a user experience when applied to strategic moments.
SOUND AS FEEDBACK
Sound can be applied to interactions by linking an action, or a state change, to an audio cue. These sounds are called earcons, and they can represent information, actions, or events. Their sound can reinforce both the meaning of an interaction and a product’s aesthetic, emotion, and personality.
To suit an earcon to a particular context, it can be designed using either inspiration from real-world situations or invented specifically to express an abstract concept. Familiar sounds that are based on experiences in the real world are referred to as skeuomorphic.
SOUND AS DECORATION
When sound used for decoration can amplify an expressive or playful moment. It’s usually used to communicate an emotional state. This type of sound should be used judiciously and reserved for moments with high emotional resonance.
Use decorative sound sparingly, limited to moments that reinforce your product’s themes and unique voice. But it`s important to limit the frequency of decorative sound to reduce user fatigue of the sound.
WHEN NOT TO USE SOUND
Building silence into a UI design is just as important as knowing when to apply sound. In many instances, sound isn’t needed and it can actually detract from user focus and comfort. Similar to using negative space in visual design, silence creates a space for other elements to receive focus.
For example, sound isn’t usually suitable for:
- UIs that require privacy or discretion
- Users who have requested no interruptions
- Actions that are performed frequently
In any context, sound should elevate the visual experience rather than detract from it.
HERO SOUNDS
Hero sounds are representations of a product and brand that highlight an important moment, evoke an emotional state, or express celebration.
They occur in pivotal interactions, such as those that:
- Celebrate a significant positive action the user has taken
- Welcome users to a new app or experience
- Confirm a key moment of a product’s purpose
Hero sounds occur infrequently, and because of their prominence, they should be applied in consistent ways.
NOTIFICATIONS
Notifications are prominent requests for user attention. Their primary role is to help direct user attention, and they provide an opportunity to give a custom sound identity to emphasized interactions. Because they occur more frequently in a UI than other sounds, they should generally be shorter than hero sounds and crafted in a way that is suitable for being played multiple times.
Notifications should be designed to be audible from a variable range of user distances from a product, and in scenarios like loud environments. The sound itself can vary to attract the focus of the ear, using rhythmic, tonal, and frequency variation.
It’s recommended to provide options that allow users to personalize notifications, with options that range from basic, non-decorative sound to rich, decorative sound.
Ringtones, alarms, and timers are alerts that often have a playful style. They can be customized to suit user preferences and brand personality.
SYSTEM SOUNDS
Primary UX sounds are generated by an operating system (or device) to provide user feedback. They can add sound to any interaction, such as:
- Menu navigation
- Confirming a user’s direct action
- Data input
They should be in harmony with a product’s sound aesthetic, while remaining simple and understated.
These sounds occur more frequently than other sounds in the UI. Because they are repeated throughout an experience, they should be suitable for being played often (without feeling annoying or redundant).
Secondary UX sounds are played less frequently in a UI. They should reflect a product’s personality, but they are primarily used for functional purposes, to inform users of state changes, or to indicate infrequent actions.
AMBIENT SOUNDS
Ambient sound is a decorative layer of sound that expresses emotion while communicating a product’s personality or brand.
It can be placed anywhere in an experience that warrants a strong sound element, such as:
- A start-up flow, to welcome the listener to the experience
- An accompaniment to a home screen, to express an emotional tone and user’s location in a UI
Ambient sound should provide atmosphere and not detract the user from performing a task. It can also provide cues, by changing the tone of music to indicate a change in state.
Ambient sounds can be based on music, environmental sounds, or other sounds that create atmosphere.
Sound can be easily overlooked in UX & UI design, but it’s an essential element in building impactful user interactions, such as providing feedback for user’s actions and building brand recognition.
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