Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.6
Sonodea, one of the few companies that provide customized sound
for luxury brands, specializes in interpreting brand codes and subsequently
curating and compiling sounds to match the brand's unique DNA
expenditure and audio that aims to improve the richness of the information
and general content on the website. For example, would you rather feature
James Brown's famous song
“
I feel good
”
in the reservations section of a
five-star hotel's website or in the e-boutique section of a lingerie brand's web-
site; or would you feature Bob Marley's
“
No woman no cry
”
in the catalogue
section of a high-jewelry brand's website? Or would you compose music spe-
cifically for these sections? Well, you know the answers as well as I do.
An additional crucial factor in website sound placement is determining
the variety or the mix of sound that is featured on the pages, in other words
deciding if uniform sound should be placed on all the web pages where
sound is featured or if these audio types should be different. Choosing the
music type is one thing but determining if a single or several songs and melo-
dies should be featured is another issue. If a brand decides to go for multiple
songs or sound melodies on different pages of the website, then the challenge
of ensuring that the sounds are collectively harmonious; that the functions
of the sounds are met; and that the effect on the website visitor is coher-
ent should be overcome. Multiple sound options could also be provided on
the same web page, allowing the visitor to make their sound choice accord-
ing to their mood. Roberto Cavalli has taken this approach on its home page
in the past by featuring four options of very different sound types including
“no sound” as a way to allow the visitor to the website to pre-determine the
ambience according to their mood. This approach is however challenging,
as it is imperative to ensure that all other sensory elements are in congru-
ence with the multiple sound options to ensure a uniform luxemosphere and
a seamless experience irrespective of the sound choice made.
Other types of audio manifestations such as voice narratives, background
speeches, natural sound reproductions, click sounds, beep sounds, text listen-
ing options and text voice translations should all be considered as options
for sound integration in website design. For example, in terms of speech,
