Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
- Register: the author uses three different registers: low, medium or high.
- Type of musical motif: chord, arpeggio (notes of a chord play sequentially), or
both superimposed.
For example, the Call register menu consists of six sub menus that it is possible
to group together in two semantic categories: history of calls ( Missed calls , Received
calls , Dialed calls ) and actions on the messages ( Erase lists , Call duration , Costs ).
For the first category, the three associated earcons are three arpeggios on a high
register. The three earcons listened to one after the other form a descending
progression, i.e. from the highest to the lowest. For the second category, the three
associated earcons are also arpeggios, but this time on a low register and the
progression of the three earcons is ascending.
Principle 2 - the earcons inform us as to the level of hierarchical depth of items,
in the following manner:
- The duration of an earcon associated with an item depends on the depth of this
item in the hierarchy: the lower an item in the hierarchy, the shorter the duration of
the earcon.
- Similarly, the number of notes used in an earcon diminishes the lower an item
is at in the hierarchy.
- A brief percussive sound, different for each level of hierarchical depth, is
played at the same time as the earcon. This sound enables an immediate indication
of the level of an item.
For example, the earcon associated with the Call Divert menu is a chord that
consists of three notes; the earcons associated with the items of the level below are
two-note chords; and then one note for the items that are below them.
Principle 3 - the relative position of an item in a list is represented by the
position of the earcon within a melodic or harmonic progression associated with the
list. For example, when a list of items is represented by earcons, the succession of
which forms an ascending melodic progression, the position of an item in the list
will be directly represented by the position of the earcon in the melodic progression.
Principle 4 - the number of notes used for the earcon represent the number of
sub menus contained in this menu. Example: the five sub-menus of the Settings
menu respectively consist of 2, 0, 5, 4 and 6 sub menus (see Figure 8.8). The
number of notes in the five associated earcons then directly reflects these different
components.
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