What is audio UX?
If you’re serious about building your brand, you should behave consistently whenever your audience interacts with your brand. Visual branding plays an important role in this, but adding an audio component makes your communication much more effective. That’s what audio UX can do for your brand.
Sound helps us navigate the world around us. To avoid danger or estimate distances. Sounds tell us where we are, where we’re going, or what’s expected of us. Whether an action has succeeded or an operation has failed.
At the same time, sound helps us identify the sender. Who is talking to us or where a message is coming from. We instinctively respond to a bicycle bell and look up if we aggressively hear a car revving. We hear every nuance, and any deviation is interpreted as a signal.
Perception
The use of audio cues creates brand recognition and gives users a sense of trust. This way, audio UX can contribute to building a strong brand identity.
Use
Cleverly designed audio UX supports users in navigating your product or service. This reduces the reliance on visual cues and enhances the user experience.
Emotion
Sound adds an emotional layer to the user experience of your product or service. This makes them more appealing and easier to use. And that gives you an advantage.
How do you develop an audio UX?
Audio journey mapping
Developing an audio UX begins with audio journey mapping, a thorough analysis of what role audio plays in the use of your product or service. This helps you map all the moments where your users come into contact with audio or where sound can add value. It provides insight into the possible role of sound in your user experience.
Analysis
For each auditory interaction moment, we investigate how your target audience responds, how users feel, and to what extent this aligns with your user experience objectives. This allows us to identify the moments that can be enriched by audio.
Design
Based on your musical brand identity, we design appropriate audio for each contact moment. It is essential to strike a balance between the function the sound needs to fulfill, how much your brand needs to stand out, and the context in which the audio will be heard.
Test
How do your users respond to the different audio cues and what is the effect on the user experience? To ensure optimal impact, it is wise to gather feedback from your target audience and refine your audio UX based on that input.
Implementation audio UX
Our sound designers support your team with implementation, ensuring you have a fully functioning audio UX. Everywhere your brand interacts with your audience.
Blendle
News that sounds without preaching.
Antwerpen
The sound of ‘t Stad: from ship’s horn to terrace.
Greenchoice
Idealistic, yet grounded.
What is the role of sound?
Physical
Upon hearing unexpected sounds, extra cortisol is produced, putting us in a heightened state of alertness. We literally prepare ourselves to fight or flee. In a split second. A poorly designed sound experience, therefore, directly affects your brand perception.
Psychological
Music is one of the most powerful tools for influencing our emotional state. This is sometimes evolutionary but largely learned. Major chords make us happy, fast rhythms communicate urgency, and a cello sounds melancholic. Cultural codes that apply from Manila to Madrid.
Cognitive
Our capacity to process audio is limited. For instance, we cannot follow two conversations simultaneously. Places where many different and unwanted sounds are heard negatively affect our concentration. The context in which your product is used is therefore an important consideration when developing an effective audio experience.
Behaviour
We tend to avoid unpleasant sounds and seek out pleasant tones. Customers may leave your store due to loud background music. However, a suitable musical user experience can also enhance the appeal of your user experience, encouraging your audience to enjoy using your service or product more.
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