Designing tools for designers: The Data Sonification Canvas
Sara Lenzi, Paolo Ciuccarelli · Proceedings of DRS · 2024
Although data sonification i.e., the use of sound to represent data is gaining mo-mentum, its impact is still limited. The lack of shared design methods and tools is seen as an obstacle for the expansion of sonification from a scientific method to a mass-medium for better human-data interaction. The Data Sonification Canvas is a design tool that supports authors during the creative process. Our paper first describes the genesis of the Canvas, grounded in expert interviews and literature from sound design for film, human-computer interaction, and data visualization. We then present an evaluation study with 20 participants that measured the pragmatic and hedonic quality of the Canvas. Results show that users consider it a valuable, self-oriented, and practical tool that meets their needs in a struc-tured, yet straightforward manner. Areas of improvement include uniform the terminology; increase accessibility; include multi-media content and customize the spatial organization of the components.