Auditory Display is a multidisciplinary community that includes researchers with backgrounds in music, computer science, psychology, engineering, neuroscience and the sonic arts. Although this multidisciplinarity has been beneficial, it has also been the cause of clashes between scientific and artistic research cultures. This paper addresses this divide by proposing design research as a third and complementary approach that is particularly well aligned with the pragmatic and applied nature of the field. The proposal, called Sonic Information Design, is explicitly founded on the design research paradigm. Like other fields of design, Sonic Information Design aspires to make the world a better place, in this case using sound. Design research takes a user-centred approach that includes participatory methods, rapid prototyping, iterative evaluation, situated context, aesthetic considerations and cultural issues. The results are specific and situated, rather than universal and general, and may be speculative or provocative, but should provide insights and heuristics that can be reused by others. The strengthening and development of design research in Auditory Display should lay the path for future commercial applications.

Keywords
Sonic Information Design, Auditory Display, Data Sonification, Human Centred Design, Design Research, Paradigm Shift, Epistemology.

BIO
Stephen Barrass is the CEO of SONIFICATION.COM which is a startup dedicated to creating sonic information designs and products that make the world a better place through sound. He is developing methods for agile participatory design with clients and through collaborative workshops. His research lead to development of the Mozzi sound synthesiser for Arduino, and the MozziByte PCB for rapid prototyping of sonic ideas on the Arduino microcontroller. He holds a Ph.d. in Information Technology (ANU 1998), a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (UNSW 1986), and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (UC 2010).

Sonic Information Design, par Stephen BARRASS