UI Sound Design: Henry Daw, On The Small Sounds That Make A Big Difference

Henry Daw is a talented sound designer I had the pleasure of working with back in the Nokia days, and here’s his interesting, just-published talk on UI sound design:

Henry Daw’s introduction to the video:

As our technology gets smarter, subtly blending into our everyday lives, good design has never been more important. Design is critical in determining how we experience a product or service, but an often overlooked and undervalued part of any design experience is sound, and specifically UI sound. From a simple keyclick to a warning notification, UI sound design has become a key factor in how we interact with modern-day technology. It’s a specialist craft, that if done well, can help to inspire the overall design, improve usability and user experience, and strengthen a brand.

During my talk, I’ll highlight a clearly defined set of principles for successful UI sound design, whilst championing the case for bringing UI sound design deeper into the design process. I will also discuss the delicate relationship between UI sound design and audio branding, and how we, as sound design practitioners and marketers, can embrace the challenges ahead as our world becomes more dependable on UI sound.

Henry Daw on The Small Sounds That Make A Big Difference | TNW Conference 2017

Want to know more about UI sound design? Check out this guide on How To Design Superb Sci-Fi UI Sound Effects, Henry Daw’s guide to succesful audio branding – and check out the rich collection of UI sound effects libraries here.

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Household Sound Effects Washing Machine Sound Pack 01 Play Track 37 sounds included, 15min 10sec mins total $14.90

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Universal Category System (UCS) Hurricane Nicole Play Track 40 sounds included, 179 mins total $20

The Hurricane Nicole sound effects library from Eric Berzins captures the raw power of Hurricane Nicole as it made landfall in Florida in November 2022. You will hear strong and forceful gusts, moaning and whistling winds, and intense pouring rain. With 40 meticulously edited audio files, including three bonus recordings from Hurricane Ian in September 2022, you will have a large palette of hurricane sounds at your fingertips.

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Footsteps Sound Effects Footstep and Foley Sounds Play Track 812 sounds included $10

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Funny / Comedy / Cartoon Cartoon & Animation Vol 2 Play Track 121 sounds included $45

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Foley Sound Effects Tool Bag Foley Play Track 17 sounds included $5

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Destruction & Impact Sounds Wood Destruction Play Track 166 sounds included $29

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Industrial Ambiences Wind Turbines Inner Sounds Play Track 45 sounds included, 144 mins total $15

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSGOZXKJWbc

Number of Sounds : 45

Number of Files : 45

Total Audio Time : 2 hours 22 minutes 18 secs ( 142 minutes 18 seconds)

Type : WAV Stereo

Sample Rate / Bit Rate : 192 kHz / 24 Bit

Mastered : No

Normalised : No

Size : 9.92 Gb

Metadata : Files are stamped with detailed UCS compliant metadata in Soundminer

Documentation Included : Copyright, EULA, Images, Metadata (exported in multiple formats)

License : A Sound Effect EULA / Terms and Conditions https://www.asoundeffect.com/license-agreement/

Recorders : Zoom F3 and Sound Devices Mix Pre 10 II

Microphones : LOM Geofon, Stille and Klang small spots, Sennheiser 8040’s and 8050

Microphone Configuration : Magnetic, Spike, Contact. ORTF and Centre Mic

KEYWORDS : Wind Turbine , Back, Wire Fence, Metal Steps, Underground, Rotate, Inner, Motor, Vibrate, Whirr, Bass, Hum, Whine, Pulse, Atonal, Disharmonious, Breeze

FXNAME : Abandoned Environment, Deserted Environment, Design Source, Dystopian, Eerie Atmosphere, Post Apocalypse, Sound Morph, Uninhabited, Wind Turbine

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