AUGMENTING PHOTOGRAPHS WITH SOUND FOR COLLOCATED SHARING

Abstract

The Audiophoto Desk is a tangible interface. It plays a sound that has been associated with a photograph when a printed version of that photograph is placed on the desk’s surface. This study explored how three groups of four friends used the desk to share photographs in the context of two types of photo-talk: reminiscing and storytelling. The study had three aims. The first was to investigate the types of sound that users would choose to accompany their photographs. In particular it was of interest to see whether recipient design would be relevant in explaining why the participants chose some of their sounds. The second aim was to examine the effect that different types of audio would have on the conversations during photograph sharing. Music, sound effects and voiceovers were found to have different effects on the latency before the conversation began and the extent of the conversation. The third aim was to understand the user experience of the groups. Despite the use of printed photographs, some participants felt that the Audiophoto Desk made photograph sharing too formal a process for the home.

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