When we think of design, we usually think of how a product looks. Maybe also how a product feels. UI and UX design respectively. Talk to academically trained designers and they believe design encompasses everything of the product, from the business strategy it supports to the unconscious behavior that a service or button on a website elicits.
But what about audio design? Audio in product design is usually a byproduct. The sound of a bluetooth speaker upon connecting. Or the sound of an app notification.
But I think audio might just play a more and more crucial role as a computer interface. We have Siri, Gemini, AI note takers joining our meetings. We are rumored to be getting an audio assistant from OpenAI later this year.
It looks like audio might become a second sense, next to the visual screens we are used to interfacing with. Which begs the question; what about audio design? How ought a computer to sound? And how ought those sounds mix with other sounds? The environment we use our computers in, the music that is on simultaneously while working, the meeting going on at the same time? Audio literally joining the conversation also requires a thoughtful audio footprint, that blends well into its environment.
The discipline of sound design, up till now mostly associated with sounds of media and video (like games, movies) might offer an interesting foundation to build upon. But I’ll be on the lookout for the first audio design vacancies, and audio design as a discipline taking off this year.