SBIR Phase I: Enhanced Product Sound Design Choices via Perceptual Attributes Mapping

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is concerned with consumer preference for product sound, with the goal of establishing a "mapping" or set of tools that product designers can use to achieve a preferred sound. The P. I. completed a NSF-supported SGER study that related product design choices and user reactions to the sound of the product. This study has used a panel of expert listeners to develop "sensory profiles" (SPs) for a limited range of product sounds, and a consumer jury to judge the same sounds in terms of product acceptability. Preliminary relationships have been established between the product SPs and physical metrics for these sounds, and between the product SPs and consumer judgements. This project seeks to determine the feasibility of extending the methodology developed to an expanded range of product sounds. Three major issues are addressed that will affect the utility of the concept as far as industry is concerned. One issue is the ability of metrics to anticipate user reactions to product sound because of their correlation with the product SPs. The second issue relates to the breadth of a product class that can be represented by a SPs. Variations on the sounds of particular vacuum cleaners and washing machines have been used as a way to develop the ideas, but this set needs to be expanded further. The third issue is concerned with products with different function but which are used in the same physical environment. While there is widespread commercial interest in product sound quality, there is at present no structured way for manufacturers to relate the preference for sound to design goals. By developing methods that are broadly applicable and as easy to use as possible, the research can provide sound quality measurement procedures that can be applied to any product for which sound is an issue