2023/07/31 by Egil Bru, Bru, Egil, Thomas Trautner +3 · 1 citation
Neuroscience · Computer Science · #Tactile and Sensory Interactions #Music Technology and Sound Studies #Interactive and Immersive Displays
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2307.16589
Accessibility in visualization is an important yet challenging topic. Sonification, in particular, is a valuable yet underutilized technique that can enhance accessibility for people with low vision. However, the lower bandwidth of the auditory channel makes it difficult to fully convey dense visualizations. For this reason, interactivity is key in making full use of its potential. In this paper, we present a novel approach for the sonification of dense line charts. We utilize the metaphor of a string instrument, where individual line segments can be "plucked". We propose an importance-driven approach which encodes the directionality of line segments using frequency and dynamically scales amplitude for improved density perception. We discuss the potential of our approach based on a set of examples.