Seamless User Notification in Ambient Soundscapes
We describe a method for notifying users through auditory cues embedded
in an ambient soundscape in the environment. It uses pieces of music
which are composed in such a way, that particular instruments or motifs
can be added or omitted without losing the aesthetic quality of the
overall composition. This allows for very subtle modifications in the
soundscape which are only noticed by those users who have chosen this
particular instrument or motif as ”their” notification instrument
before. As a side effect, the soundscape itself can be used to subtly
influence the mood of users. The method has been implemented in a
prototype, which we briefly discuss. The prototype is implemented using
a spatial audio framework and can hence notify users from particular
directions.