Tick-marks, axes, and labels: The effects of adding context to auditory graphs

Abstract

As the use of sonification expands, researchers and designers continue to employ techniques for adding context (such as tick marks, axes, or labels) whose benefit remains unquantified. This study examined the effect of several such techniques on the perceivability of an auditory graph. In Block 1, participants listened to a simple auditory graph, which had no added context (such as tick marks, axes, and labels), and answered trend analysis and point estimation questions about the information presented by the graph. In Block 2, participants repeated the process but the graph was augmented by 1 of 6 types of added context. The data revealed differences in perceivability between conditions for both trend analysis and the point estimation task, and an explainable ordering of error levels based on the amount and type of information provided by a particular contextual setting.