Hur vår sinnesstämningen påverkas av ett förstärkt ljudlandskap

: En konceptdriven undersökning av hur en användarupplevelse skulle kunna designas för att öka kontakten med vår nära omgivning

Abstract

Curiosity and a sense of connection with our everyday environment is important for our well-being. However, the combination of not being able to appreciate what is close to us and smartphones stealing our attention just makes a larger gap between us and everyday environments. By engaging people through sound to direct our focus towards our surroundings and away from the smartphone, you can bring your curiosity to life, and in that way get an enhanced connection to the everyday environment. This paper presents a design concept based on a study made with a Concept-Driven Design method. The purpose of the suggested design concept is that the insights and knowledge that is drawn from it can be used to help future research within the field. This paper examines how a user experience of an augmented soundscape could be designed for people to enhance their connection to their surroundings. In an empirical study, participants get to compare how their mood is affected by a natural soundscape compared to an augmented soundscape in an everyday environment. The result shows that all of the participants' mood was affected by the soundscape, however when it comes to enhanced connection to their surroundings only 40% of the participants said it did. A conclusion was made that the mood is affected differently depending on personal preferences and previous experience.