Preponderant visual interface use for conveying information from machine to human admits failures due to overwhelming the visual channel. This thesis investigates the suitability of auditory feedback and certain related design choices in settings involving background speech. Communicating a tele-operated vehicle’s tilt angle was the focal application. A simulator experiment with pitch feedback on one system variable, tilt angle, and its safety threshold was conducted. Manipulated in a within-subject design were: (1) presence vs. absence of speech, (2) discrete tilt alarm vs. discrete alarm and tilt sonification (continuous feedback), (3) tilt sonification vs. tilt and threshold sonification, and (4) linear vs. quadratic transfer function of variable to pitch. Designs with both variable and reference sonification were found to significantly reduce the time drivers spent exceeding the safety limit compared to the designs with no sonification, though this effect was not detected within the set of conditions with background speech audio.

Preponderant visual interface use for conveying information from machine to human admits failures due to overwhelming the visual channel. This thesis investigates the suitability of auditory feedback and certain related design choices in settings involving background speech. Communicating a tele-operated vehicle’s tilt angle was the focal application. A simulator experiment with pitch feedback on one system variable, tilt angle, and its safety threshold was conducted. Manipulated in a within-subject design were: (1) presence vs. absence of speech, (2) discrete tilt alarm vs. discrete alarm and tilt sonification (continuous feedback), (3) tilt sonification vs. tilt and threshold sonification, and (4) linear vs. quadratic transfer function of variable to pitch. Designs with both variable and reference sonification were found to significantly reduce the time drivers spent exceeding the safety limit compared to the designs with no sonification, though this effect was not detected within the set of conditions with background speech audio.