1. Please introduce yourself, your role in the DRS and your research.
Stefano Delle Monache: I am currently transitioning to the Perception and Sound Design group at IRCAM STMS Lab, and I am a visiting researcher at TU Delft, Department of Human-Centered Design. My work is on sound-driven and listening-centered methodologies and tools for design research, with a focus on the semantic and cognitive aspects involved in co-creation. Specific lines of research investigate protocol analysis approaches to design processes incorporating sound and explore the argumentation logic of sound-driven design objects and representations. The aim is to advance the understanding of the embodied and multisensory nature of designing and to offer effective methods for practice and educational purposes.
Nicolas Misdariis: I am currently the head of IRCAM STMS Lab / Perception and Sound Design group. My work falls within the scope of sciences of sound design within which I mainly develop research for and through design focused on either sound synthesis technologies, environmental sound and soundscape perception, auditory display, human-machine interfaces, interactive sonification, and more broadly, sound design or sound-driven design. Among others, I’m currently leading an applied project with the automotive industry that tends to bring solutions – but also knowledge – according to the issue addressed by the quietness of electric vehicles, and I’m the co-PI of a collaborative project which aims at exploring Augmented Reality ito reduce noise and/or conceal unpleasant sound sources, within shared space like, for instance, open working spaces.
Elif Özcan: Currently, I am leading the sound-driven design and research activities within Critical Alarms Lab (TU Delft) by which we focus on improving the sounds and soundscapes of healthcare environments. I am also a WP leader in a publicly funded EU Innovative Healthcare Initiative (IHI) project entitled “Smart and Silent ICU” through which we measure the physiological, biological and psychological effects of medical alarms on critically ill patients. Simultaneously I am starting up a research project “Auditory Footprints” funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO - Open Technology Programme) on developing novel technologies for monitoring environmental sounds.
2. Could you please give an introduction to your SIG, any recent events/outcomes and any upcoming events you’d like to share?
The Special Interest Group on Sound-driven Design brings together a plurality of researchers and practitioners interested in investigating and constructing a design culture around sound and listening, as a perceptual, socio-technological and situated phenomenon. The SIG’s interests span a variety of topics and fields, from basic research into the design methodology, practices and tools, to applied and evidence-based studies and interventions that have a societal impact (e.g. healthcare, mobility, sustainability, cultural heritage).
In this respect, the DRS2024:Boston conference successfully featured several initiatives aimed at promoting and consolidating a sound culture in design research:
- The theme track with two sessions curated by the Sound-driven Design SIG offered insights and actionable knowledge on both foundational and pragmatic approaches to sound-driven design, providing a valuable snapshot of the fervour of the field.
- The Conversation on “Designing for sustainability with sound” sparked rich reflections on how sound and listening can embody sustainability concepts and their complexity, and whether the current sound technology trends actually support sustainable behaviours.
- The DRS Lab on Sound/AI brought a broad range of local and international experts with backgrounds in acoustics, humanities, interaction design, philosophy, art and computer science to test the limits of socio-ethical decisions when it comes to using emerging AI-based technologies (e.g., machine listening and sensor technologies for audition) in sound-driven design.
Looking at future activities, we would like to enlarge our community and organise bi-monthly meetings open to the SIG members as well as to anyone interested in sound and design, where participants can propose topics of discussion, or reserve time for short presentations, so to e.g. look for collaboration / support, and activate researches. In the medium - long term, we would like to turn these meetings into light local events to be hosted at SIG members’ institutions. For this purpose, we plan to launch a survey soon to our members about their background, institutions, and status, in order to have a better understanding of the SIG audience. Moreover, as members of SIG, we also aim to be part of major design and engineering journals and conferences and serve in their editorial/technical boards in order to attract and stimulate research activities in our combined fields.
3. What are some of the benefits of being involved in the DRS through a SIG? How can those who are interested in becoming part of your SIG learn more?
Special Interest Groups provide a dynamic platform by which researchers, practitioners, lecturers, and students can group around a specific and shared topic of interest, which in our case is sound-driven design. The SIG is the place where the state of the art is continuously challenged and serves as an incubator for ideas, reflections, collaborations and critical discussions in a respectful and constructive manner. Each member brings their own resources, be it personal perspectives and expertise, or questions and challenges in their own field of work.
Listening in this respect becomes a fundamental ability.
Anyone who is interested in knowing more about the Sound-driven Design SIG or becoming a member can contact one of us: Stefano Delle Monache - stefano.dellemonache@ircam.fr, Nicolas Misdariis - nicolas.misdariis@ircam.fr, Elif Özcan, e.ozcan@tudelft.nl. We also have two online channels for communication and discussion (https://www.designresearchsociety.org/groups/sound-driven-design-forum, https://groups.google.com/u/3/g/drs-sounddd-sig).
4. Suggested papers from the DRS library.
We browsed in detail the DRS library and looked for contributions which mentioned or used sound in their work and authored by non-SIG members. We distilled a small selection that provides an interesting picture of the pioneering, yet establishing presence of sound in design research. All the contributions are very recent and cover different areas, i.e. workplace wellbeing and interior design, service design, urban planning, AI driving assistants, and speculative futures, showing the pervasive and growing relevance of sound in the current design practices.
- Kustrak Korper, A.,and Rodrigues, V.(2023) “Ear opening”: Conceptualizing auditory representations in service design, in Holmlid, S., Rodrigues, V., Westin, C., Krogh, P. G., Mäkelä, M., Svanaes, D., Wikberg-Nilsson, Å (eds.), Nordes 2023: This Space Intentionally Left Blank, 12-14 June, Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2023.125
- Yelmi, P.(2023) Sonic memories: towards a participatory memory archive, in De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.), IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.639
- Barbara Lackner, O. (2024) Embodying the Driving Experience Through AI Driving Assistants as a Means of Noticing the More-than-Human, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.343
- Fayyad, N., Lam, B., Evans, R., and Choi, Y. (2024) Workplace wellbeing and interior design: A systematic literature review, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.901
- Hepburn, L., Baki Ulas, E., Cabrera, D., Cooper, C., Gough, P., Grace, K., Hespanhol, L., Hoggenmueller, M., Hu, W., Ijaz, K., Meron, Y., Pinilla, A., Parker, C., Sosa, R., Tekmen Araci, Y., Watts, J., Wu, B., Zafeirakopoulos, M., and Lulham, R. (2024) Speculative design positions on future liveable cities, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.833
We also refer to our DRS2024:Boston editorial, where the reader can find further resources on sound-driven design.
- Delle Monache, S., Misdariis, N., Özcan, E., Hug, D., Lenzi, S., Pauletto, S., Rocchesso, D., and Spagnol, S. (2024) How do you sound design? Articulating experiences and cultures via listening, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.168