SBIR Phase I: Enhanced Product Sound Design Choices via Perceptual Attributes Mapping

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目关注的是消费者对产品声音的偏好，目的是建立一个产品设计师可以用来实现首选声音的“映射”或一套工具。P.I.完成了一项由NSF支持的SGER研究，该研究涉及产品设计选择和用户对产品声音的反应。这项研究使用了一个专家听者小组来开发有限范围内的产品声音的“感觉特征”(SPS)，并使用一个消费者陪审团来根据产品的可接受性来判断相同的声音。产品SP和这些声音的物理指标之间以及产品SP和消费者判断之间已经建立了初步关系。该项目旨在确定将开发的方法扩展到更广泛的产品声音范围的可行性。讨论了三个主要问题，这些问题将影响该概念在工业方面的实用性。一个问题是，由于指标与产品SP的相关性，指标能够预测用户对产品声音的反应。第二个问题与SPS可以表示的产品类别的广度有关。通过改变吸尘器和洗衣机的声音来发展创意，但这套设备还需要进一步扩展。第三个问题是关于具有不同功能但在相同物理环境中使用的产品。虽然人们对产品音质有着广泛的商业兴趣，但目前还没有一种结构化的方法让制造商将对声音的偏好与设计目标联系起来。通过开发广泛适用且尽可能易于使用的方法，该研究可以提供可以应用于任何声音问题的产品的声音质量测量程序。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is concerned with consumer preference for product sound, with the goal of establishing a "mapping" or set of tools that product designers can use to achieve a preferred sound. The P. I. completed a NSF-supported SGER study that related product design choices and user reactions to the sound of the product. This study has used a panel of expert listeners to develop "sensory profiles" (SPs) for a limited range of product sounds, and a consumer jury to judge the same sounds in terms of product acceptability. Preliminary relationships have been established between the product SPs and physical metrics for these sounds, and between the product SPs and consumer judgements. This project seeks to determine the feasibility of extending the methodology developed to an expanded range of product sounds. Three major issues are addressed that will affect the utility of the concept as far as industry is concerned. One issue is the ability of metrics to anticipate user reactions to product sound because of their correlation with the product SPs. The second issue relates to the breadth of a product class that can be represented by a SPs. Variations on the sounds of particular vacuum cleaners and washing machines have been used as a way to develop the ideas, but this set needs to be expanded further. The third issue is concerned with products with different function but which are used in the same physical environment. While there is widespread commercial interest in product sound quality, there is at present no structured way for manufacturers to relate the preference for sound to design goals. By developing methods that are broadly applicable and as easy to use as possible, the research can provide sound quality measurement procedures that can be applied to any product for which sound is an issue.