Glossary

Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.

13 results found in auditory interface.

Audio Cue (Auditory Cue, Sound Cue, Earcon)
A non-speech sound used to convey information in an interface. In accessible programming environments, audio cues represent code structures, syntax errors, or navigation landmarks—for example, a door-…
Audio Cues (Earcons, Auditory Icons, Sound Cues)
Non-speech sounds used in software interfaces to convey information, status changes, or events that would otherwise be communicated only visually. In accessible development environments, audio cues ca…
Audio Icon (Auditory Icon, Earcon)
A non-speech sound used in a user interface to represent an object, action, or event, analogous to how visual icons represent concepts graphically. Audio icons use everyday sounds that have a natural …
Auditory Feedback (Audio Feedback, Auditory Display)
The use of sound — including tones, sound effects, earcons, and speech — to convey information about system states, user actions, or environmental changes. In accessibility, auditory feedback serves a…
Concurrent speech interface (Simultaneous speech, Parallel audio streams)
An interaction paradigm that presents multiple speech audio streams simultaneously, spatially separated using techniques like head-related transfer functions, to enable users to scan or monitor severa…
EyeMusic
A visual-to-auditory sensory substitution device that converts images into sound, enabling people who are blind to perceive visual information including shape, location, and color. EyeMusic uses a lef…
Nonspeech Audio (Non-Speech Sounds, Auditory Cues)
Audio feedback in user interfaces that conveys information through sounds other than synthesized or recorded speech, including earcons (abstract musical motifs), auditory icons (realistic sounds repre…
Spatial Audio (3D Audio, Spatialised Sound, Binaural Audio)
Audio technology that creates the perception of sound coming from specific locations in three-dimensional space around the listener, using techniques such as head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), b…
Spatialized Audio (3D Audio, Spatial Sound, Immersive Audio)
Spatialized audio is a technology that creates the perception of sound coming from specific locations in three-dimensional space around the listener, using techniques such as head-related transfer fun…
Spearcon
A spearcon is a type of auditory icon created by compressing a spoken phrase until it becomes a very brief, distinctive audio cue. Unlike earcons, which use abstract musical sounds, spearcons retain a…
The vOICe (vOICe)
One of the earliest and most widely studied visual-to-auditory sensory substitution devices, developed by Peter Meijer in 1992. The vOICe converts camera images into sound by scanning left to right, m…
Voice Augmentation (Audio Augmentation, Voice-Based Augmentation)
A technique for enhancing user interfaces by adding spoken audio feedback to supplement visual information on screen. Voice augmentation provides contextual support through spoken confirmations of use…
Web Speech API (Web Speech, SpeechSynthesis API)
A browser-native JavaScript API that provides speech recognition and speech synthesis capabilities directly within web applications. The Web Speech API enables developers to add text-to-speech and voi…