Soundtrack
Soundtrack is an early example of a word processor with an auditory interface, designed for
users who are blind or partially sighted [118]. The visual items in the display have been given
auditory analogs, made up of tones, with synthesized speech also being used. A two-row grid of
four columns is Soundtrack’s main screen (see Figure 10.5); each cell makes a different tone when
the cursor is in it, and by using these tones the user can navigate around the system. The tones
increase in pitch from left to right, while the two rows have different timbres. Clicking on a
cell makes it speak its name, giving precise information that can reorient a user who is lost or
confused. Double clicking on a cell reveals a submenu of items associated with the main screen
item. Items in the submenu also have tones; moving down the menu causes the tone to fall whilst
moving up makes it rise. A single click causes the cell to speak its name, as before, whilst double
clicking executes the associated action.
Soundtrack allows text entry by speaking the words or characters as they are entered, with the
user having control over the degree of feedback provided. It was found that users tended to count
the different tones in order to locate their position on the screen, rather than just listen to the
tones themselves, although one user with musical training did use the pitch.
Soundtrack provides an auditory solution to representing a visually based word processor, though
the results are not extensible to visual interfaces in general. However, it does show that the human
auditory system is capable of coping with the demands of highly interactive systems, and that the
notion of auditory interfaces is a reasonable one.