Iron Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design · 2022
Dinkum Mobile Application
- A' Design Award 2022 Iron Winner in Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- CLIENT: Tobias Kappeler Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 21,813
- Verification code CEDD7949B3 · Verify this award
About Dinkum Mobile Application
Dinkum is a mobile application for spatial audio communication. Dinkum places remote conversations inside customizable audio environments. Users can select one of three room sizes, described as intimate, casual and adventurous. Users can also choose ambisonic background sounds, a full sphere surround sound format, that match the type of conversation and the participants. The distance to other participants can be changed during the call. The aim is to increase the sense of presence and to make remote conversations more natural and fluent.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Dinkum is a spatial audio communication tool that allows users to immerse themselves in customisable audio environments. Users can select from three room sizes (intimate, casual, adventurous) and different ambisonic (full-sphere surround sound format) background sounds that match the type of conversation and people they are speaking to. People can change their distance to other participants throughout the conversation, which adds an extra layer of interaction to remote conversations. Dinkum can increase participants sense of presence and intimacy in the conversation and increase conversation fluency.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Dinkum was developed using the 3D Tune-In Toolkit real-time binaural spatialisation tool. This was utilised as a VST plugin within Ableton Live. The 3D Tune in Toolkit simulates the reverberation of different room sizes, the distance to the listener and the direction to the sound source. For user testing, I’ve developed a signal processing path that allows me to send an audio recording from a binaural microphone through Zoom.
- Tags
- Communication, Spatial Audio, Interaction design, Immersive experiences, Audio & Sound, Mobile application, Teleconferencing, Conversations,
- Production Technology
- The project was developed through iterative prototyping, intensive user testing and a strong collaboration between academia and industry. I used different plugins for the spatialisation of mono audio files in a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and tested the experiences with different people. Furthermore, I built a binaural microphone for in-depth user testing with multiple people. I established a signal-processing path that allowed me to test with various users while being remote.
- Design Challenge
- The challenge was to create an environment that allowed me to test with the necessary fidelity and change the audio in real-time. An additional challenge was the visual representation of a 3D space with characters on a small smartphone screen which is easy to understand, interact with and is visually pleasing and unique. I overcame this through prototyping the interactions on the phone while affecting the audio and visual interface in real-time through OSC protocol and user feedback.
- Project Duration
- The project started in January 2021 and was developed by myself for my MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering until June 2021. The project will be exhibited at the yearly graduation show of the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London in June 2021.
- Operation Flow
- To start a conversation, select the participants you want to speak to, select the room size which matches your conversations and participants, (Intimate, Casual, Adventurous) select the ambisonic background sounds and then start the call. Users can leave the room and create a new room during the conversations with individual participants. For recurring conversations, users can save groups and settings. In case a conversation drastically changes the topic.
- Research
- The project started with an academic literature review and interviews on real-time spatialisation technologies. After intensive ideation on different applications, I moved into early experimentation and prototyping to get a better feel and understanding of the technology and its value. I used an iterative and human-centred design approach focusing on the experience. Experiments were analyzed with questionnaires with a Likert scale focusing on the presence and intimacy.
- Inspiration
- Throughout the pandemic, I realised the difficulties of remote collaboration and the lack of attention to the audio side of the experience. We are flooded with visual stimuli but a lot of these experiences lack the emotional aspect of the experience. User research and secondary research into spatial audio technologies strongly informed the development. As a music producer and DJ, I’m fascinated by the emotional characteristics of audio.
Colors of Dinkum Mobile Application
Design Interview about Dinkum Mobile Application
I wanted to explore sonic experiences and how they could add value to our daily lives besides listening to music. I explored different directions, such as navigation with 3D audio or interacting with 3D sound cues. Dinkum, was developed during the Covid 19 pandemic, and I realised that remote communication will become more embedded in our daily lives. However, the current audio experience in remote communication is not incredibly rich. We struggle with turn-taking, it feels unnatural and can cause fatigue. This led me to hone in on how to improve remote communications.
To create a new audio experience in which people feel close while being remote.
I'm currently exploring other experiences and applications with 3D Audio.
The project was developed within six months, from concept development to the final design.
The project was developed during my master's at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. I wanted to explore new audio experiences.
People who know each other and want to have a naturally flowing conversation with a high sense of immersion while being remote such as couples, friends, and families.
The project relies on 3D audio spatialisation technology. For the prototyping and development phase, I used 3D audio spatialisation software plugins within a digital audio workstation and built a binaural microphone for more advanced testing with users.
A challenge I faced was how to visualise the speakers in the conversation and when they are speaking. I ideated around different ideas and visualisations. I decided to go for an abstract character representation to enhance the audio experience yet still be aesthetically pleasing.
Working on this project highlighted the importance of testing with a diverse and broad user group. Most people have a sense of hearing yet we all hear slightly different and have different preferences. This came through while testing with various users.