Rethinking auditory alarms (2017-2020)
Abstract
This project investigates whether auditory displays that give listeners background information about the status of monitored processes will lead to better situation awareness than conventional auditory alarms. Recent efforts to combat alarm fatigue by reducing auditory alarms may cause listeners to lose awareness of early process deterioration and its context. A series of studies will investigate benefits of intermittent displays summarising process status with sound or time-compressed speech while participants perform specific ongoing tasks. Anticipated outcomes are safer, more effective, and better tolerated ways of monitoring processes than conventional auditory alarms. Results apply to healthcare, transportation and process industries.
