Decaying amplitude envelopes reduce alarm annoyance: Exploring new approaches to improving auditory interfaces

Auditory alarms offer great potential for facilitating human-computer interactions in complex, rapidly changing environments. They are particularly useful in medical settings, where in theory they should afford communication in emergency rooms, operating theatres, and hospitals around the world. Unfortunately, the sounds typically used in these devices are problematic, and researchers have documented numerous shortcomings. Their ubiquity means …