Audible Alarm Sounds – Product Launch!
Audible Alarms Human Factors Engineering
We are excited to announce that our 3 sets of audible alarms , developed to be compliant with Human Factors Best Practice and Standards are now available to purchase in our online shop!
These “sound packs” are available in WAV format and can be easily integrated into any software-based product that needs audible alarms.
We discussed these audible alarms in our earlier blog post “Setting the right tone”. We’ve worked with sound designer Gareth Worthy to apply a creative alarm design approach. This developed 3 innovative alarm tone ‘families’, Pure Tone, Musical and Futuristic.
These 3 families provide alarm sounds of 4 different levels of urgency, from ‘Critical’ down to ‘Low’ priority. Furthermore, they have been developed so as to be compliant with the relevant Human Factors standards:
- BS EN ISO 7731:2005 Ergonomics: Danger signals for public and work areas (auditory danger signals); and
- ISO 11429:1996 Ergonomics: System of auditory and visual danger and information signals
Our alarm tones are suitable for use in a wide variety of operational and safety critical environments. This includes Healthcare, Railway Control Rooms, Air Traffic Control Centres, Power Plant Control rooms, aircraft cockpits and train cabs.
Human Factors Audible Alarm Sounds – Design Approach
We interviewed Gareth about the process he applied to develop the audible alarm sets, and incorporating Human Factors Engineering guidance:
Could you describe your process for developing the alarm tones?
The alarm tones I created are grouped into three categories: Pure Tone, Musical and finally Futuristic. These categories really define the approach.
The pure tone alarms are just a case of selecting the appropriate waveform, generating one at the correct frequency and producing the alarm. The frequencies we chose were all based on significant research that had already been produced or documented.
The musical alarms went through a series of different phases. I experimented with different instrument types and layering different combinations together to create a more “complete” sound/tone. Once these were decided it was very much a case of just experimenting with tempo and melody. Both of these areas greatly affected the overall urgency or perceived status of the final alarms.
The futuristic category was really an opportunity to have complete carte blanche and to challenge everything we consider an audible alarm to be. Without going into a lot of detail I employed some really complicated wavetable synthesis and tried to push the brief as far as possible.
What were some of your considerations from your perspective as a sound designer when developing the audible alarm sounds?
There are various considerations, but I’ll just highlight two. Firstly, I’m always thoughtful of the final delivery method i.e., “will the alarm I’m creating be audible on the user’s speaker system, how will this sound in a control room/user environment, how will this be effective?” The alarms are designed to sound good on less-than-brilliant speakers!
Secondly, I’m always considerate of “how will this alarm be perceived”? We all have preconceived ideas on what audible alarms are and how they should sound. This is clearly an important aspect as the alarms have to trigger a human reaction, I think we can all agree if we used the sounds of a chicken squawking for a fire alarm it wouldn’t create the same amount of urgency as a high pitched and rapid bell. Creating something different and innovative, but that still abides by this learned framework does have challenges. But I think we overcame them.
Were there any particularly challenging aspects for you?
Creating the futuristic alarm family was the most challenging but also the most fun. I touched on it slightly within the last question, but creating an alarm sound that is different but also recognisable as an alarm (and an instruction to take an action) is very challenging. This product is very innovative and there was the opportunity to really push the boundaries and be as creative as possible. I had great encouragement from everyone at Liv Systems to really “go for it” and I think it turned out great and unlike anything currently available.
Get in Touch
Please contact us if you would like more information about our audible alarm sounds.