The Auditory Contract: Designing Trustworthy Sound in IoT

McGregor, Iain

Abstract

This technical report introduces the concept of the auditory contract, the unspoken agreement between users and smart devices to interpret sound as meaningful and trustworthy. It proposes ten practical guidelines for designing sound in the Internet of Things (IoT), focusing on clarity, inclusivity, cultural context, and shared acoustic space. The report includes twelve real-world examples to support accessible, emotionally appropriate, and context-aware design. Intended for designers, developers, and researchers, it bridges ethical design principles with actionable practice.

Citation

McGregor, I. (2025). The Auditory Contract: Designing Trustworthy Sound in IoT

• Report Type: Technical Report
• Online Publication Date: Jun 3, 2025
• Publication Date: Jun 3, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jun 3, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 3, 2025
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15581326
• Keywords: IoT, sound design, auditory interface, accessibility, UX, trust, multimodal interaction, human-computer interaction
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/4559638
• Publisher URL: https://zenodo.org