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You know the noise your Pixel makes when you take a photo? While it may seem like a camera shutter, it\u2019s actually the sound of a pair of scissors opening and closing, says Conor O\u2019Sullivan, who leads Pixel\u2019s sound design team. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a straight recording of that action, but that\u2019s the basis of the sound that you hear today,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
When designing how your Pixel sounds, Conor and the Pixel sound design team aren\u2019t just trying to get your attention; they\u2019re conveying a message with sound. \u201cSound design is essentially the art of creating intentional sound, and doing it with context,\u201d Conor says.<\/p>\n
Take a look (and a listen) at how the Pixel sound design team finds inspiration, develops, tests and implements the sounds your Pixel makes.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons sound design for devices is increasingly necessary is that our eyes are doing so much work. \u201cThere\u2019s so much information that can fit on a smartphone screen, but we don\u2019t want to overburden any one of the senses,\u201d Conor says.<\/p>\n
Sound can help communicate more information \u2014 for instance, Pixel uses different sounds to differentiate between a text and a call, or sending an email and receiving one. The sound your phone makes when it sends out an AMBER alert probably triggers some kind of adrenaline spike, but not the same way a notification about an incoming email would. \u201cSound is great at conveying emotion,\u201d Conor says. \u201cIt has a positive inflection or negative inflection, or gives you a sense of urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are different categories of sounds that designers develop for Pixel: There are gesture feedback sounds, which confirm user action in response to UI elements \u2014 for example, swiping to archive an email in Gmail. There are semantic feedback sounds, which confirm user selection and progression of action, like turning on Pixel Battery Saver. There are also attention sounds, which are sounds Pixel creates on “its own” \u2014 like an alarm. The team pays attention to form and function when designing both: The form is the more \u201caesthetic\u201d side \u2014 how it makes people feel, and whether it has a playful, human sense to it. The function is what it\u2019s supposed to do (wake someone up, tell someone a timer is complete) and how well it does that (can you hear your alarm from another room or if your phone is in your bag?).<\/p>\n
Sound designer Harrison Zafrin worked on the sounds for Guided Frame, the Pixel camera tool that helps blind and low-vision users take selfies. It\u2019s a great example of balancing form and function: The app combines haptics (or tactile feedback) and sound to help people guide their hand and the camera to the right position. \u201cWe came up with this system of five different zones around the viewfinder and as you get closer to the center you hear an increasingly positive musical progression, what\u2019s called a diatonic progression. You get this sort of celebratory sound when you\u2019re centered,\u201d Harrison says. \u201cI think we did a really good job using the sound and haptics to be delightful and Googly but also communicate the right information so people can get the photo.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n