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Envisioning Audio Augmented Reality in Everyday Life

Tram Thi Minh Tran, Soojeong Yoo, Oliver Weidlich, Yidan Cao, Xinyan Yu, Xin Cheng, Yin Ye, Natalia Gulbransen-Diaz, Callum Parker

TL;DR

This paper examines how audio augmented reality (AAR) can integrate into everyday life by shifting focus from visual Augmented Reality to sound-centered experiences. It combines collaborative autoethnography with an online survey to derive ten AAR roles spanning task-oriented, emotional/social, and perceptual collaboration, all interpreted through Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis to connect micro-, meso-, and macro-temporal patterns. The study reveals priorities such as reducing intrusive sounds, personalising auditory environments, and enhancing important sounds, while also surfacing tensions around control, privacy, and social presence. It contributes a foundational, design-oriented framework for everyday AAR and highlights the need for context-aware, user-controlled, and socially legible devices and form factors to support daily routines and shared soundscapes in real life.

Abstract

While visual augmentation dominates the augmented reality landscape, devices like Meta Ray-Ban audio smart glasses signal growing industry movement toward audio augmented reality (AAR). Hearing is a primary channel for sensing context, anticipating change, and navigating social space, yet AAR's everyday potential remains underexplored. We address this gap through a collaborative autoethnography (N=5, authoring) and an online survey (N=74). We identify ten roles for AAR, grouped into three categories: task- and utility-oriented, emotional and social, and perceptual collaborator. These roles are further layered with a rhythmic and embodied collaborator framing, mapping them onto micro-, meso-, and macro-rhythms of everyday life. Our analysis surfaces nuanced tensions, such as blocking distractions without erasing social presence, highlighting the need for context-aware design. This paper contributes a foundational and forward-looking framework for AAR in everyday life, providing design groundwork for systems attuned to daily routines, sensory engagement, and social expectations.

Envisioning Audio Augmented Reality in Everyday Life

TL;DR

This paper examines how audio augmented reality (AAR) can integrate into everyday life by shifting focus from visual Augmented Reality to sound-centered experiences. It combines collaborative autoethnography with an online survey to derive ten AAR roles spanning task-oriented, emotional/social, and perceptual collaboration, all interpreted through Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis to connect micro-, meso-, and macro-temporal patterns. The study reveals priorities such as reducing intrusive sounds, personalising auditory environments, and enhancing important sounds, while also surfacing tensions around control, privacy, and social presence. It contributes a foundational, design-oriented framework for everyday AAR and highlights the need for context-aware, user-controlled, and socially legible devices and form factors to support daily routines and shared soundscapes in real life.

Abstract

While visual augmentation dominates the augmented reality landscape, devices like Meta Ray-Ban audio smart glasses signal growing industry movement toward audio augmented reality (AAR). Hearing is a primary channel for sensing context, anticipating change, and navigating social space, yet AAR's everyday potential remains underexplored. We address this gap through a collaborative autoethnography (N=5, authoring) and an online survey (N=74). We identify ten roles for AAR, grouped into three categories: task- and utility-oriented, emotional and social, and perceptual collaborator. These roles are further layered with a rhythmic and embodied collaborator framing, mapping them onto micro-, meso-, and macro-rhythms of everyday life. Our analysis surfaces nuanced tensions, such as blocking distractions without erasing social presence, highlighting the need for context-aware design. This paper contributes a foundational and forward-looking framework for AAR in everyday life, providing design groundwork for systems attuned to daily routines, sensory engagement, and social expectations.
Paper Structure (37 sections, 4 figures, 6 tables)

This paper contains 37 sections, 4 figures, 6 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Foundations of Audio Augmented Reality
  4. Adaptive and Interactive Audio Augmented Reality
  5. Uncovering Meaningful Use Cases
  6. Methods
  7. Collaborative Autoethnography
  8. Researcher Backgrounds and Positionality
  9. Collaborative Autoethnography Process
  10. Individual Reflection (Weeks 1-3)
  11. Midpoint Discussion (mid-Week 2)
  12. Collaborative Synthesis (end of Week 3)
  13. Data Analysis
  14. Online Survey
  15. Survey Design and Distribution
  16. ...and 22 more sections

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: Thematic roles envisioned for AAR, organised into existing auditory practices and future-facing possibilities. Illustration credit: \ref{['sec:declaration']}.
  • Figure 2: Survey participant ratings of AAR features. Responses to Q7: 'If AAR could transform sound in real time, which of the following features would be most valuable to you?'
  • Figure 3: Survey participant preferences for controlling AAR. Responses to Q10: 'How much control would you want over AAR?'
  • Figure 4: Top three concerns selected by each survey participant about using AAR in everyday life. Responses to Q12: 'What concerns would you have about using AAR in everyday life?'