Vocate: Auditory Interfaces for the LOK8 Project

The auditory modality has a number of unique advantages over other modalities, such as a fast neural processing rate and focus-independence. As part of the LOK8 project’s aim to develop location-based services, the Vocate module will be seeking to exploit these advantages to augment the overall usability of the LOK8 interface and also to deliver scalable content in scenarios where the user may be in transit or requires focus-independence. This paper discusses these advantages and outlines three possible approaches that the Vocate module may take within the LOK8 project: speech interfaces, auditory user interfaces, and sonification.