Experimental sound and immersive listening – HAN University (2024-2025)
Sound is often treated as a secondary element in design—added more out of habit or convention than for its actual impact during both the design process and the user experience. Because sound is abstract and especially because non-tonal sounds don’t always follow clear rules or established codes, it’s challenging to set firm principles around its use. For this reason, active and deep listening is a crucial skill. It helps designers become aware of how sound influences emotions and reactions, and encourages a more creative and thoughtful approach to incorporating sound.
The workshops aimed to give students hands-on experience with sound as a design material and a means of personal expression.
The two initial workshops took place in Eindhoven, for Interaction Design students at HAN University. They were divided into three parts. The first part covered an introduction and overview of experimental sound design and psychoacoustics, including practical exercises to explore these ideas.
Next, students took part in a sound meditation session to observe their emotional and sensory responses to different sounds. This helped them become more aware of how sound affects perception and feeling.
Finally, students recorded sounds that represented a particular feeling, memory, or story they wanted to express. Using these recordings, they created soundscapes, learning how to arrange and layer sounds to communicate meaning.