BBC SOUNDS

REINVENTING AUDIO EXPERIENCES FOR A NEW GENERATION

BBC’S REVAMP OF BBC TWO.

NOW IT IS REINVENTING SOUND.
(SUPERUNION & BBC CREATIVE, 2018)
 overview
The ever-increasing accessibility and availability of different vari-
eties of audio content has heightened people’s expectations for a
more immersive experience (Morris and Powers, 2015). People are
moving from a predominantly visual landscape to a soundscape,
where we are able to talk to devices that are able to sense, feel
and talk to us (McStay, 2018, Brodmerkel and Carah, 2016, Cheri-
an and Pounder, 2017, Wijland, 2018). These devices (empathetic
media) packages itself with personalised experiences, wrapped
by the capabilities of assistance and anticipation (McStay, 2018).
This playing by ear elicits a stronger emotive response (Cherian
and Pounder, 2017) possibly because it is imbued with personal-
ity where ultimately people fall in love with their intimate experi-
ences.

This project is based on a brief by the British Broadcasting Corpo-

ration (BBC), Appendix A. The development of a new application,
BBC Sounds, offering on demand radio, music and podcasts on
one platform – the home of sounds (Mother Design, 2018). An it-
erative process of design research and research design will follow
where the former will be prepared for entry of DA&D’s New Blood
Awards, for the end of March 2019. Consequently, the research
discovered will be used to inform the audio infrastructure strategy
of BBC Sounds to refine a user’s listening experience.
BBC SOUNDS’ CAMPAIGN SPEARHEADED BY MOTHER DESIGN
(MOTHER DESIGN, 2018)
 WE ARE IN A NEW ERA!
(EVERETTOVRK, ADOBE STOCK)

THE PROBLEM
There is a push to enhance the interactivity and engagement of au-
dio content to bring it to a new level of human intimacy (Morris and
Powers, 2015, Punnett, 2016). However, this is still insufficient.

In the midst of changing listening habits, the industry is lagging as

it still perceives music, podcasts, news and other sound media in-
dependently (Bull, 2013, Krause et al., 2014). This leads to an incon-
gruency in the type of audio hardware and software produced and
subsequently, the planning of brand’s infrastructure . It is necessary
to shift the industry’s view of sound; to see it as a holistic entity that
could transcend music, podcasts and news altogether (McLane,
2018, Edison Research, 2018).

BBC Sounds’ offers a new form of listening that is designed to learn

from one’s listening habits – unique and personalised to an individu-
al. This expands one’s auditory bubble and offers room for discovery.
Therefore, BBC Sounds is at the forefront of innovation as a brand
that perceives audio holistically and this project seeks to refine its
solution.
 BBC SOUNDS’ CAMPAIGN SPEARHEADED BY MOTHER DESIGN
(MOTHER DESIGN, 2018)

The solution
In our contemporary society, audio offers
new possibilities especially in an environment
where people are pressured to multi-task and
be mobile (McLane, 2018). Although design-
ing an immersive experience would be ideal,
it is important to adapt it to our ever-bustling
society – where disruptions are integrated in
the potential solution. This is made possible by
the enhancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI)
technology and academic thought about user
experience design. Henceforth, this project
aims to utilise audio expert’s opinions, through
an iterative research design process, as well as
prior case studies to reinvent BBC Sounds.
NO MORE ONE-
WAY STUFFING
Advertising used to be a means to relay pro-
motional messages via the mass media to
a mass audience (Brodmerkel and Carah,
2016, Solis, 2015). It is evident that this is no
longer the case. Advertising is not restrict-
ed to the mass distribution of pamphlets or
television spots, rather it permeates through
every element of a brand. The premise of
this review uses ideology from Brodmerkel
and Carah (2016) whereby the brand, BBC
Sounds, is viewed as a living and reactive
being – termed the brand machine.

The creation of the brand machine’s infra-

structure allows the sensing of cultural el-
ements and behaviour which could be cal- MAD MEN’S REMAKE OF MASS M
(ADWEEK, 2015)
culated, calibrated and computed by the
system. Devices or entities that enable this
are coined, affect switches, which provides
a being’s input to the brand machine (Brod-
merkel and Carah, 2016). This could be il-
lustrated by BBC Sounds, a brand machine
that learns from our listening habits through
these affect switches, that relay feedback,
calibrate and compute other sounds that
a person would like. This line of reasoning
even extends to our own human bodies
where the effectiveness of the brand ma-
chine is dependent on our body’s ability to
sense external stimuli (Brodmerkel and Car-
ah, 2016, Wendel, 2013).
 Subsequently, our listening becomes affective la-
bour where it allows us to participate – whether we
like it or not – in a larger network which continu-
ally refines its senses and stimulates other bodies
through the data collected (Brodmerkel and Carah,
2016).

Nevertheless, in an earlier study by Bull (2013),

about the iPod and city where the chaos of the city
is blocked out by one’s own music, leading to an
“auditory bubble.”. Amidst the relentless interac-
tions of the city, music enhances a person’s sense
of the environment, mood and orientation by this
creation of a sense of self and place (Bull, 2013).
This auditory bubble has been privatised by the
user (Ziegler, 2016). In more recent studies, this
auditory bubble has been criticized as it filters out
content that would be uninteresting or repulsive to
the user (Next Generation Internet, 2018).

MEDIA ADVERTISING

EVERYONE IN THEIR OWN “AUDIO BUBBLES”

(BUBBLE FOOTBALL, 2016)
BBC SOUNDS’ INTERFACE
(BBC SOUNDS, 2018)
Be that as it may, this is based on BBC SOUNDS’ TRAILER
(BBC SOUNDS, 2018)
the assumption that the listener is
completely unwilling to hear new
audio content. Furthermore, BBC
Sound’s promise is based on offer-
ing new genres of audio – music,
podcasts, news and more – to ex-
pand instead of restrict their bub-
ble which enriches the person’s ex-
perience (Mother Design, 2018). IT WILL BE NORMAL TO LAUGH IN A SALON

There has also been research spe-

cifically on the podcast consumer
where it is argued they are more
prone to experimentation of au-
dio content (Katz, 2018). As a re-
sult, BBC Sounds is not sealing up
one’s auditory bubble but enlarg-
ing it through novel audio experi-
RESHAPING YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY
ences. It is not just music, not just
podcasts or news – it is all at once,
specially curated just for the user.
Therefore, BBC Sounds is a brand
machine, where our listening hab-
it is computed leading to a con-
stant refinement of the calculative
and cultural systems, which in turn
provides a more unique listening
experience. BE IN SAFE COMPANY...

EVEN WHEN YOU ARE DINING ALONE.

INFINITE WAYS
TO FEEL
People never want to be treated as consumers – they want to be re-
membered and regarded as real individuals with distinct needs and
preferences (Solis, 2015, McStay, 2018). Our reaction and response
to a brand is no longer restricted to a top-down communication for-
mat but is experienced through many touchpoints (Brodmerkel and
Carah, 2016). These AI technologies have been made to provide as-
sistance through anticipating personal needs; through their height-
ened abilities to sense, feel and talk to users (McStay, 2018, Cherian
and Pounder, 2017, Buvat et al., 2018).

HNM’S CHATBOT
(BUSINESS CLOUD, 2016)

In particular, these AI technologies are termed empathic media where

these machines are able to sense and understand our nuanced emo-
tions, categorise these expressions and eventually act upon them
(McStay, 2018). Their ability to remember all of our nuances of be-
haviour and simultaneously relate them to our culture, time period,
mood, objects and places makes empathic media appear really em-
pathetic. The more these devices talk, the more intimacy people feel
especially since sound is more emotive than visual text (Cherian and
Pounder, 2017). The soundscape is taking over.
 “HELLO, I AM BAYMAX
YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH-
CARE COMPANION”
(BIG HERO 6, 2015)

“ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10,

HOW WOULD YOU RATE
YOUR PAIN”
(BIG HERO 6, 2015)

In the case of BBC Sounds, their acute recognition of our society’s

movement to a soundscape opens up new possibilities: sensing
moods, reading facial expressions, understanding the users’ sched-
ules and working to discern which sound suits the user during a par-
ticular part of the day. Therefore, BBC Sounds’ system works to pro-
vide an enriching and personalised experience through the use of AI
technologies via our affective labour.

NOW EVERYONE WANTS A BAYMAX...

(BIG HERO 6, 2015)
WHETHER WE
LIKE IT OR NOT
With the computation of all our personal data, critics argue about pri-
vacy infringement – the flaneur would no longer exist (McStay, 2018,
Solis, 2015). This issue of unwilling participants in the brand machine
system is prevalent. Nevertheless, if the benefits of BBC Sounds’ ap-
plication outweigh the potential costs of our personal data being
used, I assert that it would be justifiable for the participant. With
that, it is necessary to set up appropriate affect switches or sensory
touchpoints to collect meaningful data sets to set up a unique and
personalised listening experience.

You need an
architect
There is chaos in the industry about what
is advertising; is it an art or science?
(Wilkie and Moore, 2003, Brodmerkel
and Carah, 2016) Various definitions of
advertising and marketing have been
advocated since the 1900s (Wilkie and
Moore, 2003). Despite that, it is clear that
the changing media structures and sys-
tems especially in the digital realm, has
unveiled complex restructuring and we
need to design BBC Sound’s architec-
ture with intention (Solis, 2015). Intuitive,
smart and aesthetically pleasing designs
do not come about through chance or
spontaneously – it comes from a deep
understanding of the people’s needs,
without the fear of reinvention.
 For BBC Sounds, not even user-centred
design should be the focus instead it
should be human-centred. User-centred
design is placing the consumers’ needs,
wants and limitations as the goal of the
design process (Solis, 2015). However, hu-
man-centred design is placing humans at
the centre (as the name suggests) as well
as their everyday context – the way hu-
mans live and go through life (Solis, 2015,
Wendel, 2013). Human-centred design is
only possible with a deep understanding
and empathy for the user’s listening ex-
perience. Moreover, research has shown
the importance of behavioural econom-
ics whereby, design champions people to
change their behaviour through prompts
and nudges (Wendel, 2013, Solis, 2015,
Brodmerkel and Carah, 2016). It is es-
sential that BBC Sounds’ user-interface
be more than just digital; there needs to
be both physical and digital touchpoints
that the user feels (Solis, 2015). This is ac-
companied by motivating the listener to
continue using BBC Sounds through a re-
ward system. Eventually, this encourages
a sense of ownership with the application
which only gets better over time, facilitat-
ing love for this intimacy (Wendel, 2013,
Brodmerkel and Carah, 2016).

VOLKSWAGEN & MAKING STAIRS FUN WITH PIANO STAIRS

(STOCKHOLM, 2009)
importance
The intended project aims to develop a solution for BBC Sounds
through understanding novel sound AI technologies and expert
opinions. BBC has held a dominant share in United Kingdom but has
not captured the younger audience (Barnes, 2018). For BBC Sounds
to capture the younger generation, aged 16-35 years old, brilliant
aesthetics is insufficient rather it is through empathy and a deep
understanding of how sound could be employed in peoples’ lives
(Solis, 2015). As a result, this project aims to inspire a new wave of
infrastructure concentrated on holistic audio content with the inte-
gration of AI technologies in the industry. The surfer’s first wave will
begin with the submission of the concept for the DA&D New Blood
Awards in late March. The surfer’s final splash would be the end of
the project where the solution will be refined through offering rec-
ommendations. This would be related to establishing audio infra-
structure to further anticipate and provide assistance to people that
want to be remembered and understood personally.

BBC SOUNDS’ CAMPAIGN SPEARHEADED BY MOTHER DESIGN

(MOTHER DESIGN, 2018)
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The project takes into account the society’s shift from a visual land-
scape to a soundscape and the need to change the way people lis-
ten to audio. This will be based on an iterative design research pro-
cess followed by an iterative research design process. Therefore,
four different objectives were formulated for the project:

Identify current audio rituals and habits from

academic literature, industry reports and the
competitive intelligence of UX design

Evaluate existing brand machines that involve

AI sound technology

Develop a solution to BBC Sounds’ user expe-

rience challenge through an iterative design
process.

Utilise the Delphi method to develop recom-

mendations for BBC Sounds’ user-interface by
consulting audio experts
TIMELINE + METHOD
LIT REVIEW WORKSHOPS + DA&D
RESEARCH
START LIT REVIEW MORE SEC RESEARCH KEEP DESIGNING

FINISH LIT REVIEW START ON DESIGN SUBMIT DA&D

JAN FEB MAR

ARRIVING IN SINGAPORE DEPARTURE ARRIVING IN DUNEDIN

29TH OF DEC 2018 20TH OF FEB 2019 21ST OF FEB 2019

ITERATIVE DESIGN RESEARCH

This method allows a deep analysis of how to implement a new way
of listening in the context of novel sound AI technologies. The cause
and effect relationship is as established: novel sound AI technologies
and learning from audio habits and rituals. The time-frame imposed
would be from 2016 for the development of BBC Sounds’ solution to
remain relevant. These themes will be brought forward for the next
stage of research after a thorough thematic analysis.

From here, it is imperative to immerse myself in a user-interface de-

sign environment to learn techniques that would be relevant for the
DA&D submission.
 DELPHI WRITING FINISH

FIND EXPERT PANEL ROUND 3 FINISH WRITING

ROUND 1 ROUND 2 START WRITING

APR MAY JUN

ITERATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN

The Delphi method is based on consulting a group of audio experts,
over a number of rounds, to build a consensus about relevant themes
(Next Generation Internet, 2018). This would identify important cave-
ats in the audio industry that could have been overlooked previous-
ly. Moreover, this process occurs over a number of rounds, which
leads to continual refinement of previous notions. In the case of BBC
Sounds, a panel of audio experts, based in Melbourne, would be
selected. With reference to Next Generation Internet’s report (2018),
this process will take place over three rounds where:
Round 1: A panel of audio experts would be invited to engage in a web survey
about the subject at hand.

Round 2: Thematic analysis occurs. Responses coded to generate assertions and

sent back to the respondents. The participants will evaluate the assertions through
showing how much they agree or disagree (on a Likert scale).

Round 3: Assertions that were on extreme ends on the Likert scale and that hold a
majority of vote were selected. The remainder with disagreements ran for another
thematic analysis and were presented back to the participants for affirmation.
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EVEN RITA ORA IS TIRED...

BE CURIOUS.

“LISTEN WITHOUT LIMITS”

(BBC SOUNDS, 2018)