Re: Sonified Debugger vs. Screenreader Question

Headphones?  Cheers!
----- Original Message ----- From: "Matthew2007" <matthew2007@xxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 4:57 AM
Subject: Re: Sonified Debugger vs. Screenreader Question
Though this musical thing might seem to some as a possible solution, just how long will the blind programmer's inner ear be able to handle such a daily audio assault? That is, because we must always be cognizant of the end goals of the research findings, and because the ultimate goal is to develop a programming environment for the workplace--I think, fellow sighted programmers will not tolerate the endless noise coming from the blind programmer's cubical. The logical solution would be to give the blind programmer a set of headphones. Now the issue will turn to the amount of time the blind programmer will be able to tolerate constant physical pressure to the ears caused by headphones whether ear buds or otherwise. More importantly, just how long will the blind person be able to program when there is a constant assault of music and other incredibly noisy information bombarding and possibly shredding one's tympanic membrane, malleus/incus/stapes, oval window, basilar membrane, cochlea, and so on. I would be most worried about wear and tear on the basilar membrane as it's "wooly carpeting" will begin wearing out like the worn out area on the carpet where your deskchair might be sitting on. Then you might have other issues such as headaches from either and extended periods of headphone use. You might also have factors such as mental fatigue from not only having to stay focused on your programming task, but your brain will experience "cortical attrition" due to the constant bombardment of sound which the sighted programmer will not have to deal with.
Yes, its true we don't have much choices in the matter when it comes to audio output for the completion of our tasks, but I think we can design choices in terms of the type of output we can utilize for best results, and I don't think music and various beeps and sounds will do for all. Maybe once the foundation of this programming research has been normalized, there will be enough room to consider individual differences and act accordingly by developing different schemes by which one can use in order to perform for very long periods of time.
Now that I think about it, you might want to try a preliminary reversal design to assess hearing before and after extended exposure to your IV. 

Thanks,

Matthew
----- Original Message ----- From: "jaffar" <jaffar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 6:04 PM
Subject: Re: Sonified Debugger vs. Screenreader Question
Hi Andreas. I have followed this thread with most interest and congratulate and most definitely support you on what you are doing. A few years back, I took up music therapy as one of my music composition options. One of the things we tend to forget and take for granted is that Language, though a very issential basis of our communications is an evolutionary concept. Our ancestors from far back used sounds as their primary source of communication. Unborn babies respond to sounds they pick from the mother's womb, and when they are born, respond positively to the soothing coos of those around them, or nagatively to noises their impulses deem frightening and disturbing. I have not ceased to be amazed at the responses and emotions that music can potentially arouse out of those who have undergone my music therapy classes. What issentially is music anyway but organized sound? And what is computer programming anyway but a series of instructions to make a software work a pc? As a musician and a programmer, I have always seen a computer program and a music composition in the same light, that is to say, in both cases, we are issentially putting unrelated fragments together to make them work. Putting it all back into context, I wonder if during the debugging process, the sounds, ,music, or whatever is sound related to make this effectively work could be sequentially arranged. For example, When the debugging process starts, a sort of musical chord could be initiated. Then while the debugging is going on, a continuous series of notes or chymes would follow to indicate that the process was flowing. In the midst of it, if an error was spotted by the debugger, perhaps a series of urgent sequence of notes would follow each other rapidly. At this juncture, the user would be allowed to pause the debugger to try to spot the problem, then continue when the problem has been resolved. Once the debug process had been finished, perhaps a triumphant chord would follow to announce that the debug process had succeeded. If there was a real serious error, and the debug process cannot continue, then a Diminished chord, which in music would signify some form of conflict could be initiated. In this way, an organized structure of sound, or music would be of real use. Perhaps you could think this over. I'd like to read your response on this. Cheers! and thanks for a very good project. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andreas Stefik" <stefika@xxxxxxxxx> 
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 8:55 AM
Subject: Re: Sonified Debugger vs. Screenreader Question



Donal,

Thanks for this fantastic email! I would love to get a copy of any of
the work you've mentioned if you happen to have electronic copies. I
know the work of Stevens and Raman "relatively well" but I'm
definitely no guru on the details of using prosodic cues to benefit
comprehension of mathematics. We've considered adding prosodic cues
into our debugger, but as you might imagine, there are lots of
possible design decisions to explore. Right now we're focusing on how
to measure comprehension of the auditory cues (empirically), and the
effect that can have on a myriad of computer programming related
issues, right now mostly debugging issues.

Anyway, if you have any work you would like to share, I'd love to read
it. Please feel free to send it to my normal email box, and thanks for
the great response!

Andreas
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