‘Observing’ the Workplace Soundscape: Ethnography and Auditory Interface Design

This paper identifies a gap in the research agenda of the auditory display community – the study of work practice and the uses (current and potential) of the workplace ‘soundscape’. The paper presents a case study derived from a one year activity theory-oriented ethnographic study of information gathering work at a UK daily newspaper. We consider the soundscape aspects of mediating collaborative activity in the newsroom, and conclude with a discussion of the issues arising from this attempt to utilise ethnographic techniques within the auditory display design domain.