Keeping the rhythm : supporting runners with interactive sonification during movement

Abstract

Even with the fast growth of running-related technologies, most tools today rely on visual interfaces. This often leads to "stop-to-interact" behaviors, which can disrupt runners' natural rhythm and gait. Sonification offers a promising eyes-free alternative, but current systems often treat runners as passive recipients of information rather than active participants. This thesis addresses this gap by exploring how runners can adjust and interact with real-time concurrent sonification while running. Using a User-Centered Design (UCD) methodology within the Double Diamond Framework, this research followed an iterative process consisting of an exploratory workshop (N=5), artifact development, and two user studies. The resulting artifact is a ring interface with physical buttons, that uses bi-digit interaction to allow runners to adjust the volumes of concurrent sonifications for breath, steps, and speed. The first user test (N=5) yielded an average System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 88.5 and indicates that the ring is intuitive, and supports eyes-free interaction without disturbing the run. The second user test (N=10) focused on a new version of the sound system. Two kinds of auditory feedback for interaction confirmation were compared: speech and spearcon. The quantitative analysis, using SUS and NASA-TLX, indicated no statistical differences between the two types of cues. However, qualitative findings revealed that runners generally prefer speech cues for their clarity. Over time though, spearcon cues were seen as both more efficient and less intrusive. The findings show that cognitive demand in running contexts is mostly driven by how complex the simultaneous sonifications are, rather than the type of auditory feedback. This highlights that giving individuals control over their experience is needed. This thesis adds to the field of HCI with two contributions: an interactive ring as an artifact, and an empirical contribution with insights on interactive sonification while running.submitted by Charline Martin-PasiEnthält Literaturverzeichnis auf Seite 66-76Masterarbeit Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Joint Master's Degree in Human and Computer Interaction 2026Masterarbeit Salzburg University of Applied Sciences,Joint Master's Degree in Human and Computer Interaction 2026Abstract in englischer und deutscher Sprach