[IxDA Discuss] Audio feedback in HTML-based web applications

[Sean Voisen]

>
> I'm a "broken record" stuck on the groove that says the web, despite its
> unprecedented gifts, has turned the clock back on software
> development---and
> many elemental details of user experience---approximately 10 years.


Jack, I totally agree with you there - as far as UI development is
concerned. The connectivity and social aspects surely are huge advances, but
they do come at that cost presently. Eventually, we might get back to where
we were on the desktop.

Technologies like Adobe Flash and Flex or OpenLaszlo can make up for the
gap, but many people seem wary of using them. Sure HTML/CSS degrades better,
but I see little difference between requiring a modern brower with jscript
turned on to support XMLHttpRequest and AJAX, and requiring the Flash
plug-in.

One web-based service that I use where I find audio feedback useful
> is Google Mail's chat feature. Whenever I receive a message, I hear a
> very subtle earcon.
>

Russ, forgot about that one ;) The first time I heard that, I had no clue
what it was because my window was in the background. Unfortunately, Google
doesn't have any other way of getting your attention when that happens.

- Sean