Research & Development White Paper - Exploring audio device orchestration in workshops with young people - BBC

Research & Development
                                   White Paper

                                                          WHP 376

                                                           June 2020

Exploring audio device orchestration in workshops with young
                                                      people

                                J. Francombe, K. Hentschel, S. Clarke

                                            Design & Engineering
                      BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION

BBC Research & Development
                                    White Paper WHP 376

         Exploring audio device orchestration in workshops with young people

                 Jon Francombe           Kristian Hentschel         Suzanne Clarke

Abstract

When considering development of a new technology, it is important to account for the wants and
needs of the target audience. Two day-long workshops were performed to explore the concept of
audio device orchestration—using multiple connected, synchronized devices to create or augment a
media experience—with 16- to 18-year-olds. The workshops utilized a variety of ideation techniques
including warm-up exercises, idea generation exercises, and co-creation of prototypes. A thematic
analysis was performed on the outputs to explore the participants’ attitudes to audio technology
and device orchestration. The results suggested a strong desire for positive application of technology
and content, focusing on issues such as wellbeing and togetherness. The results match closely with
previous research on values for digital wellbeing.
    This paper was originally presented at the 148th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society
(AES), June 2-5 2020, Online (AES Virtual Vienna Convention) and is also available from the
AES’s electronic library at URL: http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=20808.

Additional key words: audio device orchestration, spatial audio, immersive, user experience

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BBC Research & Development
                                        White Paper WHP 376

          Exploring audio device orchestration in workshops with young people

                   Jon Francombe            Kristian Hentschel            Suzanne Clarke

1       Introduction
When considering development of a new technology, it is important to account for the wants and
needs of the target audience. It is prudent to have this focus as early as possible in a product
or technology life-cycle, and there are a number of ways to achieve this, ranging from the ex-
ploratory (focus groups and co-creation workshops) to the relatively controlled (e.g., formal user
testing). In this project, an exploratory approach was applied to a new audio technology. Device
orchestration describes the concept of connecting to and synchronizing a set of (potentially het-
erogeneous) devices, understanding their capabilities, and using them in an optimal manner for
reproduction of a media experience. The concept has previously been investigated through con-
trolled perceptual experiments [1] and production, delivery, and evaluation of a trial production [2,
3]. The results have been generally positive, whilst suggesting areas for further development and
exploration—particularly a requirement to focus on application areas beyond audio drama, and to
target desirable features for young audiences. To continue evaluating and developing device orches-
tration with these requirements in mind, an exploratory workshop was designed and conducted.
The workshop provided an opportunity to work with young people in order to learn about their
experience as media consumers and technology users, and their wants and needs with regard to
audio technology (particularly device orchestration). This included co-creation of prototypes and
a chance for the participants to see a range of technology in action. The workshops were designed
to address the following research questions.
    1. What are young peoples’ attitudes towards audio technology?
    2. What experiences or topics demonstrate a compelling use of orchestrated audio or other audio
       technologies?
    3. What are young peoples’ attitudes towards using their personal devices for shared experi-
       ences?

   The workshop process is discussed in Section 2. The outcomes were explored through thematic
analysis (Section 3). In Section 4, the answers to the research questions are presented and discussed,
the workshopping process is evaluated, and suggestions for future work are given.

2       Methodology
Two workshops with 16–18 year olds were run at BBC R&D in Salford in June and November 2019.
Participants were recruited from local colleges and attended from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm. Students
and teachers participated in most of the activities. Ten students and three teachers attended the
first workshop; twelve students and three teachers attended the second.
     The workshops were broadly structured in three phases: warmup, ideation, and prototyping.
The activities used are detailed below1 . These drew on ideas in the literature [4] as well as the
experience of expert practitioners in BBC R&D. In addition to these activities, the concept of
    1
    The timings include explanation of the activity to participants. Subscript numbers show which workshops the
exercise was used in.

©BBC 2020. All rights reserved.

audio device orchestration was explained and a number of technology demonstrations were shown
for further inspiration.

Active listening1,2 (warmup, approx. 10–15 mins)
Participants listened to a 22.2 surround sound reproduction of a forest soundscape and were promp-
ted to attend to individual sounds, considering characteristics such as pitch, volume, timbre, loc-
ation, and meaning. Participants discussed what they heard and felt (with prompts from the fa-
cilitator as necessary). This exercise was intended to encourage thinking about sound in a deeper
way than in everyday life. It drew on ideas from soundwalking [5], in which environmental sounds
are actively attended.

Circle filling1 (warmup, approx. 10–15 mins)
Participants were provided with a pen and a worksheet containing a number of empty circles, and
given one minute to fill as many circles as they could (with no additional guidance). Following each
round, participants were asked how many circles they filled and how they approached the task.
The exercise was used to encourage participants to write down many ideas without overthinking,
and to think laterally about a problem.

Mutation game1,2 (ideation, approx. 20–40 mins)
A grid listing different elements that make up an experience (such as genre, devices, context,
sounds, and interactions) was filled in on a whiteboard. The first column was populated based on
a well-known experience, and participants were then asked to ‘mutate’ the idea by changing the
element in each category, shouting out ideas for the facilitator to add to the board. This resulted
in a board with rows containing prompts for different aspects of an experience. Participants were
given a random combination of columns and instructed to quickly develop an idea combining those
elements. Multiple rounds with a different random selection were completed, and after each round
the ideas were shared with the room. A variation (scenario mapping) in which the categories
were more steered towards different possible users, was also used in the first workshop.

Round robin1 (ideation, approx. 10–15 mins)
The round robin exercise was used for collaboratively developing an idea. In a limited time-frame
(1–2 minutes), each participant in a small group (3–4 people) writes down or draws their initial
idea. They pass the sheet to the person sitting next to them, who is tasked with adding to or
modifying the idea. The sheets are passed on until every person in the group has contributed to
each idea.

Modeling1,2 (prototyping, approx. 30–60 mins)
Participants were provided with a range of materials for physical prototyping, including Lego
and other craft materials. They were asked to fashion a representation of their product or idea.
Participants were also given worksheets with fields for capturing the idea.

Presentation1,2 (prototyping, approx. 5–10 mins/group)
Participants were asked to develop a short (~5 minute) presentation or pitch to explain their idea
back to the group. This could include aspects such as role play or performance in addition to
standard presentations.

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3    Outcomes and analysis
The workshop outcomes included artifacts such as prototype pitching worksheets and notes from the
various idea generation and discussion activities (Figure 1). Ideas developed during the prototyping
phase included: an augmented reality comedy festival; a smart assistant that works across devices;
an application providing help to study or relax; an educational festival; and applications for sharing
media between rooms or on public transport.

                     (a) Mutation game grid                            (b) Model of media sharing app

                                      Figure 1: Workshop outcomes

    Outcomes from the audience workshops were analyzed using thematic analysis, in which text
data are iteratively coded into categories to identify themes and patterns [6]. The input data
consisted of notes taken by the authors when reading though the workshop outcomes and other
material (such as feedback forms and facilitator notes). Salient features from the data sources were
written on post-it notes and placed into categories. As the process continued, the categories were
rearranged (e.g., merged, divided, or renamed). Finally, the categories were reviewed and put into
a three-level hierarchy (the number of levels was determined from the data rather than defined
in advance). The top-level ‘theme’ is divided into one or more ‘sub-themes’, each comprising one
or more ‘items’. The process was performed individually for each of the two audience workshops
before the results were combined into the final categorization. The themes are as follows: wellbeing,
positivity, togetherness, identity, personalization, gamification, learning, technology, and interests.
    It was notable that the outcomes focussed primarily on audio, technology, and other wants
and needs of the participants rather than particular use cases of orchestration technology. The
themes align well with the values for digital wellbeing determined by Kerlin [7] , covering ten of
the fourteen core values. The themes are discussed below (with sub-themes listed in italics).

Wellbeing
Advice, mental health, stress, mood, motivation, don’t like silence, daily routine.

Various aspects of wellbeing were considered: the most common sub-theme was stress (using tech-
nology to relax or destress), but using audio technology and content for mood management and
motivation also featured. Audio was also considered to be a functional part of day-to-day life—e.g.,
to fill unwanted silence or to make a dull task more interesting.

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Positivity
Positivity.

Participants were often interested in creating ‘nice’ things (e.g., comedy rather than horror). This
does not mean that they shied away from challenging issues, but that the focus was often on positive
interactions (including learning or togetherness).

Togetherness
Loneliness, shared experience, family, local, meeting people, giving/helping, diversity, age groups.

Ideas around bringing people together with audio technology. Shared experience was a common
sub-theme, with ideas around sharing content with strangers, family, or friends—in public or at
home—and avoiding loneliness. There were a number of ideas related to getting out of the house
and into the local area, linking to the anti- or low-technology ideas from the identity theme. Ideas
around age were also referenced, particularly removing barriers between different age groups and
changing negative stereotypes of young people.

Identity
Choice of content, discovery, identity and technology, identity and music, nostalgia, counter-culture, anti-
technology.

Using audio and technology to define identity. Sub-themes included: making content choices;
discovering new content; using technology and/or content as part of an individual’s identity; using
audio for nostalgia; and rebelling against norms by being part of a counter-culture or eschewing
modern technology in some aspects of life.

Personalization
Personalization.

Related to identity in that personalized content can better express an identity. Personalization
ideas included: selecting a desired celebrity voice; being able to control the technology either
explicitly or through up-front or background personalization; and personalized music playlists.

Gamification
Searching, reward, learning.

The idea of using orchestration or other audio technology for gaming. Sometimes, game ideas
were explicit—searching-type games were particularly notable. In other cases, a gaming mechanic
was suggested—e.g., being rewarded in some way for completing a task (either with points or some
kind of ‘real’ prize). Using gamification to make a task (such as learning) more interesting also
featured.

Learning
Learning.

Technology that could help with learning, make it more enjoyable, and moderate the learning
process (i.e., track time spent and make suggestions such as “It’s time to take a break”). Some-
times related to gamification.

                                                      4

Technology
Form factor, cost.

Insights around general technology-related considerations of the participants were noted. These
centered on two main considerations: form factor (devices should fit naturally and seamlessly into
everyday life); and cost (devices and supporting services such as data charges should be cheap).

Interests
Content, technology.

Content and technology topics that the participants were aware of or interested in. Content ideas
tended to include serious and thought-provoking topics, although as discussed above these were
often handled in a positive manner. A wide range of past, present, and emerging technologies were
discussed, serving different purposes. For example, using vinyl is an expression of anti-technology
identity, whilst smart devices allow for community and togetherness.

4    Conclusions and discussion
The workshops reported above were valuable and enjoyable for the participants. Analysis of the
outcomes revealed a detailed picture of the audio technology wants and needs of a small group of
young people. The outcomes did not focus strongly on device orchestration. There are a number
of possible reasons for this: the technology may be hard to understand and think about in a
short timeframe, not clearly explained, or not interesting or valuable to the participants. Further
testing with developed prototypes could help determine which of these scenarios are true. The
three specific research questions framed in Section 1 are addressed below.

1. What are young peoples’ attitudes towards audio technology?
The analysis presented in Section 3 shows that young people would like to be able to use technology
in a positive way. This is highlighted by themes such as wellbeing, positivity, togetherness, and
learning. Young people use audio and technology to express their identity, whether that is as
someone who keeps up with the latest trends, or as someone who eschews that to engage with a
counter-culture or use low-technology solutions. The technology theme highlighted technological
wants and needs of the participants, such as suitability of form factor (often meaning that it should
fit in seamlessly with other aspects of life) and cost. The technology sub-theme of the interests
theme highlighted a number of current technologies that participants were aware of and/or regularly
interact with. These ranged from old technology (e.g., vinyl) to recent trends (e.g., 8D audio).

2. What experiences or topics demonstrate a compelling use of orchestrated audio or
other audio technologies?
The interests theme highlighted content areas that are of interest to the demographic. Content
topics were often serious, though-provoking issues, but as noted above, would ideally be handled in a
positive and informative manner. Such topics included space, the environment, and climate change.
Music and politics were discussed during the workshops (although do not feature heavily in the
captured outcomes or thematic analysis). Many different music genres were highlighted, reflecting
the identity theme. It was notable that orchestral music was viewed positively. Aside from the
interests of the participants, a number of themes indicate ways of using technology for compelling
experiences. Personalization could improve the ability of audiences to use audio technology for
identity—specific ideas included: choosing celebrity voices; technology that responds to needs,
wants, and behavior; and personalized music playlists. Gamification was also a feature, with many
ideas including elements ranging from a small amount of interactivity to fully playable games.

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3. What are young peoples’ attitudes towards using their personal devices for shared
experiences?
As noted above, the outcomes of the workshops do not have a strong focus on orchestration, so it is
challenging to draw direct conclusions to answer this question. However, the depth of the togeth-
erness theme points towards a desire for shared experiences. Example mechanisms for this were
captured in the shared experience sub-theme and included: sending media between individuals’
devices; being connected whilst physically distant; music for bringing people together; personal-
ization in a shared environment; and sharing in public spaces. There was a general feeling that
the participants expected and were happy for technology to form an integral part of day-to-day
life. This came out in ideas such as relying on technology for advice or using it to access nostalgic
experiences.

4.1   Workshop process
As well as addressing the research questions stated in Section 1, it was useful to learn about using
workshopping as part of a design cycle.
    Participants enjoyed the workshops, and the feedback was very positive. They particularly
enjoyed the active listening activity and the technology demonstrations (notably the VR experi-
ences). The workshops provided the facilitators a valuable opportunity to talk to young people,
and were useful for getting ideas about topics of interest and their relationships with technology.
    It was difficult to get the participants thinking about sound and audio—although the active
listening exercise helped with this and was good for encouraging conversation. It could be beneficial
to ask more targeted questions as part of exercises and on worksheets; for example, always including
a prompt to think about sound. In both workshops, the participants did not focus on device
orchestration—even with more prompting built into the second workshop. However, the general
responses are still valuable. Some ideas generated were fanciful, and they often suffered from
‘feature creep’—adding new functions or uses to an idea rather than refining a single strong use
case. In the second workshop, the activities were tailored towards producing more, smaller ideas
to help to mitigate this problem.
    It was hard to capture outcomes, so more structured worksheets were designed and used in
the second workshop. It was also notable that some strong voices dominated discussions—to some
extent, this is unavoidable, but it is something for group facilitators to bear in mind. Possible
mitigation strategies include not always taking a response from the first person to raise their hand,
and mixing up groups throughout the day. In the second workshop, the prototyping phase was
mainly used for building models of ideas, rather than developing the ideas and using modeling to
explore options and reasons. There was sometimes little dialogue within groups, with individuals
working on their own aspects of the project. In the future, it would be beneficial to provide more
structure and support for further development of ideas, as well as giving more advice on how to
structure and deliver a successful presentation.

4.2   Summary and future work
This work provides evidence that productions utilizing device orchestration (or other novel me-
dia technology) and targeting young audiences should focus on themes around togetherness and
wellbeing, tackling serious issues in a positive light, and making use of personalization and gamific-
ation. In addition to developing relevant trial productions bearing in mind these guidelines, future
research could also consider applying similar workshop methodologies to different demographic
groups.

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5   Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the workshop participants for their valuable contributions. Marvin
McKenzie helped greatly with practical arrangements and facilitation. The authors would also like
to thank the many BBC R&D staff who assisted with workshop design, facilitation, and giving
demonstrations.

References
[1] Jon Francombe et al. “Qualitative Evaluation of Media Device Orchestration for Immersive
    Spatial Audio Reproduction”. In: J. AES 66.6 (2018), pp. 414–429. doi: 10.17743/jaes.2018.
    0027.
[2] K. Hentschel and J. Francombe. “Framework for web delivery of immersive audio experiences
    using device orchestration”. In: ACM TVX, Salford, UK. 2019.
[3] J. Francombe and K. Hentschel. “Evaluation of an immersive audio experience using question-
    naire and interaction data”. In: ICA 2019, Aachen, Germany. Sept. 2019.
[4] D. Gray, S. Brown, and J. Macanufo. Gamestorming: a playbook for innovators, rulebreakers,
    and changemakers. O’Reilly Media, 2010.
[5] H. Westerkamp. “Soundwalking”. In: Sound Heritage 3.4 (1974).
[6] V. Braun and V. Clarke. “Using thematic analysis in psychology”. In: Qual. res. in psyc. 3
    (2006), pp. 77–101. doi: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
[7] L. Kerlin. Human values: understanding psychological needs in a digital age. Tech. rep. https:
    //downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp- pdf- files/WHP371.pdf (accessed 23/03/2020):
    BBC R&D White Paper 371, 2020.

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