| dc.description.abstract | Recent developments in immersive media provide opportunities for content creators, but
new tools and skills are required to negotiate spatial audio production. Production tools
such as digital audio workstations have traditionally been designed for single users, whereas
audio production (e.g. music, games, film) is often a collaborative process. For spatial audio
production, virtual reality (VR) could transform how groups work on content together.
However, there are gaps in our understanding of spatial audio production regarding (i)
collaboration, and (ii) design knowledge of VR tools, especially for expert users. This
thesis explores these issues across two complementary threads: Context Mapping, which
involves design ethnography studies in studio settings, and Design Intervention, which
focuses on the design and evaluation of VR artefacts.
The first ethnographic study focused on the role of spatial communication and embodied
interaction when studio producers make aesthetic assessments of audio content. A follow-up
ethnographic study addressed spatial audio production, investigating how gestures support
situated practices. Strong interrelationships between spatial communication, technology,
and audio content were observed.
To explore how technology impacts collaborative processes, multi-user VR music production
systems were designed and evaluated. The first design study (Polyadic), analysed how
different media, VR and desktop, affects communication and engagement in the creative
process. Findings yielded significant differences between media with a preference for
VR. Linguistic analyses suggest that media affects the use of referencing. The second
design study (Invoke) explored joint idea projection for spatial audio production. Users
appropriated virtual resources (avatars, workspaces, and objects) in sense-making processes
endogenous to the collaborative spatial audio production activity. Findings also suggest
that social-space formations change compared to face-to-face interaction. Both the VR
artefacts were judged positively as creativity support tools. Thematic analyses of qualitative
user feedback provided insight on expert user needs related to collaborative VR audio
production. | en_US |
