SonicDraw: a web-based tool for sketching sounds and drawings

We present SonicDraw, a web browser tool that lies in between a drawing and a sound design interface. Through this ambiguity we aim to explore new kinds of user interactions as the creative process can be led either by sound or visual feedback loops. We performed a user evaluation to assess how users negotiated the affordances of the system and how it supported their creativity. We measured the System Usability Scale (SUS), the Creativity Support Index (CSI) and conducted an inductive thematic analysis of qualitative feedback. Results indicate that users find SonicDraw a very easy and intuitive tool which fosters the exploration for new unexpected combinations of sounds and drawings. However, the tool seems to fail in engaging high-skilled musicians or drawers wanting to create more complex pieces. To infer knowledge about user interaction, we also propose a quantitative analysis of drawing dynamics. Two contrasting modes of interaction are likely occurring, one where sketches act as direct controls of sonic attributes (sound focus), and the other where sketches feature semantic content (e.g. a house) that indirectly controls sound (visual focus).