Research Inspired prototype for auditory level with restorative effect 🪫🌊 - Teraputic Immersive Experience

One of the important aspect of Spatial experience is auditory , it is one of the senses that needs to be activated apart from visual and kinetic.

A while ago, i stumbled upon this research - on the effect of water sound levels in virtual reality environments and their restorative benefits , LINK

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The research focus on testing different wavelength that can be proven not only soothing but also restorative , in this case they are using the sound of water. Using different water wavelenght , focusing on how water level sound assist young adults particularly at lower decibels, significantly calm emotions and alleviate anxiety, bolding the importance of auditory elements in constructing restorative environments.

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Curious by this research paper , i made a prototype to combined this auditory experience with visuals , for a proof of concept in immersive experience. A little exploration of reactive audio to different wavelength of water sound that we hear using everyday activity we have with water : water at shower, water in the creek, walking towards the river , water in the shower. One of these amplitude promote restorative benefits.

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Months after i made that prototype, i found an immersive experience about Sorolla , in Casa Museu Amatller in Barcelona , that I can’t tell you how relaxing it made me feel—I wanted to experience it again and again because it brought such a deep sense of peace while listening to the water sounds 🌊 Curious on the effect and the research, I recorded a video with the sound from the exhibition and tested the decibel level, finding it to be approximately -68.3 dB.

This helped me understand the subtle different of sound design more deeply. While this level creates a soothing environment, the research suggests that sounds closer to the 40-50 dB range are more what is proven to have restorative and teraputic experience 🌊for emotional calmness and reducing anxiety.

Im honestly super wowed in these findings , it’s a step forward in refining user experience 🥹