Sonifying Napoleon's March by Identifying Auditory Correlates of the Graphic-Linguistic Distinction

• Published in: Diagrammatic Representation and Inference Vol. 10871; pp. 228 - 235
• Main Authors: Coppin, Peter W., Windeyer, Richard C.
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2018; Springer International Publishing
• Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• ISBN: 9783319913759; 3319913751
• ISSN: 0302-9743; 1611-3349
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-91376-6_23

Identifying auditory correlates of the graphic-linguistic distinction informs our design of an auditory display based on Charles Minard’s depiction of Napoleon’s Russia campaign – the gold standard for visual (graphic) information design and therefore a grand challenge for auditory display design. We identify viable alternatives to the text-only translations currently employed in making graphics accessible to blind and/or low-vision individuals by introducing sounds bearing strong ecological resemblances to Minard’s depictions. Our integration of theoretical work about classic distinctions with common properties across diagrammatic and auditory display communities reveals practical opportunities for designing inclusive and accessible graphics.