Detection and Awareness of Short Alert Sounds in a Retail Environment : Towards using sonification to reduce shoplifting

Abstract: This study is part of a larger research project at KTH Royal Institute of Technology that focuses on reducing theft and shoplifting in stores using sonification as a method of surveillance and preemptive measures. We believe that by triggering sounds when store visitors interact with goods, it is possible to notify the shoplifter that they are being monitored, without disturbing the regular customer. Although the fields of sonification, auditory alerts, perception and sound awareness, which are all relevant to this work, have been well researched, there are significant knowledge gaps in the practical application of notification sounds. We have through a series of experiments started to investigate how to balance subtlety and prominence in auditory alerts for a retail environment. A recent study has shown that we can use virtual reality (VR) to simulate a physical store environment and conduct experiments involving noticeability of sound alerts there. Through that experiment we could propose a set of design guidelines, and also confirm that awareness of audio-based surveillance will individualize how alerts are perceived. This thesis continues to test customer reactions in a more realistic VR setting to see if regular customers, who can move around freely in the store and buy items, notice the auditory alerts. Will their experience be decreased in terms of reduced pleasure? To approach this research question, we developed the VR environment further, redesigned the alerts, and used the PAD model to measure the emotional state of participants.