A Two-Person Startup Has Fixed One of the Most Hated Sounds in Modern Life
a day ago
- The author dislikes the harsh beep of microwaves and tries to silence it by opening the door before it sounds.
- Microwave beeps are produced by a cheap piezoelectric buzzer, which can only vary frequency and duration.
- Sound designers Joel Corelitz and Colin Coogan from Starling created improved sounds using only software changes on existing hardware, such as trills and frequency sweeps.
- Manufacturers stick with beeps due to cost, but there is a growing trend to use better sound as a 'delighter' to influence purchases.
- Richard Hughes, former Whirlpool UX designer, notes that companies are starting to invest in sound design for microwaves, with no extra hardware cost required.