The world of Twitter through a sonic lens transports me beyond of just a bird chirp notification The classic notification (see video) felt like evolving at the time among other elements. There’s much to be explored in this digital environment. Like a forest of elements that can be combined with the modern aspect of the app, conveying a sense of trust and belonging in the community.
This wonderful project was provided by the Sonic Agency “Listen”, where I collaborated with other Designers and leads to create a sonic environment for the app Twitter. I was given a direction and created the sounds about to be displayed. The final approved product was the result of the co-creation of many Designers as well as myself. I hope you enjoy my creative process!
The Sound of Twitter
My intention was to use grounded, organic instrumentation that feel familiar, yet fresh. I used skeuomorphic tactile wooden taps to give a warm, playful and organic feel to the sounds. Also, I used some samples from the old app notification so that everything feels cohesive with the brand. Needless to say, that the sounds were optimized for mobile and accessibility. Meaning that the playback is smooth and non obtrusive while grabbing the attention of the user.
Watch the Twitter App Flow
Notification
The Notification was a moment for maximum expression! I used some tactile tones, along with a high frequency bell and a soft bird chirp calling back to the roots of the app. The perfect 5th interval with the percussive feel is playful to me but also quite warm and delightful.
Post Tweet
This sound can be broken down in two parts. First the “send” (connected to the “tweet” button) and the second “posted” sound (connected to the notification of “your tweet was sent”) indicating success. I did that because I wanted the user to have feedback on all their actions and if they were successful. For posted I wanted to indicate completion in a playful way as well as using the tactile wooden elements to create a delightful thrill.
Refresh Feed
The “Pull to Refresh” and “Refreshed” feed are a dynamic tactile pair. Repetitive tolerance it f upmost importance here, but also, I wanted to still create something that evoked the motion in a playful way so the user has a bit of delight on that utilitarian moment.