Seeing Sounds, Hearing Shapes

Participant Information Sheet

Thank you for completing our mini-game. We would now like to invite you to be part of this research project, if you would like to. You should only agree to take part if you want to; it is entirely up to you. If you choose not to take part, there won’t be any disadvantages for you and you will hear no more about it.

This research project is concerned with finding out how people generally associate visual shapes with sounds. The sketches included in the mini-game stem from a prior study where participants were asked to sketch their visual interpretation of the same sounds used in this game. By analysing your answers, we hope to gain deeper insight into which sounds can be communicated more easily through visual sketches and which type of sketch approach is suited best for visualising sound. To do so, we will have to collect data from your interaction with the game in a Firebase database. Submissions are completely anonymous, we will not collect any information that could enable us to identify you.

We designed this study as an interactive, fun game-experience rather than a "traditional" academic study. Research shows that a gamified environment can lead to more intuitive, unbiased data, larger participant numbers and lower participant fatigue. Therefore, the academic purpose of this game is only highlighted at this stage. However, we will only collect data if you give your consent.

A list of all data that is collected:

• Score: Your final score.
• Sound order: The order in which you heard the sounds during the game.
• Artist order: An ordered list of the artists whose sketches you saw.
• Sketch choices: An ordered list of the sketches that you selected in each round.
• System details: We collect the name of your browser (e.g. Chrome) and your operating system (e.g. Windows) for troubleshooting and future improvements

In addition, a cookie will be set if you choose to submit your data. The cookie contains a random, auto-generated user-ID and is used to identify multiple submissions by the same person. The cookie automatically expires 7 days after creation.

Please read Queen Mary’s privacy notice for research participants for important information about your personal data and your rights in this respect. If you have any questions relating to data protection, please contact Data Protection Officer, Queens’ Building, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS or data-protection@qmul.ac.uk.

If you have any questions or concerns about the way the study is conducted please, in the first instance, contact Sebastian Löbbers - s.lobbers@qmul.ac.uk who is the researcher responsible for the study. If this is unsuccessful, or not appropriate, please contact the Facilitator of the Queen Mary Ethics of Research Committee:
Address: Room W104, Queen’s Building, Mile End Campus, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS.
E-mail: research-ethics@qmul.ac.uk

Consent Agreement

• I agree that the research project named above has been explained to me to my satisfaction in verbal and/or written form
• I understand that if I decide at any other time during the research that I no longer wish to participate in this project, I can notify the researchers involved and be withdrawn from it immediately
• I have read both the notes written above and the Information Sheet about the project, and understand what the research study involves
• I agree to take part in the study, which will include use of my data
• I understand that such information will be treated as strictly confidential and handled in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.