Audio-interaction lab: designing an immersive environment to explore the acoustic ecosystem with a tablet interface

Thanks to the joint cooperation of a multidisciplinary research group, a new learning environment (called Audio Interaction Lab, referred as "lab" in the paper) has come into existence. The environment allows the experience of sound in space, through a tablet application and a multichannel audio architecture, which rely on a dynamic sound library. It has been conceived for and with children up to six years old, but anyone can use it. This paper introduces the story, design process and implementation of the Lab and namely of the EUPHONIA tablet application, realized thorough a cooperative approach with the children from the Reggio Children's preschool and infant toddler centre. Particular attention will be dedicated to the interaction experience and the interface design.