Study Uses Biometric Sensors to Assess Frustrations of Poor Sound Over Video Calls

Technics has released a new report that suggests that poor sound quality is a leading cause of stress in remote workplaces. The study was conducted in collaboration with HCD Research, and examined 29 Americans using modern videoconferencing tools in an office environment.

The researchers set out to determine what kind of impact sound quality has on mental health and overall workplace performance. To that end, each participant needed to participate in calls with varying levels of sound quality. In some cases, the incoming audio would be worse. In others, their own voice would not sound as good to the person on the other end of the line.

The results are based on the self-reported feedback of the participants, and on physiological data gathered with heart rate monitors and galvanic skin sensors. They showed that poor audio quality has a significant impact on people’s stress levels, largely because people find it easier to concentrate (and waste less time) when they can actually hear what people are saying.  Those enjoying a call with high-quality sound felt three to four times better than those without, and could focus 32 percent and 18 percent better with high-quality audio and voice, respectively.

On the flip side, those with poor sound were at least twice as stressed as those without, and that qualitative feedback was reflected in people’s biometric data. Average arousal was used as a measure of stress and frustration, and was five times higher in those struggling to communicate. Those people were also more confused, and generally had less energy, more anxiety, and more trouble understanding what was said.

“You don’t want to have people repeat things,” said one participant. “A lot of calls are a 30-minute call. You have to accomplish your goal in a short time. You don’t really have the time to go back and say, ‘what did you say?’”

The study demonstrates that good sound is essential for an optimal work experience. That’s especially true in a hybrid work environment where people are calling in from home, and in contact centers and other workplaces where employees spend a lot of time on the phone. Technics itself is a subsidiary of Panasonic, and pitched its own EAH-AZ earbuds as a potential solution for those dealing with bad sound.

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November 3, 2021 – by Eric Weiss