Edinburgh Napier University

  This paper compares the listening experiences of non-experts and the designers of two sound designs. To date, no such comparisons have been examined empiri- cally, and so for ease of comparison, repertory grids were chosen to explore these experiences, which preclude the need for listener training. The results suggest that (a) it is meaningful to compare designers’ and non-experts’ lis- tening experiences, (b) points of agreement and disagree- ment are readily identified and (c) the use of repertory grids is a practical means of conducting such studies. The find- ings further suggest that a taxonomy of sound attributes based on these experiences rather than designers’ intuition or predilection is also possible.