Academic Awards 2025 booklet

77 Design and Evaluation of a User Interface for Room Acoustic Software Acoustic simulations are essential for optimizing sound environments in spaces such as concert halls and office buildings. Several methods are currently available to simulate sound propagation in enclosed spaces. However, existing implementations—such as the Diffusion Equation method and the Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element method—are highly complex and often inaccessible to non-expert users. This project has focused on developing a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) to simplify the setup and analysis of acoustic simulations using these advanced methods. The objective is to streamline workflows for acoustics professionals, developers, and researchers, thereby making the simulation process more intuitive and efficient. The project has begun with a thorough needs assessment, including interviews with acoustics users and an in-depth analysis of existing workflows. Based on the insights gathered, we have designed and implemented a fully functional UI that enables users to visually place and manipulate sound sources, receivers, and material properties within a 3D environment. Key features include support for running multiple simulations in parallel, customizable visualization modes, and the clear presentation of simulation results in an accessible format. To validate the interface, we have conducted a usability study, observing user interactions and collecting feedback. This feedback has been used to refine the design, resulting in a flexible and scalable tool that significantly enhances user productivity. The final solution effectively addresses current challenges in acoustic simulation and is built to support the integration of future acoustic models and technologies. Figure 1: A representation of the final UI, displaying the rendered geometry of the environment along with all its geometric details. Figure 2: An illustration of the backend architecture of the UI, showing its interaction with both the acoustics methods and the frontend application. The design supports current methods while remaining extensible for future implementations.