UX DESIGN • UX RESEARCH • PROTOTYPING
Sonar: Finding Friends Using Spatial Audio
Maps were build for roads. Sonar is built for people.
Role
UX Designer
UX Reseacher
Duration
In progress
(Est. Aug. 2025)
Team
2 UX Designers
1 Design Engineer
1 Prototyper
Challenge
My Role
End Goal
How might we help two people find each other in a crowd using only audio?
I’m exploring this with Sonar, a spatial audio navigation system for Ray-Ban Meta glasses that guides users to one another without screens or speech.
Co-leading UX research and design: contextual inquiry & observational studies, spatial audio prototyping, RITE testing, and close collaboration with engineering and sound design.
Deliver a complete interaction design model, onboarding, and working spatial audio prototype for smart glasses, along with design insights and directional principles to guide future development of ambient and socially responsive navigation experiences.
✅
So far we’ve:
Conducted contextual inquiry, in-situ observation, and guerrilla interviews (n≈30) to explore social wayfinding
Derived actionable insights on communication, cognitive load, and last-step meetup challenges
Designed and tested an early spatial audio prototype using HRTF and head tracking for natural, hands-free navigation.
The sound a user hears is linked to their friend’s location, guiding them as they try to find each other. The audio dynamically changes based on the user’s direction and distance to their friend (in progress).
🔍
Currently we are:
Prototyping directional and distance-based audio feedback
Designing the end-to-end interaction model of the Sonar system
Running RITE usability testing with 4 users wearing Ray-Ban Meta glasses
Developing companion Messenger UI and customization features
SOUND DESIGN
Try it out: Listen to the spatial audio cues
SONAR ONBOARDING CAROUSEL
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Contextual Inquiry & In-Situ Observations
Study 1: Contextual Inquiry (n=10)
We followed participants as they traveled to meet someone, noting when they checked their phones, coordinated over text, or got confused.
Goal: Capture full end-to-end friend-finding behaviors
Study 2: Observation & Guerilla Interviews (n=20)
We followed participants as they traveled to meet someone, noting when they checked their phones, coordinated over text, or got confused.
Goal: Capture full end-to-end friend-finding behaviors
KEY INSIGHTS
What We Discovered
Social wayfinding introduces accountability.
Downtime= planning time.
Breakdowns emerge at transition points.
Final moments require recognition, not precision.
People aren’t just trying to get somewhere, they’re trying to reassure the other party and be reassured.
“I like texting them when I leave so they don’t wait too long.” —P1
Even confident travelers use cognitive rest stops (i.e. sitting on the bus) to double-check progress or re-orient.
“Now that I have downtime, I’ll check the route.” —P6
“Even though I’ve done this route before, I kept my phone out as backup.” —P11
When digital tools clash with the real world, users lose trust and feel disoriented.
“I asked someone on the bus, Google Maps just confused me more.” —P3
Visual cues often beat maps or pin drops during the final 100 feet.
“If he can’t see me, I’ll stand on the pylon and wave.” —Obs. 3
“I wonder what P5 is wearing today.” —P6
