web app - Should I add sound effects to my web site?

I'm considering adding sound effects for interaction on my site. I'm fond of the quick, < 1/4s sound effects on iPhones when sending mail, messaging, etc. I'm thinking it gives a nice, positive feedback. The sound would play when a user clicks a voting button.

Answer

Context is important here. Sound feedback can be very useful when people need or expect it. The ATM. That annoying credit card pad that only accepts a button push every 3rd time at the pharmacy check out line. A cash register.

And maybe it can be important for your web site, but realize that that is a very atypical behavior and not something your users are likely expecting. Beyond alert sounds, most computer operating systems, and therefore web browsers, and therefore web sites do not by default have any sort of user-input sound effects. There's likely two good reasons for this.

1. 
   

   It'd be pretty annoying if every menu click or keyboard tab produced an audible 'click' on your computer. You'd tire of it very quickly. Unlike the previous examples which are UI's you use sporadically, for many people their computer is an 8+ hour of day device. Like our kids, sometimes the less noise they make, the more we tolerate them. :)

   
   


2. 
   
   

   Any sounds above and beyond alert sounds would make alert sounds less effective. If everything is making a sound, then effectively nothing is making a sound.

   
   

And then there's the practical side of things. Lots of people are wearing headphones while on their computer. Listening to music. Or skyping. Or what have you. They are in control of the sound on their machine and may not be thrilled that your web site has decided to add to that.

And most work environments either frown upon or just omit speakers from the workplace machines altogether. So keep those things in mind.

But like most rules-of-thumb, if you have a really good reason to break the rule, absolutely give it a shot.