Three Sites Using Sound Creatively & Effectively

I know what you're thinking: using sound on a website has to be one of the most annoying (some would say dumbest) things ever in the history of digital design. For the most part, I would not argue with you, but there are instances when using sound can prove very, very effective.

Auto-playing a recorded message (or blasting music) when a user lands on your website is a sure-fire way to elicit a negative response (and the click of a browser's back button) but sound/audio can most definitely be used to deliver a different - and arguably memorable - experience for end-users.

There are plenty of instances in the world of actual interaction design where creative audio/sound blips are used to convey to a user that an action has completed - the ring of a bell, the pop of a bubble, etc. - but there are numerous instances of sound being a core part of the experience that is built as well - and that is truly our focus as we move closer to the Web 3.0 age - when we're not just designing a website, but an immersive experience that crosses device boundaries.

So what websites are using sound effectively and creatively? It's not hard to find them, but here are three which illustrate how and what goes in an end-user's ears can be just as influential as what goes in their eyes. These aren't your traditional websites, of course, but they do show what's possible - let the following examples serve as inspiration for your next digital project.

- A Way To Go -

- Inter Stellar -

- Universal Serial Blood -