Sound & Haptics

Many elite consumer brands treat sonic identity as part of the same personality contract as color and type (Apple HIG audio guidance, game/learning apps, hardware brands).

Principles

1. Sound communicates state, not noise.
2. Respect system silent mode and user mute.
3. Pair critical alerts with visual + text (never sound-only).
4. Haptics follow the same intent recipes as motion (feedback, success, warning).
5. Reduced sensory settings: provide opt-out and non-sensory alternatives.

Token sketch

• --sound-success, --sound-error, --sound-tap (asset IDs, not binary blobs in repo)
• Intensity roles: subtle / standard / emphatic
• Max concurrent sound events: 1 UI sound at a time unless orchestrated

Linked rules

• rule.brand.cross-medium-coherence
• rule.a11y.wcag-aa