Things do change and the evolution of the Windows startup sounds are proof. Having worked with Windows for so long now I can easily remember a few of these since they’re what greeted a lot of people when they opened up their computers to get to work. Throughout the years though the sounds have changed according to the model, the year, and the design that Windows has chosen to employ. It’s not much of a mystery really why they do this, things have to change every so often in order to keep things moving ahead and to keep people interested. If a business stagnates in any way it’s bound to stagger and fall behind. You might think that the sound that people hear upon opening Windows wouldn’t matter so much but sound is linked to a lot of different things that people tend to find attractive and familiar.
Sound after all is one sense that tells a person that something is familiar, safe, and reliable. Windows hasn’t always been that throughout the years, like several things Windows has had its share of snags and failings at some points, but it’s been there for so long that people have continued to rely on it and trust the system no matter what. With some folks change isn’t the best thing in the world and they’ll do everything they can to resist it. What’s familiar might not be the best for them but they’ll stick with it until the bitter end. With others change is a constant and is something to be embraced. Plenty of people have started with Windows and then moved on to something else only to come back. Windows is after all reliable and very easy to use, so there’s no real reason to switch if you’ve found that you can live with whatever little glitches come now and again.
The sounds therefore of Windows starting up are just as comfortable and just as familiar to those that want to go on believing that it’s the system to trust. People go by auditory input just as much as visual and it’s been shown more often than not that if they hear something they figure is safe and can be relied on they’ll trust it. That might seem like a huge load of opinion but the fact is that sound in this case is all about familiarity and extending the idea that the system can be trusted and relied upon for just about anything the user needs. The changes in the sound of the startup are more or less the calling card of each new version and not so much a cue for people to trust as it is a new facet of the system. Still, the more that people hear it the more that they link it to a system that they can be sure is worth using and trusting.
I’m not a psychologist or a tech expert, but reading people and having studied them in the past is more than enough to know that people prefer Windows for a lot of reasons, and the comforting startup sound is just one of many.
Follow Us
