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Click and tap sounds
Very short cues that acknowledge a touch, press or click. They make an input feel registered, especially on glass surfaces or touchscreens without mechanical feedback.
UI sound effects
What are UI sound effects?
UI sound effects are short sounds that respond to interactions with a user interface: a click, a toggle, a confirmation, a notification or a warning. They tell users that something happened, without requiring them to look.
Good UI sounds are designed as part of the product experience: they match the importance of the event, fit the brand and work on the actual playback hardware.
Common types of UI sound effects
Toggle and state sounds
Paired cues for on/off, open/close or connect/disconnect. Related states share acoustic features, while the direction of change stays audible.
Confirmation sounds
Signals that a task has been completed, such as a payment, a saved file or a finished programme on a household appliance.
Notification sounds
Cues that bring an event to attention when the user is not looking at the screen. Their prominence should match the importance and frequency of the event.
Error and warning sounds
Signals for problems or conditions that need attention. In safety-related products, their behavior follows the applicable standards.
Start-up and identity sounds
Sounds for switching on, connecting or transitions. They can carry the acoustic identity of a brand within the product.
Examples
UX SoundPlay with sound
FeedbackSound example
A short cue acknowledging a completed action.
UX SoundPlay with sound
ConfirmationSound example
A sound marking the end of a process — here, a download.
UX SoundPlay with sound
WarningSound example
A signal for a condition that needs attention.
Tips for designing UI sound effects
Keep them short
Most interaction sounds work best in a fraction of a second. A UI sound effect should support the action, not delay it.
Design a family, not single files
Sounds within one product should share a recognizable character, so users learn the system instead of individual sounds.
Test on the real speaker
Small speakers in devices and phones reproduce sound very differently from studio monitors. Review sounds on the target hardware.
Never rely on sound alone
Important information should also be available visually or through haptics, and users should be able to adjust or mute non-critical sounds.
Try it yourself
Mix your own click sound from original Audity lab samples and download it as a WAV file — free.
UI sounds for your product
Audity GmbH designs UI sound effects and complete sound systems for devices, apps and services — from the first concept to implementation-ready files.