The hardest decision in sound design is often not "should this event make a sound" but "should it not." Ring a sound on every notification and users quickly mute everything or delete the app — most smartphone users actually leave most app notification sounds off. Silence isn't a lack of design; it's an active tool that signals "this doesn't need your attention right now."
Before attaching a sound to an event, ask whether it's actually important enough to interrupt the user right now. Minor state changes (a like count updating, a background sync finishing) are well served by a quiet badge or color change alone. The one thing that keeps a truly important sound (payment failure, security alert) effective is restraint elsewhere — a real emergency gets buried in a stream of routine dings.
Used in default notification settings, a messaging app's "mute this conversation" feature, background task completion indicators, and do-not-disturb mode during meetings.
When to use
Before attaching sound to an event, ask whether it needs attention right now. If not, a visual signal alone is enough.