KeyVenture
Alternative piano playing bridging the physical and digital space, enhancing engagement, and creating a space for solo artist.
My role: UX Researcher, UX Designer, UX Writer
In collaboration with Purdue University
Design Process
Primary research - surveys and interviews aiding in the creation of problem statement and rationale behind design solutions
Secondary Research - Analysis of similar applications like PianoVision and Magic Keys
Iterative Prototyping - Both the physical instruments and digital application
Usability Testing - Both the physical instruments and digital application
Problem Space
Musicians need an alternative way to learn and practice piano because traditional methods can sometimes be boring, leading to decreased motivation and engagement.
Prototype
Home Page
Digital keyboard mimics physical keyboard
Both lighting up when pressed!
Digital footpad mimics physical footpad
Both lighting up when pressed!
Settings
On the settings page, there are three different toggles that the user can turn on or off: Background, animation, and fairy dust. Users can customize how they want their digital experience to look like.
They can choose any four of our backgrounds, or upload a custom background. If the user decides to turn the animation toggle on, the background will move in some way while the keyboard or footpad is being played. For night sky: shooting stars will occur. For rain forest: it will start to rain. For snowy cabin: it will start to snow. For music studio: the speakers will emit vibrations. The fairy dust effect is only on the digital piano. Any key that is pressed, fairy dust particles will float away from the key.
Usability Testing
Our goal for testing was to identify usability problems with the keyboard, footpad, and interface as well as gathering any feedback the user might have. We had seven users to test our prototype all with varying skill in piano. None of them classified themselves as musicians, but half of them have had formal training in piano. None of them have had any experience with drums. Furthermore, our data collection process consisted of observing three things: how the user used the keyboard, how the user used the footpad, and how the user navigated through the application.
All information gathered was qualitative, and our data analysis process consisted of identifying patterns and trends of usability issues through affinity mapping. We organized the data into 3 categories: simultaneous use, playing, and interface.
Impact
The main goal of our product is to make piano playing interactive and engaging. Through animations, effects, visuals, and lights we were able to do this. There are many user customizations as users can decide what features they want in the settings page. The footpad increases accessibility for musicians with arthritis in their hands. Having the ability to use their feet instead of their hands aids in their ability to still play the drums, and it also prompts physical movement. The most innovative aspect of our design is the ability for multi-instrument and simultaneous play as users can play the keyboard and footpad at the same time. Finally, our product bridges the gap between physical and digital instruments as it not only brings the two worlds together, but creates a new experience for musicians.
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