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Project: Body Sample Player. Role: Instrument Designer and Engineer, Usablility redesigner, Programmer Duration: Spring 2019
FIRST REDESIGN
FIRST REDESIGN
The first design was intended to quickly test the primary functions of the interface for users. Because this is a working musical instrument and not a cell phone app, it wasw necessary to create something with far more functionality than a low-fi prototype, however, I only inculded the primary functions I intended to test in order to save time.
WIREFRAMES
WIREFRAMES
Before creating the full prototype, I created some mockups just to visualize the layout. The first consideration was how to layout the main display for each body with a graphical rather than a numeric representation of each joint.
A second wireframe showed a layout in which each of the four bodies occupies a corner of the display. This seemed to allow the best layout for including other basic functions like a volume fader and a sample number as well as a space in the middle to display a pop-up view of the camera so users could see themselves in the camera frame when they first start up the app in order to orient themselves in the space.
FIRST PROTOTYPE
FIRST PROTOTYPE
The first prototype included the following fixes.
Visual interactive bar graphs to represent the level of each joint
Different color for each player with a consistent color for the bar graph
Deleted all unnecessary functions and hid functions that are only relevant during setup
Created Volume Faders and sample numbers
Created a pop-up button for the camera the apperas in the center of the screen
created a "Settings" menu for less used features that are only needed during setup
Made the Audio On/Off button prominent in the top left
Settings Menu
Settings Menu
Single Body View
Camera View
Camera View
USER TESTING
I ran a moderated user test as the device can be tricky to setup the first time. Since the Target User for this device is a performer, I invited a number of music and dance performers, some of whom had performed with the instrument, to engage in user testing.
User Tasks
User Tasks
Open Body Sample Player (file on the desktop)
Use the settings to adjust from” 4 Body View” to “Single Body View”
Open the Camera to see the camera shot and get your bearings within it.
Use the volume to turn up the volume
Spend some time acquainting yourself with the reaction of each joint
Use the Sample number to choose a different set of samples
Choose a different sample list. Experiment with the samples in that list choosing different sample numbers. Adjust volume as needed
Turn the sound off so you can sit and chat in the camera throw without hearing sound
Key Insights and Design Tasks
Insights
further work is needed for contrast and layout.
critical feedback is missing on the front page about current sample list
issues with interacting with the interface to choose sample bank and adjust volume.
visual feedback of joints revealed cognitive disconnect between the odering of joints and the layout of the physical body
Elbows not functioning properly
Tasks Priority
separate sample bank numbers and volume control 0
fix font contrast and size for labels 0
Make sound on/off more clearly labeled and intuitive (Toggle Box?) 0
fix elbow control so they go all the way up, both visual and in volume 0
fix joint order 0
create top level display of what sample list is currently loaded 1
create help tab with operating instructions 1
use drop down menu for sample bank selection that lists the number of banks in each list 2
configure audio to access a specific audio driver to be on when program starts 3
use live gain (4ch) for volume control as it shows audio metering 3
As most of these fixes were rather simple in MAX, I chose to address tasks of priortiy two or lower. The two priority three tasks posed problems that would be out of the scope of a prototype so can be addressed by engineers for the final iteration.
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