{"id":16091,"date":"2017-05-03T21:45:53","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T01:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ethanhein.com\/wp\/?p=16091"},"modified":"2019-09-08T19:55:42","modified_gmt":"2019-09-08T23:55:42","slug":"designing-a-more-welcoming-aqwertyon-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ethanhein.com\/wp\/2017\/designing-a-more-welcoming-aqwertyon-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing a more welcoming aQWERTYon experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post documents my final project\u00a0for User Experience Design with June Ahn<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Overview of the problem<\/h2>\n

The aQWERTYon<\/a> is a web-based music performance and theory learning interface designed by the NYU Music Experience Design Lab<\/a>. The name is a play on “QWERTY<\/a> accordion<\/a>.” The aQWERTYon invites novices to improvise and compose using a variety of scales and chords normally available only to advanced musicians. Notes map onto the computer keyboard such that the rows play scales and the columns play chords. The user can not play any wrong notes, which encourages free and playful exploration. The aQWERTYon has a variety of instrument sounds to choose from, and it can also act as a standard MIDI controller for digital audio workstations (DAWs) like GarageBand, Logic, and Ableton Live. As of this writing, there have been over 32,000 aQWERTYon sessions.<\/p>\n

One of our core design principles is to work within our users\u2019 real-world technological limitations. We build tools in the browser so they will be platform-independent and accessible anywhere where there is internet access. Our aim with the aQWERTYon was to find the musical possibilities in a typical computer with no additional software or hardware. That question led us to investigate ways of turning the standard QWERTY keyboard into a beginner-friendly instrument.<\/p>\n

While the aQWERTYon has been an effective tool in classrooms and online, it has some design deficiencies as well. It is difficult for\u00a0unassisted users to figure out what the app is for. While its functionality is easily discovered through trial and error, its musical applications are less self-explanatory. Some of this is due to the intrinsic complexity of music theory and all the daunting terminology that comes with it. But some of it is the lack of context and guidance we provide to new users.<\/p>\n

The conjecture<\/h2>\n

This assignment coincided with discussions already taking place in the lab around redesigning the aQW. Many of those focused on a particular element of the user interface, the scale picker.<\/p>\n

\"aQWERTYon<\/a><\/p>\n

The user has a variety of scales to choose from, ranging from the familiar to the exotic. However, these scales all have impenetrable names. How are\u00a0music theory novices supposed to make sense of names like\u00a0harmonic minor or Lydian\u00a0mode?\u00a0How would they know to choose one scale or another? We debated the least off-putting way of presenting these choices: should we represent them graphically? Associate each one with a well-known piece of music? Or just list them alphabetically? I proposed a system of graphical icons showing the notes comprising each scale. While novices will find them no more intelligible than the names, the hope is that they would be sufficiently visually appealing to invite users to explore them by ear. You can read\u00a0a detailed explanation of the scale icons here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"aQW<\/a><\/p>\n

Conversations with June helped me understand that there are some broader and more profound user experience\u00a0problems to solve before users ever get to the scale picker.\u00a0What is the experience of simply landing on the app for the first time? How do people know what to do? From this conversation came the germ of a new idea, a landing page offering a tutorial or introduction. We want users to have a feeling of discovery, a musical\u00a0\u201caha moment\u201d,\u00a0the chance to\u00a0be\u00a0a musical insider. The best way to do that seemed to be to\u00a0give\u00a0users a playlist of preset songs to jam with.<\/p>\n

User characteristics and personas<\/h2>\n

There are three major user groups for the aQWERTYon, who I will describe as students,<\/em> teachers,<\/em> and explorers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Students and teachers<\/h4>\n

Students use the aQW in a guided and structured setting: a classroom, a private lesson, or an online tutorial. There are several\u00a0distinct user personas:\u00a0elementary, middle and high school students, both mainstream and with special needs;\u00a0college students; and online learners<\/a>, mostly adults. Each student persona has its corresponding teacher persona. For example, I use the aQW\u00a0with my music technology students at Montclair State University and NYU, and with some private students.<\/p>\n

The aQW’s biggest fan is MusEDLab partner Matt McLean, who teaches at the Little Red Schoolhouse<\/a>\u00a0and runs a nonprofit organization called the Young Composers and Improvisors Workshop<\/a>. Matt\u00a0uses the aQW to teach composition in both settings,\u00a0in person and online. He has documented his students\u2019 use of the aQW\u00a0extensively. Some examples:<\/p>\n