The interconnection of physical devices and services is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s networked world. Numerous projections indicate that the ‘Internet of Things’ will become commonplace in users’ everyday lives in the coming decades. As a result, UX designers need to have appropriate knowledge and skills to design for multiple devices and services that work coherently and lead to holistic experiences. Although UX designers are not typically trained as developers or data scientists, having basic programming and data-related skills can be highly beneficial. Such skills empower UX designers to quickly create mockups and prototypes to test design ideas.

The initial idea for a prototype that helps users learn music theory or an instrument came from an interest in the experience of learning an instrument. We first began by looking into existing technology that involves getting live feedback when playing along to different songs. While there are a lot of existing apps and games available that help with learning music notes, there aren’t physical devices that people can use to practice playing music besides having the physical instrument themselves. This results in a lack of access to music devices for those wanting to learn, as access to instruments often requires expensive equipment that beginners may be reluctant to invest in without knowing if it’ll even pay off.

Our goal was to create a solution that allows users to practice and develop their musical knowledge without having to spend a lot of money to practice and acquire equipment as a beginner. Not only this, but getting tutors or private teachers to learn music can be expensive. This device would still help someone effectively learn notes without having to spend lots of money. We also aimed to make the learning experience enjoyable through gamification and provide users a goal to work toward.

Initial interface made with p5.js - Accepts user input through serial communication