Using Participatory Design in the Development of a New Musical Interface
Trevor Hunter, Peter Worthy, Ben Matthews, Stephen Viller · 2019
The design of New Musical Interfaces (NMI) often involves an intersection of disciplines: NMI design, Human-computer Interaction (HCI) and Interaction Design (IxD). This intersection has brought into NMI design approaches and philosophies arising from the focus of HCI and IxD on human-centred design. Not unexpectedly, a number of challenges and questions have arisen along with a significant tension related to the nature of user involvement in the design process. This project adopted an approach informed by participatory design where musicians became integral to the design process. Through this process a deeper understanding of the needs of musicians beyond usability considerations was developed. Whilst this understanding is bounded by the specifics of the design context, this project is submitted as a case study that may provide some guidance in the processes adopted by others when designing NMIs.