Composer
In 2016 we created a composition tool to allow our users of Magic Piano the ability to create content for the song catalog for others to enjoy (patent #20180151161).
Early whiteboard sessions on scales & keyboards.
PRODUCT DEFINITION
We looked at creating an MIDI upload flow, but it wasn't the right approach for our audience…
uploading MIDI files on a mobile device wasn’t easy
MIDI files would need to be parsed & converted to work with our existing engine — which would not guarantee the best piano playing experience
if errors occurred or modifications were needed, users would need to use third-party MIDI software
Instead we planned on creating a mobile-first experience to be integrated within the existing “Magic Piano” app for iOS & Android.
RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
We did comparative analysis on mobile MIDI interfaces to understand the landscape for insights on paradigms and hand ergonomics.
In addition we conducted focus groups with Smule users across the globe (Indonesia, France, Switzerland & US) who could compose music on digital audio workstations.
It was important to be inclusive to a variety of composers since “Magic Piano” is a global product.
CONCEPT & PROTOTYPE
We explored directions that balanced the simplicity of “Magic Piano” with the complexity of a full-featured MIDI tool.
Our early concepts lead to two design prototypes — one concept was positioned as a conventional MIDI editing tool with the appropriate affordances, while the other concept leaned on the affordances from the existing gameplay of “Magic Piano”.
Early design prototype that leans on the existing gameplay affordances.
VALIDATION & ITERATION
The two prototypes allowed us to continue focus group testing to arrive on one direction, and from there we proceeded to prototype the interactions needed to support the defined user stories.
Once we had a functional prototype we were able to conduct usability tests to refine solutions and address any new problems.
DEPLOY
After four months from the start of the project, we arrive on a core demo that satisfied our milestones and we expedited the project to deployment.
Over the 7 months we overcame many engineering and design challenges and created a tool that enabled our users to compose music for others to enjoy in a fun & accessible way.
Feature Announcement
PROJECT ARTIFACTS
Design Prototype - accessing tempo & scales
Design Prototype - how to hide & show accidental keys
'Master Flow' - (this document was originally created in Google Draw)
Engineering: Jonathan Moody, Ran Xie
Creative Direction: Loredana Crisan
Visual Design: Oscar Corral
UX Design: Chuck Espeleta
Product: Jessica Liu, Dean Schaffer