Users and Requirements

Main User of the Design

The main user of our design is Dr. Michele Zugnoni, a piano hobbyist who plays a full-length Yamaha Keyboard in her home (Figure 2). Her current piano setup does not allow her to play comfortably in a sitting position, leading her to compensate by playing with overly bent elbows and wrists (Appendix C). She is also not able to read her sheet music on her iPad since there is no stable music stand in her current setup. Shorter keyboard stands are more difficult to find and access, and because of her height, she cannot find a piano stand that accommodates her. She would like a solution that resolves this issue.

Needs of the Design

Size: The size of our client’s piano setup must accommodate her height when playing the piano in a sitting position. The design should provide maximum comfort for a five-foot-two person.

Comfort: The design should provide a comfortable playing position for our client. The piano stand should be usable with relaxed/neutral wrists, minimal slouching, and a 90 to 120-degree elbow bend. The music stand should be at eye level for comfortable readability.

Safety: The design should provide stable support for the piano, iPad, iPhone, and sheet music that our client will use to play on her piano.

Adjustability: The design should provide a simple and intuitive process for adjusting the angle/height of the music stand. The design should still be rigid enough to hold the weight of an iPad/tablet.

Aesthetic: Since the design will reside in the home of our user, our client’s piano setup should be visually pleasing for the user in the space it will occupy.