The Makey Makey is a tinkerable technology designed to enable people to rapidly build their own physical interfaces for computational objects in the real world. For this assignment, we’ll use it as a tool to aid in reflecting on the process of user interface prototyping.
Your assignment is to use the Makey-Makey to develop a prototype interface for playing music or audio and reflect on the design process. You can choose to take one of the following paths in this assignment
Embue a physical object (or collection of physical objects) with musical or audio properties.
Examples:
Interactive drawing or painting
Create a new interface for an existing digital application for musical and audio expression.
Examples:
A teaching tool for a digital piano
Iconographic Drum Machine
A water-based interface for a synthesizer
You are encouraged to use existing audio or musical production applications to create your prototype. These can include musical applications on the Makey Makey website, or existing audio software that responds to keyboard and mouse input.
Alternatively, you may choose to develop your own audio production software element to interface with the Makey Makey using Scratch, Processing or Max, but this is by no means required.
Document your decision-making process throughout the design and prototyping process. This can include photo or video documentation of your experiments, sketches of your concept, and written notes on your thought process. For example, you may choose to spend 10 minutes following each stage of the prototyping session writing down your experience during the process:
What worked as expected and what didn’t?
How did your ideas evolve over the course of making something?
What feedback during the prototyping process led you to make the design decisions you ended up making?
What was frustrating or enjoyable about the process?
What tools or materials enabled you to quickly try out ideas and experiment?
What elements of the process created friction or delays when trying out a new idea?
How does the design of the Makey Makey support some kinds of prototypes while limiting others?
Assignment Deliverables
A short written reflection (1-2 pages) on the process of prototyping your object or interface.
Visual documentation that conveys the prototyping process and outcome (photos and videos)
PLEASE NOTE: The objective of this assignment is to engage in the process of critical and reflective design and prototyping. The objective is NOT to create a polished prototype. You will be evaluated on the detail and insight in your reflection and documentation. You are not expected to craft a robust musical interface, or create a complex new application.