The Prototype
Having done many paper prototypes in the past, consistent issues with the process have led me towards the use of a high-fidelity prototype. Some of those issues include spending much of the testing time explaining to the user how to operate the prototype and being overwhelmed by data collection methods while testing. The experimental procedure with a high fidelity prototype will allow for more to be accomplished as a single researcher. High fidelity software will guide the user through testing by having multiple pages and a functioning interface. Rather than necessitating the attention of the researcher to guide the procedure, the software will guide the user through the task and collect basic data as it does.
The Jam Tabs application uses color to provide musical information. Other websites that utilize color for musical information do also utilize color for aesthetic purposes. Because of various interpretations culturally and otherwise for color it was decided to leave the application devoid of color outside of a musical context.
For this reason the application was converted to grayscale in any location that was not conveying musical information. This is not the most aesthetically pleasing choice, but is necessary to ensure proper information retrieval is occurring.
The light customization tool is functional in-app but does not influence the color of the LED cubes. Interfacing directly with the LED cubes requires a considerable amount of engineering and is outside the scope of this project. Therefore the functionality of the light customization tool extends as far as is necessary to complete the task during testing. The user can select the desired cube on the tool and change its color upon clicking. During the task the user will be asked to change the color of the LED cubes using the light customization tool to a preselected chord progression. The tool also includes the following functionality:
⦁ The light customization tool is available on every screen of the application.
⦁ Each of the cubes are numbered in the application (1-4) and are designed to reflect the cubes in the jam/testing area.
⦁ The ability to reselect a color if the wrong color is chosen.
⦁ Upon clicking the user can select the color for that cube to be changed.
⦁ The user can choose from any of the 7 available colors.
⦁ The user will be allowed to click the “save” button in order to retain the progression for later viewing.
Multiple modalities for searching are made available for the user. More than one modality can be utilized to get to the desired destination. Each search parameter is designed for a specific task. There are two main tasks to be completed using this function: search by genre (Funk), and a search by artist (Pink Floyd). This function was built in to organize links within the page and allow for the back button to be utilized if the user gets confused.
The following features are available for the user to search by genre:
⦁ Search using a live search bar. Any answer leads to the next page.
⦁ Select by Genre tab or image.
⦁ Select field for live search to sort specifically for genre.
⦁ Results page is sorted and contains description of Jam Track.