Ben Challis

Design Principles for Tactile Interaction

Although the integration of tactile feedback within the human-computer interface could have considerable benefits this channel of communication is often overlooked or, at most, employed on an ad hoc basis. One contributing factor to the reluctance of interface designers to consider using tactual feedback is the lack of established design principles for doing so. A preliminary set of principles for tactile interface design are described. These have been constructed using the findings of a study into the presentation of music notation to blind people.

Octonic: an accessible electronic musical instrument

The rationale behind the design and development of an accessible stand-alone musical instrument is described. Intended for use in improvised music within a community music setting, the Octonic is a non-contact diatonic electronic musical instrument. Building upon established touch-free approaches to musical interaction, the instrument offers polyphony and expressivity and is designed to be free-standing, intuitive, simple in operation and affordable. The functionality of a current working prototype is presented along with observations based on testing across different user groups.

Applications for Proximity Sensors in Music and Sound Performance

A low cost accessible sound and music control system is described (the Benemin). The interface employs an array of infrared distance measuring sensors that can be mapped to either MIDI pitches or MIDI control messages. When mapped to pitch, a user can interact with the system directly as a musical instrument. When mapped to controller messages, the system can be used as a multiparametric sound-controller. The Beneminhas been designed to be inclusive such that it is aimed at users with or without specific needs. A model for testing is presented along with an indication of preliminary results.

Design principles for non-visual interaction

There is a tendency for software designers to create visually dominated computer interfaces. The concept of the graphical user interface (GUI) is so deeply ingrained into our work and home environments that it is often perceived as being the logical basis for interaction in many applications. In certain circumstances it might be more productive to alleviate this visual dominance by an increased use of the haptic and auditory channels. An experimental application for the non-visual delivery of music notation to blind people is described. It is anticipated that the overall results of the study will contribute towards a set of design principles for the implementation of less visually dependant interfaces.

Assistive Technology and Performance Behaviours in Music Improvisation

The findings from three trial workshops with a group of music-learners with physical disabilities have culminated in an initial design for a novel interactive music-generation system. Using a variety of commercially available music-technologies in a synchronised set-up, the target group identified those aspects of both music production and accessible interaction that were most appealing and productive. The proposed design places equal emphasis on improvisation and accessibility, generating rhythmic, harmonic and melodic patterns that an individual can trigger and manipulate. The system will also allow a group of improvisers to work together offering variable levels of synchronization based on individual need or preference. A prototype system is currently under development.

Technology, accessibility and creativity in popular music education

There has been steady growth in the affordable music-technology market now for somewhere in the order of thirty years. During this period there has been a noticeable shift in emphasis from complex and often expensive resources to more accessible and affordable counterparts. It is now entirely feasible for the aspiring artist, composer or producer to draw upon any number of technological tools that have been designed to make all manner of processes achievable that would normally have called upon the expertise and skill of ‘the professional’. Individuals who would not ordinarily have been in a position to gain the appropriate skills to perform many, if any, of all manner of complex musical and/or production tasks can often now achieve these same tasks through assisted means. For example, there is no longer an absolute prerequisite of being a highly trained or skilled musician to employ the realistic sounds of any number of common and exotic instruments. This is not only true within a context of composition, arranging and performance but also within many aspects of the production process. Sixty four-track studios with numerous off-board effects and sound processors are no longer the exclusive domain of successful commercial bands; the ‘virtual-studio’ has opened up this potential to anyone with enough space to house a relatively inexpensive home-computer.

Designing for Musical Play

Though sensory spaces are a common feature within many special needs schools, the way in which they are designed and resourced varies greatly between provisions as do the types of activities that take place within them. A short series of case studies has been carried out across a cross section of UK special needs schools to demonstrate this contrast whilst also attempting to better understand the reasoning and motivation behind their design and usage. In 2012, eight schools were visited in England and Wales with the aim of documenting the types of sensory space that were available, the resources that were featured within each space and the types of sensory activities that were being used. The key themes that emerged during the case studies are discussed alongside an historical overview of the conception and evolution of the multisensory environment.

An infrared sound and music controller for users with specific needs

Abstract The design and rationale behind a novel music and sound controller is described. Using an array of eight low-cost infrared distance measuring sensors, the system enables users to trigger and manipulate sounds using MIDI messages. Although the controller can facilitate complex musical interaction, providing eight note polyphony and expressive control, the central theme of the project has been one of accessibility. The controller is designed to be used in a variety of settings by users with special needs and has been designed to be both intuitive to play and easy to set up. An ongoing programme of user-testing is described and discussed alongside design modifications and future directions within the project.

Digital-Foley and Live Performance

Using a series of reflective case-studies, the role of the Foley artist is reconsidered alongside technological innovations in both digital sound-manipulation and physical computing. A variety of approaches to electronic sound-production and control are described along with first-hand reflections on the expressivity and control that are offered by each within a context of live drama. In redefining digital-Foley, design considerations are outlined that could enhance the connectivity between the sound-artist and the sonic-landscapes they create.

Making Music Accessible

Musical material is a very rich corpus of data. Data with all kinds of features, entities, relations and a potentially endless number of abstraction levels on all these perspectives. It is therefore important to establish which set of elements we are going to use for the preservation, processing and provision of music; which features are redundant; which building blocks are mandatory; and how many can be shared amongst all of them. These considerations hold especially true for the community that is dependent on the accessibility of music.