Curtain Laser Harp
Collaborated with Dr. Peter Worthy at The University of Queensland
Problem Retrospection
One of the main problems related to the accessibility of musical instruments nowadays is that many instruments were not designed with individuals with disabilities in mind. For example, individuals who are blind or visually impaired may struggle with instruments that require visual cues, such as sheet music or visual tuning indicators. Similarly, individuals with physical disabilities may find it challenging to hold or play certain instruments that require precise finger dexterity or hand strength.
Another issue is that adaptive or assistive technologies for musical instruments can be expensive, making them inaccessible to many individuals who could benefit from them. Additionally, there may be a lack of awareness or understanding among music teachers and educators about how to adapt teaching methods or materials to accommodate students with disabilities.
Overall, these challenges can make it difficult for individuals with disabilities to fully participate in musical activities and pursue their musical interests and talents. It is important to promote and develop more accessible musical instruments and technologies, as well as provide training and resources for music educators and instructors to support inclusive musical instruction.
Last but least, each classical musical instrument has its learning curve for the new learner, which means they can be challenging for picking up. They all need practice, dedication and a good instructor to learn.
Design Process
The design process of Curtain Laser Harp can be broken down to following steps: preliminary research, sketching and prototyping, user testing and design iteration.
Preliminary
The phase of preliminary included conceptualization and research. Through brainstorming, the initial concept of CLH has been developed out, which is an interactive instrument based on the technology of infrared (IR) laser and ultrasonic sensors. With the rough ideas, some research had been conducted to assist understand the technical requirements and feasibility of the instrument. This may involve reviewing existing instruments and research material on the innovative musical instruments, consulting with experts in music technology, and conducting user research to understand the needs and preferences of potential users. The main purpose of this phase was to confirm the technologies that would be applied to the prototyping and the interaction methods that would happen between the users and the instrument.
Problem definition
After the phase of preliminary, The problem of CLH that would be used to sort could be defined out. That is how to create a system with interaction approach as easy as possible and can accurately detect and interpret the movements of the user’s hands in order to generate the corresponding musical notes.
Ideation
The phase of ideation began with mashing up, which was mash everything that could be the inspiration or existing musical instruments up then narrow down the technologies and structure of the CLH. After mashing up, the interaction and technologies that would be applied were sketched out for better understand of technical requirements and user needs. The sketching was mostly hand-drawn sketches and iterated digital version using computer.
Prototyping(Lo-Fi)
Prior to the prototyping, as the technologies and presentation had been sketched out, the materials required to be used to build the prototype could be also figured out. So some materials were purchased for the preparation of the prototyping. The the focus came to the implementation of basic technology, which was the sensors and music maker. After the technologies been done and installed properly, user testing was conducted and the feedback was recorded and applied to the iterations of the next step prototyping. The testers involved in the testing included both people who are expert in music and those who are not. Therefore the feedback could be relative objective.
Prototyping(Final)
There were three iterations till the final outcome of the prototyping, first was from the low-fidelity to mid-fidelity, then from mid-fidelity to high-fidelity, then after few months, the presentation and the technologies had been iterated to the final stage of the prototype. The images below showcase the process of the iteration.
