Lucas

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Lucas

Projects

About Me

Lucas

Keeping the pace at Indaband

Keeping the pace at Indaband

Developing a metronome for a music collaboration social network

Developing a metronome for a music collaboration social network

Client

Indaband

Date

Aug, 21

Timeframe

1 month

Team

Lucas Pimentel, Indaband Team

Overview

Indaband was conceptualized and founded during the pandemic, aiming to address its founders' frustration of not being able to gather and make music together. In response to social distancing measures, they envisioned a unique social network specifically for musicians, to facilitate virtual music creation and collaboration.

The platform enables users to create and engage in musical mashups, allowing individuals from different locations to contribute audio or video tracks to a song. Picture the mashups commonly seen on Instagram, TikTok, and other networks, but with the added twist of creating your version and actively participating in the songs.

Indaband's product culture approach is heavily influenced by Basecamp's Shape Up methodology, which has shaped various aspects of our development process, including the feature discussed here.

Indaband was conceptualized and founded during the pandemic, aiming to address its founders' frustration of not being able to gather and make music together. In response to social distancing measures, they envisioned a unique social network specifically for musicians, to facilitate virtual music creation and collaboration.

The platform enables users to create and engage in musical mashups, allowing individuals from different locations to contribute audio or video tracks to a song. Picture the mashups commonly seen on Instagram, TikTok, and other networks, but with the added twist of creating your version and actively participating in the songs.

Indaband's product culture approach is heavily influenced by Basecamp's Shape Up methodology, which has shaped various aspects of our development process, including the feature discussed here.

The feature highlighted in this case study was developed during the app's alpha phase and continues to be a key component of the application as of January 24. In this project, my role included research, conceptualization, and user experience design, while other team members were responsible for the final user interface and homologation.

The feature highlighted in this case study was developed during the app's alpha phase and continues to be a key component of the application as of January 24. In this project, my role included research, conceptualization, and user experience design, while other team members were responsible for the final user interface and homologation.

Check out the app at Indaband's website, Google Play, or App Store!

Check out the app at Indaband's website, Google Play, or App Store!

The Problem

In observing user behavior within the alpha version of Indaband, a clear need emerged for a tool that could assist users in keeping time during recording sessions.

This need was identified not only through direct user feedback but also by noting a frequent workaround: users were recording a separate metronome track in their sessions. This practice, while inventive, introduced significant friction:

In observing user behavior within the alpha version of Indaband, a clear need emerged for a tool that could assist users in keeping time during recording sessions.

This need was identified not only through direct user feedback but also by noting a frequent workaround: users were recording a separate metronome track in their sessions. This practice, while inventive, introduced significant friction:

1) The inconvenience of recording the entire length of the song with the metronome - any mistakes in tempo or track length meant redoing the entire process.
1) The inconvenience of recording the entire length of the song with the metronome - any mistakes in tempo or track length meant redoing the entire process.
2) This method didn't allow for adjusting the metronome's volume or other settings during the recording.
2) This method didn't allow for adjusting the metronome's volume or other settings during the recording.

Another key consideration was the varying familiarity of users with a metronome. It was hypothesized that not all users would be accustomed to using such a tool, necessitating a design that was both intuitive and user-friendly, even for those less experienced with traditional metronomes. This understanding influenced the approach to developing a solution that would work for a diverse user base.

Based on the identified problem, a user story was formulated to guide the development of the solution:

Another key consideration was the varying familiarity of users with a metronome. It was hypothesized that not all users would be accustomed to using such a tool, necessitating a design that was both intuitive and user-friendly, even for those less experienced with traditional metronomes. This understanding influenced the approach to developing a solution that would work for a diverse user base.

Based on the identified problem, a user story was formulated to guide the development of the solution:

As a user in the recording booth,

I want a tool that allows me to follow the tempo of the song.

This way, I can ensure that my tracks and those of my guests are recorded in sync, maintaining a consistent tempo throughout the session.

The Solution

The development of Indaband's metronome feature was guided by an understanding of the users, its integration with other app features, and technical constraints. In this section, I'll provide a summary of these aspects along with examples of acceptance criteria derived from each.

It's important to note that the acceptance criteria detailed here are not as exhaustive as in a technical document. They are intended to illustrate the design and implementation process of the feature.

The development of Indaband's metronome feature was guided by an understanding of the users, its integration with other app features, and technical constraints. In this section, I'll provide a summary of these aspects along with examples of acceptance criteria derived from each.

It's important to note that the acceptance criteria detailed here are not as exhaustive as in a technical document. They are intended to illustrate the design and implementation process of the feature.

User Considerations

  • Target Users: Primarily non-professional musicians, unfamiliar with metronomes and complex musical concepts like time signatures. Should be "good enough" for experienced musicians as well.

  • Simplicity: The solution should be straightforward, avoiding complex musical terms.

  • Target Users: Primarily non-professional musicians, unfamiliar with metronomes and complex musical concepts like time signatures. Should be "good enough" for experienced musicians as well.

  • Simplicity: The solution should be straightforward, avoiding complex musical terms.

Acceptance Criteria: The metronome sound should be consistent without indicating strong beats or variations [in other words, no need to understand the concept of time signatures]

App Functionality

  • Collaborative Nature: Users can edit existing sessions by adding, substituting, or deleting tracks.

  • Importance of Initial Recording: The first track sets the tempo for subsequent additions. Changing the BPM after one or more tracks were recorded would put them out of tempo.

Acceptance Criteria 1: The metronome can only be activated if the track is the first in a session or if the session started with a metronome.

Acceptance Criteria 2: BPM controls are locked after the initial track is recorded.

Technical Considerations

  • Recording Environment: Users often record using their phone's microphones. If the recording is done without headphones, there's a risk of sound leakage into the recording.

Acceptance Criteria: The metronome is available only when headphones are connected.

  • Metronome Usage: The metronome should be audible not only during recording but also during the configuration phase, enabling users to set the parameters effectively.

Acceptance Criteria: The metronome plays during the setup and while recording.

Other Limitations and No Go's

  • Development Stage Limitations: Considering the app was still in early development, complex features like tempo changes within songs were not included to avoid overcomplication.

  • Alternative Pace Tracking Solutions: Ideas like using guide tracks or a smart metronome that adapts to recorded content were considered. However, these more advanced solutions were set aside due to the app's nascent stage and the limited development timeframe ("appetite") of one week.

Designed and developed by me

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