GR1: Proposal & Analysis

Problem Statement

Coming soon...

Observations & Interviews

Give a narrative of the three people that you observed and interviewed. Don't use their names. Don't identify the users by name, but do describe who they were. Each narrative should include a particularly interesting moment -- a breakdown or workaround that exhibits a feature of the problem you're aiming to solve.

We interviewed three people, each with a different background in musical groups (a cappella/musical theater), and used their responses to put together a portrait of both our potential users and their needs.

Interview One - The A Cappella Veteran

Background: The interviewee had been involved in an MIT a cappella group for three years.

Interview Two - The "New Guy"

Background: The interviewee is currently involved with a musical theater group, but he has had no prior vocal training.

This interview was focused on understanding the difficulties that arise for new singers when joining an ensemble music group. We observed one of his group rehearsals to get a better sense of an a cappella practice. While listening, we noticed that it was hard to hear specific people singing. After practice, we were able to talk to the interviewee and gain 3 main insights:

1. He has a hard time hearing himself while everyone is singing, making it hard for him to determine if he is singing the correct pitch or not. 

2. He has a lot of difficulty with rhythm because it is hard for him to be on beat when other singers are singing at different rates.

3. He would like to get feedback on his singing from the other members of the group because it helps him get more comfortable with singing in a group.

The key takeaway from our interview is that with so many people singing in a large group, it is very easy for one person's voice to be drowned out. The interviewee expressed strong interest in being able to practice his parts by himself first before going to group practice. 

Interview Three - The Vocal Director

Background: The interviewee is one of the vocal directors for a musical theater group on campus that has an especially high number of amateur performers.  In addition, she is also currently one of the music directors for an MIT a cappella group.

User Classes

Describe the user classes that you have identified, and their major characteristics.

Needs & Goals

Describe the goals that you have identified, with reference to the observations you made.