Musicsight

Year

2023

Deaf individuals enjoy music through visual and tactile senses, relying on vibrations from large speakers. However, without this equipment nearby, their music enjoyment is limited. Hence, there's a need for digital entertainment products enabling access to diverse music genres and festivals, regardless of location.

Hypothesis

If deaf users find joy in experiencing music through sight and touch rather than sound, they would attend bars or music festivals featuring diverse genres.

Target Audience

For deaf individuals seeking to enjoy quality music or attend bars and music festivals featuring diverse genres

Solution

Musicsight

Musicsight is an innovative music app for the deaf, offering a new way to experience music through vibrations and visuals, without sound. Whether you're at a festival or at home, it lets you feel the rhythm using sight and touch, introducing a whole new dimension of music enjoyment for deaf individuals, no matter where they are.

Musicsight

01

Exploring Melodies

Discover different ways to enjoy music, from watching videos to staying updated on popular songs. Feel the rhythm and enjoy captivating visuals.

02

Sharing Insights

Connect with new people and chat about music, learning, and shared interests. Start your own blog for fresh perspectives.

03

Indulging in Festivals

Book a ticket for a music festival tailored to meet the needs of deaf individuals, offering accessible equipment like vibrating vests, sign language interpreters, and balloons.

How did this solution develop from the problem?

How does it allow deaf individuals to enjoy music without sound?

Research

Deeper Insight

01

Over 3.3 million deaf and disabled fans attend live music events annually.

Deeper Insight

02

Deaf individuals perceive vibrations in the same brain region used for hearing by others.

03

Deeper Insight

Some festivals provide balloons to deaf attendees, allowing them to feel the musical vibrations with their fingertips.

Deeper Insight

04

At music festivals, deaf attendees often derive enjoyment from amplified vibrations produced by large speakers.

Emily

A deaf student

She loves concerts because they're visually captivating and she can feel the music, but if there's a song she doesn't know, she waits for a familiar one to play.

Lisa

A deaf music lover

She adores music, feeling its vibrations deeply near a massive speaker, and believes it's more about emotions than sounds through her eyes and body.

Rebecca

A deaf writer

She doesn't go to live shows much because they're hard to access. Even when there are events, they're not well advertised, so she struggles to find them.

Recognizing how much deaf people love music, I noticed that most music festivals don't meet their needs. Even when venues have accessible shows, they don't advertise them enough for deaf people to find out about.

Turn It Into An Opportunity

Problem

The problem I found in my research is that deaf people can't fully enjoy a variety of music genres unless they have access to large speakers for amplified vibrations.

Opportunity

There is an opportunity to help the deaf experience music without massive speakers.

How can I assist deaf individuals in enjoying music without the necessity of large speakers?

Develop visual effects, such as motion graphics, that correspond to the rhythm and melody of the music, enabling deaf individuals to experience the music visually.

Visual Elements

Implement technology to produce subtle vibrations on mobile devices, allowing deaf individuals to feel the music regardless of location without bulky speakers.

Small Vibrations

I've identified key features for a music app tailored for the deaf:

Discover the Music Around You
Music Festival Ticket Page
Customizable Vibration Settings
Browse for Music Videos

8 Ideas within 8 Minutes

IA

I made sure that users can easily find and use important features by creating a user-friendly Information Architecture (IA).

Design Process

I focused on essential features and created solutions that worked well. When designing the interface, I aimed to keep things simple and easy to navigate. As I developed the app, I improved how it looks by tweaking colors and elements to match the goal of making music enjoyable for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Visual Delight

Sensory Rhythm

After examining the challenges faced by hearing-impaired individuals in existing music apps and identifying their specific needs, it became evident that they derive enjoyment from music through visual stimulation and the vibrational nature rather than auditory experiences.

Recognizing this, I concluded that the primary focus of the desired music app should be to allow users to feel sensory waves and vibrations freely, regardless of their location, rather than solely depending on traditional speakers. Additionally, the app should prioritize visual elements for enjoyment.

Brand Identity

Dark Blue

I chose dark blue for my music app's branding and found out it's meaningful. Dark blue celebrates Deaf identity, including Sign Languages and Culture. It represents qualities like knowledge and reliability, matching the app's aim to provide trusted and empowering experiences for deaf users. The World Federation of the Deaf chose dark blue to represent Deafhood, showing the fight against audism and the focus on the positive sides of Deaf identities, especially in making music accessible.

The Musicsight icon resembles a sound wave, and the name 'Musicsight' suggests experiencing music visually rather than just through hearing. This underscores the app's unique focus on visual enjoyment of music.

Soft

#619FD1

Classic

#F1F2F0

Hope

#1C2341

Mission

We provide an innovative music platform using vibrations and visuals, enabling deaf individuals to enjoy music anywhere, whether at festivals or in their homes. Our goal is to bridge the divide between sound-centric entertainment and the sensory needs of the deaf community, ensuring an inclusive music experience for everyone.

Discovering Preferences

Find your favorite music by exploring songs and artists. Make personalized playlists with your top picks.

Revealing New Music

Listen to what's playing around you and try out recommended playlists to discover new tunes and broaden your musical tastes.

Reflection

This case study taught me that individuals with hearing impairments can enjoy music through vibrations, not sound. Additionally, I discovered how using balloons at events like festivals can enhance their music experience through vibrations. However, many existing music apps overlook their needs by focusing solely on sound.

Next Steps

Expand the range of opinions by interviewing deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Focus on topics like preferred features, challenges, and suggestions for improvement in music apps. For example, I ask about their experiences with visual elements in music apps, difficulties encountered, and recommendations for enhancing accessibility and user experience.

Create more diverse music visual elements to give users a richer and more enjoyable music experience. By introducing a wider variety of visual components, I want to make users explore and enjoy music in multiple ways.

Viva Danza

Swimmer