Group project : 2 members
MY DJ PAL To device a visually ergonomic DJ controller for a novice or a learner which will increase ease of learning and also may be used for professional performances.
RISHAB SHANKAR
SUDARSHAN RAVI
PRATIKSHA SRIVASTAVA
AGE: 17 yrs
AGE: 23 yrs
AGE: 20
OCCUPATION: 1st year of B.Com
OCCUPATION: IT Professional
OCCUPATION: 3rd year of Engineering
ABOUT ME: I am an outgoing and laid-back person. I head the dance crew in my college. I have good stage presence and love the spotlight. I like entertaining people. I like making my own dance mixes for our performances. I enjoy DJing as a hobby and perform for friends’ house parties. I had attended a workshop on DJing and have since then been honing my skills.
ABOUT ME: I am an independent extrovert with an opinion about everything. I have been learning hindustani classical vocals for the last 5 years. Music is my passion and release from the stress of the world. Due to my technical knowledge in music I enjoy tweaking songs, rhythms and beats to see the effect. I also experiment with combinations of songs in different languages.
ABOUT ME: I am an engineering student who aspires to be a professional DJ. I am a shy introvert but love to be around people. I am a tech- geek and am always informed about the latest tech releases. I am very passionate about DJing perform at locals disco-techs. I keep experimenting with my track which are almost always a hit with my audience. I live alone but have the complete support of my parents.
MY LIKES: In my leisure I enjoy listening to Bob Marley, Eric Clapton and Black Sabbath. I like to wear beaded jewellery. I like cool neon colours.
MY LIKES: I listen to coke studio and love indian-western fusion tracks. I love to party and throughly enjoy the fast paced dance mixes. I love to dress up any chance I get!
MY LIKES: My favourite artists are David Guetta and SHM. I like bling and am usually seen wearing atleast my earring and rings.
USER PERSONA
WHY THE CONTROLLER???
Not enough tactile feedback amoung similar elements Only visual feedback
It is a common product used by most of the professional music mixers since it is portable compared to other devices, and is also comparatively cheaper. There has been an advancement from a CD-J to Dj controllers since the storage devices to store songs have had a drastic change from cds to usb drives, small memory cards etc. The existing Dj controllers are extremely cluttered. The Dj controller does not look user friendly. Another advancement is using softwares to mix music. But controlling the softwares with input devices like mouse or keyboard is not as comfortable or eďŹƒcient. Lastly , music mixing has become very common today. More and more
people like to mix and make their own music as a profession or as a hobby or for fun.
Too many elements placed too close together The existing Dj controllers are very incomprehensive and visually very complicated. It is not easy to learn to use these controllers. It needs high level of coordination.
simpler controllers don’t have all the necessary functions
THE PROBLEMS
CONTROLS FOR EACH DECK
MASTER CONTROLS
Tempo Master tempo Tempo range Pitch bend ( + and -) Tempo- pitch slider
BPM sync Master volume 2 auto syncs 2 tap buttons Crossfader Record Headphone Headphone volume 8 samplers
Loop Loop in Loop out Exit loop Auto loop
Track search Track search (forward / backward) Search ( forward/ backward)
The basic Human-Machine interaction cycle followed while using the DJ controller is as follows :
HUMAN SET BPM
Pitch Tempo
Cue Cue Three cue points Others Play/pause Jog wheel Jog wheel mode Volume controls 3 equalizer controls
DECK A
CUE Loop
TRACK SELECTION
SET BPM
TRACK SELECTION
CROSSFADER
Effects PLAY Jogwheel
Pitch Tempo
DECK B
Effects PLAY Jogwheel
CUE Loop
ACTION SPECIFICATION CHART
The track search keys, play pause buttons and cue buttons should all be placed together since they are the most frequently used functions.
The jog wheels could be made smaller in size since they are not that much in use (all depends on personal choice)
Vertical orientation of the controller is not suitable KEY The cross fader should be placed in a comfortable position, not in the bottom most part and not towards the higher end of the controller.
The jogs wheels are vital and should not be eliminated.
JOG WHEELS LOOP CUE TRACK AND SEARCH MASTER CONTROLS PLAY/PAUSE CROSSFADER TEMPO-PITCH HEADPHONES
LAYOUT EXPLORATION
Features: In this layout, we have placed the jogwheels in the lower half of the controller, towards the two sides. The main controls are in the central portion. The loop and tempo controls have moved to the upper half. Strengths: Grouping of the controls is done properly. Weakness: The position of the jogwheels might not be ideal since there is a possibility that one might tend to move the jogwheel while using other controls by mistake which would cause a problem in the performance. The central portion looks very cluttered. The tempo and loop controls are too close. More number of samplers should be there. Features: The jog wheels are positioned in the upper half towards the sides. The main controls are in the centre. All groups of controls like loop, track search, cue and tempo controls, are placed in the lower or central half. Strengths: There is proper distinction between the two decks. The positioning of all controls is good. The jogwheels wont come in the way while using the other controls. The equalizer and volume controls are placed together, which is very convenient. Weakness: The controller looks cluttered cause there are too many buttons or knobs. Proper placement of the controls should be done to enable visual hierarchy and distinction between the dierent groups.
FINAL OPTIONS AND FEEDBACK
The Disappearing knob It gives better tactile feel not only for identification of the knob, but also the level of tempo and pitch while maintaining the intuitiveness of it.
This unique shape of button is to help in identification and grouping.
The loop button is designed in sucha a way so as to enabke identification, grouping and reduction of number of controls to make the controller look more approachable.
Rotary selectors have better accuracy as well as speed. That helps in better selection of cue points. The press button on the top is for selection of selected point.
This is used as it gives better feedback as compared to a push button and is quick, easy and intuitive to use.
CONTROL IDEATION
Based on the feedback from the users, the following layout and controls were chosen for this design:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
SAMPLERS
TAP
1
2
AUTOSYNC
AUTOSYNC
BPM
TAP
2
1
3
HOT CUES
3
HOT CUES TREBLE
TREBLE
MID
MID
TEMPO RANGE
+ TEMPO /PITCH
TEMPO RANGE
SEARCH
-
SEARCH BASS
PITCH BEND 2
TRACK SEARCH
VOL
VOL B
BASS
PITCH BEND
AUTO LOOP
6
RECORD
LOOP IN
4
8
6
LOOP OUT
PLAY/PAUSE
CUE
HEADPHONES
TEMPO /PITCH
2
TRACK SEARCH
CROSSFADER
4
8
EXIT LOOP
VOL A
PLAY/PAUSE
CUE
LOOP IN
LOOP OUT
AUTO LOOP
EXIT LOOP
FINAL DESIGN
Red and green indicators to show if an eямАect is on 1
2
3
4
5
6
Functions that are on, blink a pale yellow 7
8
SAMPLERS
TAP
1
2
AUTOSYNC
AUTOSYNC
BPM
TAP
2
1
3
HOT CUES
All buttons are backlit white
3
HOT CUES TREBLE
TREBLE
MID
MID
Colors change accoding to the level of setting
TEMPO RANGE
+ TEMPO /PITCH
TEMPO RANGE
SEARCH
-
SEARCH BASS
PITCH BEND 2
TRACK SEARCH
VOL
VOL B
BASS
PITCH BEND
AUTO LOOP
LOOP OUT
PLAY/PAUSE
CUE
HEADPHONES
The record button turns red when recording
6
RECORD
LOOP IN
4
8
6
TEMPO /PITCH
2
TRACK SEARCH
CROSSFADER
4
8
EXIT LOOP
VOL A
PLAY/PAUSE
CUE
Red indicators indicate current level of setting
LOOP IN
LOOP OUT
AUTO LOOP
EXIT LOOP
THE INTERFACE
Ergonomically designed DJ controls with tactile as well as visual feedback which makes the controller look more approachable to a user and easier to learn on
Easy to handle gripper knobs for sampler button with a unique tactile feel
Dierent kinds of knobs for tactile dierenciation of controls
DESIGN DETAILS
User Validation
The Model
The Process
THE MODEL
Reduced number of keys without compromising on necessary eects of functions. Unique tactile feedback which helps in memorizing faster due to use of more senses being used while learning. Less clutter with a more student centric design. Will enable the DJ to interact more with the audience if he/ she gets used to the product from the beginning.
PRODUCT BENEFITS