The Final Product
Muraw (Music + Draw) is a music therapy tool for music therapists working with patients. Through the use of musical elements such as rhythm, the therapist and patient work together to create music for effective treatment of the patient.
Framing Challenges (Framework)
Design Process
1. What is the problem we’re trying to solve?
Facilitating a relaxed state of mind for individuals suffering from emotional expression deficits, such as anxiety disorders
2. What is the design question = challenge?
How might we create a tangible user interface and experience for music therapy which facilitates a relaxed state of mind for individuals suffering from emotional expression deficits, such as anxiety disorders?
3. What is the key outcome we’re trying to achieve?
Users with emotional expression deficiencies can relax and remain in a comfortable state of mind with the tangible music therapy.
Project Background
People suffering from anxiety disorder are usually restless due to their tense behavior and stiff muscles as the emotional state of anxiety persists. For such people, a program that can properly release body energy as well as relax muscle tension is necessary.
We believe that creating music and visually interacting with it will relieve tension mental and physical fatigue, relax muscles, and maintain a relaxed state of mind.
Definition of Music Therapy
The term music therapy refers to the combination of music, which emphasizes artistry and creativity, and therapy based on scientific measurements.
The American Music Therapy Association defines music therapy as the use of music for therapeutic purposes, including the restoration, maintenance, or improvement of mental and physical well-being.
Music Therapy Method
The music therapy method used in this project is improvisational music therapy. By using musical elements such as rhythm, the therapist and client create music together and improvise to suit their abilities. The client experiences a pleasant experience as a result of such creative expression activities. Specifically, it stimulates the senses, promotes development, and enhances cognitive function.
Target Users & Roles of Users
OCD(obsessive-compulsive disorder) children, narcissistic personality disorder adults, autistic children, aggressive adolescents, impulsive children, depressed adults, and developmentally retarded or physically disabled children.
Music Therapist: Curate sound samples and help participants play with them to improvise.
Participants: Primary user of this system who experiences such creative activity.
Ideation
Lo-Fi Prototype
User Journey Map
Questions to be address for prototyping
Instead of a digital disk, can it be a real pad? + Markers also should be real as well.
Depending of the form of the disk and markers, we should consider following aspects:
How can the markers be coded as a single soundtrack?
How can the system detect what is being drawn by a user?
How can the system detect which marker is in use?
How can the system respond spontaneously with user’s interaction without delay?
How can the system detect user’s drawing?
How can the system interpret shape of lines? How does the system interpret the shape of the lines?
How can the system play sounds based on the shape of lines?
How can the pad rotate after the spin button got pushed with selected BPM while maintaining same speed of spinning?
Potential Users
Military and Veteran. Music therapy can help with trauma.
Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Individuals on the spectrum learn best when there is familiarity, structure, predictability, and consistency.
People with Alzheimer's disease. Because of predictability, familiarity, and safety, music therapy may aid memory and stimulate your mind.
Persons in correctional institutions. If you are incarcerated, in a mental health facility, halfway house, or group home, music therapy may help with problem-solving, communication skills, relaxation, and impulse reduction.
Victims of trauma and crisis. If you've been through trauma and crisis, you may feel anxious, stressed, and distressed. Music therapy can help you reduce these three experiences, improve your mood, feel confident and in control, and provide a non-verbal outlet for your emotions.
People with physical problems. The list includes, but is not limited to, people with chronic pain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, headaches, recent surgery, and those who are recovering.
People with mental illness. Suppose you're dealing with a mental illness. In that case, music therapy can help you communicate and express, help you explore your thoughts and feelings, improve your mood and concentration, and develop coping skills.
People with chronic pain. Music therapy can help reduce your pain, anxiety, fatigue, and depression.
Substance abusers. If you have a substance use disorder, music therapy may help. Studies have shown that it can increase motivation and self-esteem, reduce muscle tension, reduce anxiety, improve self-awareness and enhance coping skills.
Music should vary from person to person and cannot be stereotyped. For patients with different conditions, appropriate music therapy should be carried out according to the characteristics and severity of the disease.
Depressed patients are suitable for listening to low music, low and sad music, usually with a certain appreciation and beauty. Only when the patient recognizes and accepts the resonance in the music and feels the power of the music will naturally fade away the melancholy and choose the light. This is a more correct and scientific selection method.
For patients with impatience, it is suitable to choose a slow rhythm, which can make people relax and contemplate, so as to adjust and overcome their impatience, such as the adagio part in European classical music and classical symphony.
For patients who are pessimistic and difficult to excite, it is advisable to listen to more majestic and rough music. Such music is very helpful for people who lack self-confidence. The firm and powerful rhythm in the music will accompany the patient's pessimism. Time will allow the patient to regain self-confidence and invigorate himself.
The best choice for patients with memory loss is the music they often listen to and are familiar with. People usually have certain feelings for certain favorite music. For example, actor Dapeng's favorite song is "No Hesitation" by the band beyond. ", because this song is the voice that he often listens to and encourages himself when he is struggling. For patients with memory loss, listening to this kind of music reminds them of unforgettable fragments, and they can't help but sing about this kind of music when he recalls it. The patient has an effective effect and will strengthen the brain's memory.
For specific groups of people who are injured and in the recovery stage, it is suitable to listen to more lyrical, relaxed, and elegant classical music, lyrical music, or vocals. This kind of music can help these specific groups to reduce and even eliminate the stress of tension, which is conducive to recovery and recovery. Relieve pain. But you can't listen to exciting, rhythmic music. In general, the choice of music in music therapy is quite different from the usual music appreciation. The role of music therapy lies in the creation of atmosphere, the choice of melody, and the control of rhythm, allowing patients to adjust their inner state and psychological state, thereby changing themselves to achieve the effect of therapy.
One perspective prioritizes the idea that each client and each session is different and that therapists, therefore, adapt and respond to each client in each session differently. In this line of thinking, change can occur in different domains (musical or social) and changes in individual characteristics can occur in different directions, depending on the client.
Storyboard
Stage 1: Treatment is discussed with the subject. Ask the patient to share their favorite song. and feelings about the song. The therapist needs to have a correct and comprehensive understanding of the object of treatment, and summarize the current situation of the object of treatment. Generally speaking, a certain musical style or a certain song that the treatment object particularly likes can tell his inner and personality characteristics. Psychological counseling and therapy can then be carried out in a targeted manner.
Stage 2: This stage is when the subject recalls the most impressive song or music. Let it recall the emotion in the music. Resonate and achieve the effect of treatment. The therapist uses our product to play some self-created music memories that are suitable for the patient, which can make the subjects recall past events and express their emotions appropriately, so as to pin their emotions on the therapist.
Stage 3: After a long period of professional analysis by music therapists, different types of music and therapy are customized for each different patient.
Stage 4: By working with patients to use our products, guide patients to make music that they are happy with and helpful to their treatment.
Stage 5: Users can keep their music.
Mechanism
Muraw's interface design & Size
Sound Design
Sound Branding
Music branding gives users an intuitive first impression of our products.
Sound UI
Sound UI is the main part we’ve worked on including the sound UI for each stage in the system of product.
Experience Principles
Calm
Brand sound should be peaceful, relaxing, and easy.
Reliable
Brand sound should represent a clinical device sounds secure.
Considerate
Brand sound should create a sense of comfort and care.
Sound UI Types
Sound Branding Principles
Sound UI Principles
Considerate
Intuitive
Clear
Calm
Informative
Truthful
Clear: UI sound should be simple.
Informative: UI sound should be functional.
Intuitive: UI sound should be understandable.
Systems
Onboarding: Welcome user and ask the user to place a pad.
No Pad: Pad needs to be placed.
Standby: Pad is placed.
Structure
Sound Elements
Brand (Emotional)
- Power On
- Power Off
- Demo Music
Notifications, Feedback (Informative)
- No Disk
- Standby
- Rotating
- Selection
- Turning the dial