Since its initial release in 2012, niche synthesizer heads have loved the iOS app Therimax, a digitized version of an unusual instrument known for its unique ability to be played without requiring touch! While the original theremin instrument utilizes a magnetic field to create notes and patterns, the digital iOS app allows users a more accessible means to render musical play and fun.
Nearly a decade later, its founder introduced and challenged me to update the app’s interface according to current iOS best practices and usability standards.
As a fellow musician, I greatly appreciated connecting with Josh and learning about his project that he designed, developed, and launched back in 2012. He built Therimax to be versatile with multiple options to create music by using the camera, a hand-held magnet, or the touch screen.
These options allow for musicians of all skill levels to start gesturally playing sounds with ease. However, its interface needed some tender love and care to update into a more usable, clearer experience.
To get started, I downloaded the Therimax from the App Store to get a sense of what the existing experience was. Documenting each screen with notes and observations, I evaluated the contents against the general principles for interaction design.
The following are some of the notable usability issues that I uncovered:
Moreover, I also identified areas in the information architecture that could be improved to better guide the user through the different areas of the app.
After taking a look at the app from a designer’s point of view, I then wondered about the impressions from actual users. While I personally didn’t know of users that actively used Theramix, I thought to direct my attention to the existing reviews in the App Store.
Based on the reviews, I observed the following pain points:
The Good
“It’s fun!”
“The apps ability to customize has led to serious inspiration”
"Great to have a Theremin in my pocket"
Unclear Controls
The non-touch mode was a “secret bonus” (unclear).
People believe Hold Note function is a bug: “Notes get stuck and I don’t know how to turn them off”
“I wish I could control the pitch and volume at the same time in manual mode”
Upgrade Issues
“I can’t change the settings without upgrading”
“I hate the ads”
Although I had a general understanding of Therimax’s user sentiment, I wanted to supplement the knowledge with comparing and contrasting to the market competition. As a result, I downloaded every theremin app (as well as several other music apps using effects) and conducted a competitive evaluation that noted the following:
After gathering extensive contextual information about Therimax’s existing users, its interface feel, and market competition, I conducted three rounds of usability testing using 3 interviewees that have used a theremin to gather overall impressions and gauge difficulty in completing three basic tasks.
“Sound gets stuck”
- Users confused about Auto button
- Unclear of which direction to move and
volume change is too subtle
- “I’d probably play with it for a few minutes but want to change the effects right away”
User unaware certain effects are already on due to invisible presets
-“I hit the grey button to turn the effect on (it was already on)”
-“I can’t change the effect” because the ON switch wasn’t on
Observations
- Wants to test sound while applying effects
- Knobs are hard to adjust
- Can’t see number while turning
- Hard to find different ways to change sound quality
- Keeps accidentally clicking on the "?" icon
- Got excited to play with it once effects added
Echo is “On” here by default (due to being in a preset) but doesn’t appear on,
Portamento is “Off” here but is not much
different than "On" for other options.
However, Portamento is “On” in the image above.
This is where you make changes to air mode.
-"I would totally fuck with this.", "Could be a cool noise maker."
- "I could see wanting to put this through guitar pedals."
- Seems hard to play with precision
- Unclear what info/features are in different categories, as people didn’t know what words like “performance” or “synthesizer” would contain.
Users frustrated and unpleasantly surprised with how they are prompted to upgrade.
Based on my interviews and usability tests, I created a user persona to represent a typical user's goals and pain points with the app. I used the persona to create user stories and help guide an improved experience.
Currently, I am working on creating wireframes and a prototype to test changes to the design with users.
One great experience with this projects has been learning to use Apple Analytics. Once the app redesign has been developed, I will measure the following KPIs:
To show that the app is being used repeatedly and not just played with once or twice as a novelty.
Has the redesign led to an increase in core features that weren't being used?
Has the redesign led to users being on the app for longer periods of time?