ProjectProposal-KathrynSkorpil
From CS 160 User Interfaces Sp10
Contents |
Main Idea
The myTune application will help singers who have a hard time keeping the correct pitch. The person simply sings into the microphone on the iPhone and the iPhone will display on the screen the note sung. Other features include the iPhone playing a given note (either from a sample of a piano, guitar or some other instrument), a metronome, sample chords, and a keyboard.
Target User Group
The application is aimed for singers who would like to strengthen their singing abilities. It could also work for groups of singers who need help choosing a starting pitch.
Problem Description
Some people are mysteriously born with the skill known as perfect pitch. These people can look at a note on a page of sheet music, and sing the note without the aid of a tuner or instrument. However, since most people are not born with this ability, people who want to sing well have to use the aids to make sure they start on the right note. Many singers also can train themselves to have a general idea of what a note should sound like off the top of their head, but this requires a lot of hard work. Trying to sing the correct note is even harder in a larger group of singers that have to harmonize with one another. The goal of the application is to help people make sure they are singing the correct note and to try to get as close to having perfect pitch as possible.
Problem Context and Forces
It is important for this application to be quick and easy to use, so the UI will play a big role in its design. Accuracy is also very important in this application. The input is the singer singing into the microphone which means there could be white noise in the background that could alter what the person is actually singing into the microphone. If the application gives an incorrect measurement, then it is completely useless and the user will not use it.
A good example of when this application may be used is in an acapella group concert. The group has to rely on each other to keep in tune and will want to sound their best. With this application, they can easily make sure they are in tune and also choose the correct starting pitch.
Solution Sketch
The top portion of the application shows the user over time how they are sustaining the current note.
The middle portion shows a picture of the note being sung, as well as how accurately they are singing the note. They can also toggle hearing how the note is supposed to sound with the audio button.
The button at the bottom toggles between "Start tuning" and "end tuning" so that the user may continuously tune.
The different modes available for this application are Tune, Metronome, Chords, and Keyboard.
Relevant Links
There are several iPhone applications that already can be used as a tuner, but I haven't seen any that allow the user to see graphically how close to in tune they are over time. I also haven't seen one combine all features of a tuner, metronome, chord progressions, and a keyboard.
Here are a few applications already available:
