- interaction design & architecture for all 3 app builds (web, handset, tablet)
- lo fi prototype build
- usability testing at the AAU Lab in SOMA

Its really starting to come together well. Right now, I’ve been immersed in sketching exercises, to explore other navigation patterns and consider additional features (such as a personalized database of venues for easy recall)

Today I’ll present my research findings and conceptual designs for Road Case, my thesis project, to the graduate midpoint review board at Academy of Art. I feel like its been forever since I conceived of this application. The architecture has definitely fluctuated a bit since inception, as I share the concept with other musicians and show them rough prototypes. Once (if) they approve my concept, I can move forward with building the dang thing!

I will walk them through a brief presentation of user research and flows, as well as some high level prototypes on a few devices, as well as the paper prototype I used during my field research on tour last summer. I think I’ll bring my guitar along for good measure, as inspirational support (and because I have band practice afterwards). Fingers crossed!

My band has spent the last 2 months in a dark studio, hammering out a batch of new songs until they reach aural perfection. It’s been hard work, but the end product more than worth the sweat. The most important thing you can do to have smooth, productive sessions is to be 110% prepared before you enter the studio: solidify your arrangements, know exactly which songs to bring in, and practice practice practice! Once you walk in the door, here’s a few free apps that will help you more than any big money record producer or fancy-talkin’ A&R:

1. Google Docs – Get organized! Create a spreadsheet to plot out how many tracks you’ll need for each song, and what order you’ll tackle them. Got a few songs with similar arrangements? Then group and prioritize them so that you can minimize set up time between songs. Share your docs with your bandmates and your engineer, so everyone is on the same page.
2. Wunderlist – Create simple, easy-to-manage to do lists and maintain them. This app is can be cloud-based for sharing with a group, or kept only your device. The simplified, task-driven interface is a joy to use.
3. iTunes - Drop those demos into a playlist, and listen to them on repeat endlessly before you start to roll tape. That way you’ll have a clear idea of which songs will need the most work. Later on, when you get those first few rough mixes, you can shuffle the songs around until you find an order that flows well, before get to mastering.
4. Studio App (iPhone) / Song Memo (Android) – Still fleshing those songs out? Capture your multi-tracked ideas on the fly, then bring them to the studio to work them out.
5. Soundcloud -  Share your rough mixes and demos with your bandmates or sessions players. Soundcloud is available across most platforms (mobile web, iPhone, Android, etc) and the native apps even let you record audio & upload. Once your album is mastered and ready to drop, start sharing your tracks with your favorite blogs. Dropbox works much the same way (sans the recording feature). Box is also great, but has file size limits.

In February, my band is heading into the studio to record a full length album, which I couldn’t be more excited about. Releasing an album in this dire state of the music business seems foolish to some, but there are many DIY resources available to musicians that circumvent the need for a traditional record label:

• Kickstarter – petition your community to raise funds for studio work, mastering and production
• CD Baby – aside from setting up your ecommerce operations, you can also distribute your music digitally to all major web channels (iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc)
• Blip.fm, Last.fm & Pandora – as the foothold of radio play has dwindled web radio has strengthened, becoming a primary source for music discovery
• ReviewShine – you can get your music into the hands of 100s of music bloggers, for only $40. Much cheaper than mailing your press kit all over creation!

Little apps like this would be great for displays at music festivals and the like, or to just passively monitor your band’s twitter activity via lovely animations.

Longer update coming with some updates on my thesis midpoint review prep stuff, as well as some reflections of the past year in music tech!

Took a two week tour of the West Coast with my band, The Shants, this summer (you can read our tour blog here). In between the long drives, loading gear in and out of the van, sleeping on hard floors, eating peanut butter sandwiches and lots of music-making… I was able to talk to many fellow musicians about the DIY world of touring and promotion. Here’s a handful of observations, about the environment that musicians thrive in, and what app creators must keep in mind when designing for this audience:

1. ZZZZZZzzzz: we are operating on no sleep, sub-par nutrition, and frayed nerves from long hours in the van. This makes us an irritable, un-even and over-stressed group of individuals.
2. We are short on patience, short on time. Related to #1, any piece of gear or new tool we acquire has to provide desired results instantly in a variety of pressurized scenarios, or we will move on.
3. We are early adopters. We are willing to explore new technologies, if they will help make the icky music business chores less cumbersome.
4. Cheap is good. Free is better!
5. We are individuals, just like everybody else. We are herd animals, to a point. We are happy when things get done through collaboration and knowledge sharing, but are most fulfilled when we can use the tools at hand to differentiate ourselves from the sea of under-appreciated artists.

Tailor your social media accounts to your specific needs as an artist, whether its to promote your live performances, or sell recordings. Identify why you are using social media and build your approach to meet those goals. An effective social media plan should include these elements:

1. Dialogue – Social media is a space for two way conversation.  Listening, inspiring conversation and eliciting feedback will give fans reason to share openly and engage frequently.
2. Brag & Solicit – Use social channels to tout accomplishments, press releases, and accolades. Just as importantly, allow your audience an equal opportunity to share their views.
3. Be Useful – Social channels are a natural place to offer exclusive content, show announcements, and new releases. Ensure there are resources available to help people find what they’re looking for: give them links to click or content to absorb.
4. Promote & Track – Use badges on your .com and other profiles to indicate your social presence across owned platforms. Track click-through with analytics (Google Analytics is free, and easy).
5. Monitor & Adapt – Determine how visitors are using the space, and give them more of what they want.
6. Link – make sure that all social media properties are linked to one another. Favorite/promote your fellow artists, share content between channels, i.e. Videos, images and status updates
7. Automate & Improvise – Create a content calendar so there’s always something interesting to say, but make sure to update authentically and spontaneously. If keeping your accounts synced is too much work for you, consider syncing one channel to update the other, such as sending Twitter updates directly to Facebook.

Here’s some pretty useful advice from the fella who wrote Tour:Smart… its called the 5 Pointed Star CRUSH! Essentially, before playing a show in a large market, your band should first play a few shows in smaller sub-markets nearby, in a roughly 50-mile radius. Once you feel you’ve gathered enough fans (and ideally they’ve added you on Facebook/Twitter/Myspace or have joined your email list), then focus on that big show in the Big City. Ask your new friends to meet you there!