Setup

Thanks so much for participating! You already know a bit about this project so I won't bore you, but I would like to review why I've asked you to be here today. I've created a high-fidelity prototype for a songwriting app that allows musicians to easily record and edit their ideas. I want to test this prototype with potential users to see whether it's working properly, and if it is solving the problems I set out to solve. That means that your answers are very valuable!

During the test, feel free to vocalize what you're thinking as you move through a task. There's no such thing as a wrong or unwanted answer. And don't hold back! Constructive criticism is also very welcome here.

I also want to reiterate before we get started that this test is totally voluntary, so if you need or want to leave at any point, you're free to do so.

You've already signed a consent form, but I'll ask for your permission again to record this session. The recording will be used solely for the purpose of improving this prototype, and all of your personal information will be aggregated and anonymized later on.

Any questions before we get started?

Pre-Task Questions

Before we get into the tasks, could you remind me of some of your songwriting habits? How about apps, do you or have you used songwriting apps before?

Tasks

Alright great, thanks so much. Let's get into some of the tasks now. Remember, it will help me a lot if you talk through your thought process as we go through the tasks. Go ahead and open up the link I've sent you, and start sharing your screen.

1. First I just want you to tell me about your first impressions of the app. Go ahead and hit the 'r' key to restart the prototype, but after that, don't click or tap anything yet. What stands out to you? What are your thoughts?
2. Thanks! For this first set of tasks, I'd like you to imagine that you're a songwriter who's browsing the app store, and you've found this app and downloaded it. Your first task will be to sign up. Tell me your thoughts as you make your way into the app.
3. (once they make it to the home page) Great! Now that you're here, imagine you have a new song idea on guitar that you'd like to record. How would you go about doing that?
4. Now imagine you have an idea that you'd like to use a virtual instrument within the app for. How would you do that?
5. Now that you have some recordings down, you'd like to write out some lyrics or notes for this song. Show me how you would accomplish that.
6. Awesome! At this point, imagine that you are interested in editing your tracks to sound better together. Show me how you'd do that.
7. Great. Head back to the home page. From here, how would you start a new project? How would you get back into a project session? (after they find another way back to the project) Tell me a bit about your impressions of the home page. What stands out? What do you expect to be able to do here?