Lifecycle – Empathy and design for complex processes.

chip kai jason brian

Taking the tactic that the best way to make the compact disc more sustainable is to turn music into a more precious commodity, we intend to transform the traditional record store into a cd-free music downloading environment. The store will serve as a platform that allows listeners to discover and purchase digital music and accompanying album artwork. Digital music is a gift of sustainability, where very little product is needed in order to enjoy a great depth of experience, with historical and emotional associations. This idea will be at the forefront of our explorations and developments of the digital music store going forward, and an integral part of the store itself.

We believe that we are at a unique crossroads in music appreciation, sharing, and storage. Primary in our first phase of research was the belief that music is a tangible, warm, communal thing that people from all ages and income brackets want to enjoy. Lost in the rush to the digital format was the importance of the journey of discovery and a sense of context to what was being downloaded.

Plan of attack.

In the coming weeks, we plan to build a full-scale environment mock-up of the main parts of the cd-free music store. These include:

*a new system for learning about and exchanging information on site whereby customers can build upon the contributions of others and learn about the geographic origins of music.

*scale models to show basic layout and hierarchy of important sections to the store.

*a new way to download and view album artwork.

For our second round of revised prototyping, we plan on re-visiting our interview subjects and walking them through the new concepts. This will insure a solid design that fills realistic needs while pointing a way to the future.