Yet another way to organize your music ...

Yet another way to organize your music …

Because of the amazing accessibility of music media these days, personal music collections are growing and growing. It's becoming increasingly more difficult to get the songs we are looking for through one dimensional list and table based programs like iTunes. The aim of this user interface concept is to support users in finding, exploring and managing music within personal collections.

The music player concept is based on different visualization techniques and draws special attention to usability and an intuitive user experience.

In the zoomable interface songs are represented by circles and arranged in a self-organizing map by musical similarity (similar music nearby in space). The different characteristics of the circles give some basic information about the tracks. By zooming into the map there is more space between the tracks – space to reveal more information. With the help of orientation markers you always know where you are.

It is it is possible to sort and compare song selections according to different criteria. A saved selection will be displayed graphically as a line which connects the titles. Furthermore you can add various filters and receive recommendations or look for new titles.

Overview

Zoomable Interface
In this visual interactive music space songs are represented by circles – arranged in a so called self-organizing map by musical similarity. Furthermore, the circles vary in size, brightness and color. This gives you some fast information about the tracks (play count etc.). Also, it is possible to zoom into the music space, to have a look for additional information. Orientation markers indicate where you are and where to move to change the style of music on the screen.

Player
The player module is equipped with general play controls and a visually enhanced play position slider. Moreover social networking features have been added.

Track collections
You can add single songs to the track collection by using drag and drop or add multiple tracks with the marquee tool. In the maximized view of the selection tray it is possible to have a closer look at your selection. To reveal interesting information and connections, you can sort your selection on two axes. A saved play list will be displayed as a line which connects the titles in the assigned order. With this visualization, you can nicely follow your journey through the music space.

Recommendations
With activated recommendation mode, similar titles will be displayed by selecting a song. By jumping from recommendation to recommendation, it's possible to explore new fields in your music collection. As well intermediate songs from two or more selected titles can be displayed.

Filters
Beside a textual filter, many other filters such as popularity, release date, last played and beat intensity have been implemented. Another very interesting filter is the history. – It's possible to adjust various filters intuitively by a two-handle-slider.

Look for new titles
You are able to reveal new titles with the search function. By typing phrases or using more complex search patterns, you can look for unplayed titles. With help from the new title's position, you have an idea as to what that new music is like. The visual filter method enables you to find specific songs quickly.

Prototype of the user interface concept

In the detailed commented prototype you will see the concept and its possibilities in action. Please email hannes.jentsch@gmail.com with your OS (Windows/OS X). I will send you the demo as a standalone application (prototype from early 2007).

If you have questions and comments, please
mail to: hannes.jentsch@gmail.com

More details like WHY and HOW are coming soon …