#6119 NORM Update.: TamTamEdit design issues and suggestions

[Zarro Boogs per Child]

#6119: TamTamEdit design issues and suggestions
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  Reporter:  HoboPrimate      |       Owner:  Nat                              
      Type:  task             |      Status:  new                              
  Priority:  normal           |   Milestone:  Update.2                         
 Component:  tamtam-activity  |     Version:  Development build as of this date
Resolution:                   |    Keywords:  design                           
  Verified:  0                |    Blocking:                                   
 Blockedby:                   |  
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Comment(by v8media):

 I'm not a developer, but a user interface type of guy, so I wanted to add
 to Hobo's good list of comments here.  And since it's a good list, I'll
 add my thoughts to his(?).  If some of my ideas are too much work for now,
 just keep them in mind as new versions are being worked on.  If I pretty
 much agree on something hobo said or have nothing to add, I skipped that
 number.

 1. I almost think that when you are editing one of the instruments you
 should only see the instrument you are working on.  That way, not only
 would you have more room for all of the possible notes, but you could
 notate them somehow, like with a darker line for each C.  There could be a
 thin bar that is showing the collapsed down other tracks, which you could
 then click on to see that line.  maybe all you would see of that line
 would be little dots or lines showing that there is information or not on
 that particular track.  I'm sure that the reason it was designed the way
 it was is due to not trying to create more "states" for kids to have to
 figure out, but I think it could be easier for them to have just one track
 to focus on at a time, while still having some indicator that they can do
 more.

 2. I also couldn't figure this out.  I did figure out that if I double-
 clicked on one of the boxes I get that single bar to loop and then I could
 keep editing that bar until I was happy with it, and then switch to
 another.  What I couldn't figure out though was how to go back to looping
 through my whole "song" so that I could go back to figuring out if my song
 made sense.  Maybe something like some hover buttons for loop 1, and loop
 all.  Another thing (from my use of the program Ableton Live) is that I
 keep wishing I could have my ten bars all written out how I like and to be
 able to click on another bar, and have the bar that is currently playing
 finish, and then go to the bar I clicked on, while still either looping
 within my song, or in the mode where it keeps going to the next bar.  I
 understand that it makes more sense to a child to switch immediately,
 maybe something like a little countdown in the bar they clicked on until
 that bar starts playing?

 4. I go back and forth on this.  In some ways I think it needs to be
 clearer, maybe at least a red outline on hover.  If it was having the
 whole instrument menu come up on hover, once you know that is what the
 buttons do, it would be annoying to have the things pop up every time.  If
 you have a large song, I don't know if that would start bogging down too.

 7. I thought this was ok.

 8. I agree, I didn't even understand what had happened when I clicked the
 + the first time as I hadn't even noticed it.  I thought it was part of
 the overall icon in that box.  I also don't know how to get rid of the
 extra instrument.

 9/10. I agree, the keyboard & ogg options are confusing.  I haven't seen
 anything like popups in tamtamedit, but there could be something like a
 popup or hover when you click either of those that says "click play to
 start recording in ogg format".  I've been trying to think of an icon, but
 can't think of any.  You know, I think what makes the most sense is to
 have each of those icon to both get a right play arrow added to their
 icons AND to have them automatically play/record or possibly do some sort
 of short countdown until the play/recording starts.

 I've also had some crashes doing this.  TamTamEdit hangs most of the time
 when I try this.  I can use the shortcut buttons to get to the home screen
 or network screen, but I don't have control.  Can't get to the terminal
 activity to close programs either.

 11. I'm not fully understanding what hobo means here, but in thinking
 about the icons for select, paint and draw, they make about as much sense
 as anything I could think of.  The select one is good because it shows the
 box, as that shows what you might do with that tool, as opposed to most
 systems, that tool would just be the arrow.

 13-17. Because of the icon-based nature of the OLPC, it took me quite a
 while to even see the filters options and the ability to change to a four
 beat bar.  It didn't occur to me that the text would be another button or
 tab, as it look to sort of be.  Activity, Compose, and Generate should
 maybe be icons on the top left as the main, overreaching things you can
 do, and then to the right are all of the options in that particular
 section.  I'm trying to think of how to connect the buttons to the current
 icons sort of like the tab method now and I think it could be something
 like a bar of that shade of grey that connects underneath the other icons
 and the background over there matches the current selected section.
 Sounds kind of messy, but might make a little more sense.

 I also agree about making it clear what the Properties in Generate are
 affecting.  Maybe the red outline on the bar you are currently editing
 appears in some way in the menu?


 I must say that I like that kids aren't getting forced into having to
 learn what notes are what, and I especially like that the sequences don't
 default to 4 bars.  One thing I have noticed is that the program seems to
 be created in a Western mindset notes-wise.  I'm sure you've gotten
 questions about this before, but how does one do scales with more or less
 notes per octave?  That should almost be another thing that is randomly
 generated at load, although that seems like cacophony if you have more
 than one laptop playing.

 To add to that though, one of the music programs likely should be thought
 out as a way to learn note names, bass and treble clefs and the other
 musical standards.  Maybe that's another program?  I don't know how you
 would design this so that it could be the same for kids in 12 note scale
 areas as those in areas with another basis.  Also, I'm sure some geeky
 G1G1 people would like to play around with various amounts of notes per
 octave.  This could be an easier way to learn about that kind of thing
 that standard music programs, as that is usually just not an option.

 Also, don't be disappointed in the lack of response.  People often
 relegate the arts to the back corner, and I know most G1G1 owners are most
 interested in using these to augment their current lives in the form of
 browsing.  My girlfriend Breona and I both think music is very important
 and is a very good way to reach people with different languages, or levels
 of ability, or levels of computer understanding.  Even in remote villages
 in Africa you will have people who know who Bob Marley or other pop stars
 are and are interested in music.  We think that the music programs are
 among the most important programs on these computers.  Hopefully more and
 more ways are thought of to have children collaborating and also sharing
 their final songs, both with each other, as well as us back here in the
 developed world.

 The most amazing thing about these computers as a generality is the
 possibility for these children to become the news and outreach for
 countries that we in the first world know nothing about.  I get giddy
 thinking about those possibilities.

 Ian

 p.s. - Just thought of a funny program to make . . . TamTamHero.
 Hopefully this would incorporate learning notes on the keyboard of lead
 lines of various world musics.  Could be excellent.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/6119#comment:3>
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