A practical research project to ensure the relevance of grassroots live music experiences.
Experience Designer & Researcher (team of 2) June 2021 - December 2021
Context
In the context of my MA in User Experience Design, I had the opportunity to conduct a 6-months long research project of my choice. I decided to draw inspiration from my personal interest and involvement in live music, and research live music experiences with my project partner Alex Newson. After submitting our research proposal, we realised that we were lacking a general understanding of the live music industry's dynamics, which we first had to analyse to define a challenge to tackle.
Bring Me The Horizon at Zénith Paris (2018) by Sebastian Ervi
STEP 1
Gaining a clear understanding of the music industry in 2021.
DYI concert organised during COVID restrictions for research
1.
Analysing concerts
To better understand specificities of live music experiences across types of venues, events and genres, we documented over 10 concerts using the AEIOU (Artefacts, Environments, Interactions, Objects, Users) research method, and conducted over 30 semi-structured interviews with music fans, artists and venue staff. Because of initial COVID-19 restrictions, we kicked off the project by self-organising a concert among the student group, before starting to attend live shows in August 2021.
Research methods: On-site behavioural observations + interviews
Transcripts, analysis and synthesis of the ethnographic research and the semi-structured interviews.
2.
Speculative design workshop
To better know what should be designed, we invited music industry stakeholders to discuss what future concerts might look like, and if these speculated concerts are preferable or not. The workshop, conducted online, was inspired by speculative design practices and led us to discuss about inclusion and innovative technologies. The outcome was a series of fictive concert posters in year 2050 designed by participants.
Research methods: Speculative design workshop
Workshop conducted with Miro during COVID-19 restrictions
3.
Reading… a lot
Alex and I initially thought about helping geographically marginalised people to better access live music experiences. But researching about the live music industry led us to understand how unequal and complex the live industry currently is, and how this kind of project could further harm smaller actors in the music ecology.
Research methods: Literature review
Mapping of literature review on live music experiences
Step 1 - Result 1
Grassroots music venues in London have been increasingly closing down due to strict regulations, a lack of funding and a fall in attendance.
Step 1 - Result 2
Our research revealed a lack of social and emotional connection between unestablished artists and their audiences in grassroots music venues, which is an increasingly important factor for concert attendants.
Jaguar Shoes: an example of a grassroots music venue we analysed
STEP 2
As a way to ensure the relevance of small grassroots concerts, how can we foster connection between unestablished musicians and their audiences?
Experiment trialed and measured of participants playing with balloons at a self-organised concert
1.
Getting hands-on with stakeholders about connection at concerts
Leading a focus group and a generative workshop, we invited live music stakeholders to think about how connection is created at concerts and how it could be fostered in small music venues, leading us to generate ideas about alternative venue setups and technologies.
Research methods: Focus Group + Generative Workshop
Generative workshop organised with music stakeholders - idea of a venue roof filled with speakers.
Trying out ideas at a small DYI concert
Due to time restrictions, we needed to quickly test simple ideas, which we did in the form of measured experiments at a self-organised concert with a music artist.
Research methods: Generative Research through Design Prototyping
Experiment trialed and measured of participants holding hands in circle.
Result - Step 2
We identified opportunities to facilitate connection by:
1. Organising collective activities (warm-ups, building space, singing together etc.) 2. Flattening space dynamics (no barrier, same level) 3. Using personal stories (storytelling practices) 4. Teaching lyrics of songs
STEP 3
Making the design.
Bittersuite: A company that inspired our project in the first place by designing sensory concert experiences
First drafts of ideas
Many different design opportunities emerged, including a modular furniture toolkit for venues, placemaking for local urbanism and sensory technologies.
Research method: Crazy 8 Ideation + Storyboarding
Storyboard of our modular furniture system idea - similar cubes have already been used in stage design — Photro credit: Douglas Hallam from Hill Country Bible in Round Rock
Prototype: A ritual-inspired participatory activity
Inspired by the analogies between concerts and sacred rituals, we decided to design an intimate, communal experience that makes artists' pre-show warm-up participatory, by engaging audiences through exercises, stories and objects before, during and after a concert performance. We found out that warming-up together works well to facilitate connection with a new artist, but that the connection isn't sustained throughout the concert. We designed a kit composed of instructions, recommendations and templates to co-design another prototype with another artist.
Research method: Prototyping & Testing
Images of the first prototype, toolkit and evaluation method we used.
Final design: A fully designed workshop for musicians
Through testing and iteration, our early prototypes evolved into a workshop that allows to co-design unique concert experiences with grassroots musicians through the collective exploration of:
1. Participatory artist-audience activities 2. Space dynamics 3. Storytelling practices
This workshop was the perfect balance between time restrictions, hands-on design, testability and real impact.
Screenshot of the video showcasing our fully designed workshop
Results
The workshop conducted with 3 artists was followed by a self-organised public concert in London. The process was documented in the form of a video explaining the project, showing the workshop's outcomes in a real-life setting and feedback from our collaborating artists. The project has proven to be useful to the participating artists not only at our test concert, but also in real life settings, and was presented at the IMX 2022 conference.
Video showcasing our fully designed workshop
MELÓ “This brought me new perspectives on performance. I learnt a lot about good ways to connect with my audiences that I wouldn’t have thought of (without this workshop)”
Serena Kaos “I’ve been performing for 7 years. Everyone can perform, but coming up with special ways to bond with audiences is so much better. I wouldn’t have thought of that without this workshop. It was life-changing!”
Kelly Erez “I’ve thought of getting more interactive with audiences and this (workshop) allowed me to do it! I’m grateful for this opportunity.”
Credits
MA User Experience Design: Alex Newson MA User Experience Design: Sebastian Ervi
And next?
Sebastian is interested in designing more experiences for public spaces and communities within the realm of urbanism, art and live performance.
You can connect with Sebastian on LinkedIn or get in touch with him directly by e-mail.
