September Second, Two Thousand and Twenty

San Marin High School

Clarifying the Problem

Music production is a daunting hobby to take on as a beginner.

Deciding What Information is Missing

Production kits will be easy to use

Production kits will come with instructions
Production kits will be accessible monetarily and digitally

Research
Facts
-64% of the sample say they have some experience in music production
-48% of the sample marked a ⅗ in regard to how comfortable they are with
music production.
-An even distribution of 28%, 32%, and 32% marked a 1, 2, and 3 out of 5 in
regard to their experience with music production hardware.
-50% of the sample says that they can listen to an album in one sitting
-96% of the sample say that music improves quality of life
-72% of the sample are interested in our proposed product

Facts After Survey Analysis

-Most people have longer attention spans
-Many people have some kind of experience with music production, though are
still either beginners or intermediate learners
-A decent amount of people are comfortable with music production

Continued Speculation
Most beginners will learn from our product
Some intermediate musicians will find value in our product
Most beginners would prefer help from experienced musicians
Most beginners won’t know many basic music terms

Continued Opinion
 Many people don’t have as much experience in music because they don’t have a
coherent guide, motivation, or obligation to pursue it.

Demands and Wishes

Performance:
D- Instructions and download page need to be coherent
W- Instructions should be visually appealing
D- Download links must download the file on the spot
W- Should be a universal download file
D- Sound quality must be clear
Geometry:
N/A *All digital
Materials:
W- As many sounds as possible be physical
D - mostly digital, downloadable files
Energy:
D- Downloads won’t take too much space or energy
W- File sizes should be small
Time:
D- Instructions shouldn’t take too much time to read
Cost:
D- Product will be cheap
W- Materials we use should be free/cheap
Standards:
D- Content cannot be explicit
D- Content must not violate any copyright
Safety:
D- Files free from viruses
D- Sound won’t damage the eardrums
Transport:
D- Can be converted into different file formats
Ergonomics:
D - easy to transport
W- Fast download times
W- Easy to integrate in music softwares
Environment:
W - Household, schools, after-care programs

Problem Statement
Problem
Music production is currently a confusing and difficult art form for people without experience to
get into.

Problem Definition
Reduce this skill curve by providing a cheap and reliable service that includes high quality
sounds, advice, and instructions.

Survey Results:
Reflection:

After acquiring nearly 100 responses from the greater San Marin community, it is clear that
many people are a bit more experienced with music than initially thought. This fact has
influenced the way we approach the project now, as we need to focus less on teaching music
production in addition to the sale of our product, and more so on the product itself. This
alleviates a lot of stress and effort that we would have otherwise had to put into creating
instructions, and thus, allows for our product to be of a more varied and greater quality.

Additionally, we also know what kinds of technology our customers have at their disposal.
Because just 30% of our sample size has a microphone at home, we have decided to fully
embrace a completely digital product, as opposed to the physical sound kits that we were
brainstorming initially. In the same vein as our lesser emphasis on beginner instructions, by
focusing completely on our own production and subsequent digital distribution of the product,
we now have less to keep track of, and thus, have a more refined, precise product.