A Functional Analysis of Haptic Feedback in Digital Musical Instrument Interactions

Abstract

An experiment is presented that measured aspects of functionality, usability and user experience for four distinct types of device feedback. The goal was to analyse the role of haptic feedback in functional digital musical instrument (DMI) interactions. Quantitative and qualitative human-computer interaction analysis techniques were applied in the assessment of prototype DMIs that displayed unique elements of haptic feedback; specifically, full haptic (constant-force and vibrotactile) feedback, constant-force only, vibrotactile only and no feedback. From the analysis, data are presented that comprehensively quantify the effects of feedback in haptic interactions with DMI devices. The investigation revealed that the various types of haptic feedback applied had no significant functional effect upon device performance in pitch selection tasks; however, a number of significant effects were found upon the users' perception of usability and their experiences with each of the different feedback types.

Design and Assessment of Digital Musical Devices Yielding Vibrotactile Feedback

“…Touch sensors and actuators can be employed first to investigate the joint role of the auditory and somatosensory modalities in the perception of musical instruments, and then to realize novel musical interfaces and instruments, building on the lessons of the previous investigation Marshall and Wanderley (2006); O' Modhrain and Chafe (2000); Overholt et al (2011). Through this process, richer or even unconventional feedback cues can be conveyed to the performer, with the goal of enhancing engagement and improving the initial acceptability and playability of the new musical instrument Birnbaum and Wanderley (2007); Fontana et al (2015); Michailidis and Bullock (2011); Young et al (2017).…”

“…In this perspective, several musical haptics studies aspired, on the one hand, to design next-generation digital musical interfaces yielding haptic feedback Papetti and Saitis (2018b), and, on the other hand, to assess if and how haptic feedback is relevant to the perceived quality of musical instruments, to the performer's experience and performance, and to the resulting musical outcome ; Saitis et al (2018); Schmid (2014); Young et al (2018).…”

Co-Design of Musical Haptic Wearables for Electronic Music Performer's Communication

“…Endeavors in this field include the development of haptic interfaces for music performers (e.g., haptically-enhanced digital musical instruments [2] or tactile notification systems [3], [4], [5]) and music listeners (e.g., haptic devices aiming to enrich the listening musical experience [6]). Some studies focus on analyzing how haptic cues affect musicians' experience and performance [7], [8], [9], [10].…”

Feel the Music!—Audience Experiences of Audio–Tactile Feedback in a Novel Virtual Reality Volumetric Music Video

“…These two scenarios were used to deliver stimuli for analyzing audience experiences of vibrotactile feedback in VR using a previously validated glove device (see Figure 5) (Young et al 2013(Young et al , 2018.…”

“…These two scenarios were used to deliver stimuli for analyzing audience experiences of vibrotactile feedback in VR using a previously validated glove device (see Figure 5) (Young et al 2013(Young et al , 2018. Haptic technology in musical applications often creates computer-generated virtual experiences by displaying force and tactile stimulus to the user's hands.…”