Designing Interfaces for Musical Algorithms
This chapter presents a range of approaches to the design of interfaces for the creation of and interaction with musical algorithms. The first part of the chapter grounds the discussion in an overview of salient design and development methods, drawing on the fields of usability, user experience, user-centred design, activity-centred design, and the psychological concept of ‘flow’. This culminates in the exposition of a new conceptual framework, music-centred design, which brings together these methods within the context of musical activity. The second part of the chapter presents a series of design case studies, each focusing on a distinct approach to interfaces for musical algorithms, and critically situates these in terms of design philosophy and implementation. A concluding argument is made for the centrality of design in the development of interfaces for algorithmic music.