Brainwash Audio CD Interface Explorations

Brainwash Software Interfaces

Audio CD interface explorations.

Brainwash Concentric

Most audio CD players today use a common design language in terms of their buttons, displays, functionality, and interactions. This design language is based mostly on technical and physical constraints, without much consideration for the user's experience. Building on the familiarity of this type of interface, it is closely emulated in current computer software-based players.

As software interfaces are not bound by the same constraints as the physical world, I felt this should be taken advantage of. Through a number of explorations, a more pleasurable overall experience was sought in alternative software-based players. These focused on more visual and spatial representations of CD contents and status.

One objective with concepts such as the "Concentric" design (top left), was to reduce the amount of explicit information by representing it in a non-verbal way. I was also seeking to unify the visual conceptual model and the interaction. The "Linear" design (bottom left) allows you to see songs moving through time, as well as allowing the user to drag time backwards and forwards, thus scanning through the CD.

As well as exploring conceptual models and visual representation, this project also provided valuable experience in building fully working prototypes with Director Lingo and XObjects.

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