Co-designing the Collaborative Digital Musical Instruments for Group Music Therapy

Title of the Paper

Co-designing the Collaborative Digital Musical Instruments for Group Music Therapy

Paper Information

• Field of Study: Human-Computer Interaction and Music Therapy
• Keywords: DMI, multi-user musical interface, group music therapy, co-located social interaction, stress relief, co-design

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems or Challenges:
  • Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs) have been integrated into music therapy, but most instruments designed for group settings still focus on individual users, neglecting the significant social interaction dynamics in group therapy.
  • Although existing Collaborative Digital Musical Instruments (CDMIs) have the potential to facilitate interpersonal interaction, they have not been thoroughly studied or applied in group music therapy contexts.
• Why It Matters: Group music therapy can promote cognitive abilities, emotional regulation, and socio-emotional support through musical activities, thereby helping to relieve stress and improve emotional well-being.
• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  • Through co-design with music therapists, the study explores how CDMIs can be integrated into therapy to enhance the effectiveness of group music therapy.
  • There is a lack of design practices in the literature specifically targeting multi-user interactive tools for music therapy.

Solution

• Proposed Methods or Solutions:
  • Designed a new CDMI prototype called "ComString" and conducted co-design experiments using it.
  • Developed and implemented a stress-relief group therapy program incorporating CDMIs through collaborative design.
• Innovations:
  • The design combines digital technology with social interaction, focusing not only on the sound output of the instrument but also on interaction rules that promote group collaboration.
  • Developed light and vibration feedback mechanisms to display user states, aiming to enhance social presence and facilitate multi-user collaboration.
• Implementation Steps and Key Technologies:
  • Adopted a Research through Design (RtD) approach, divided into three design stages: prototype development, co-design of the therapy program, and practical application in therapy groups.
  • The technical design of ComString integrates capacitive touch, infrared distance sensors, and network-based information transmission between instruments.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Achievements:
  1. Developed a collaborative digital musical instrument (ComString) for group music therapy.
  2. Designed and implemented a stress-relief group therapy program based on ComString.
  3. Provided multiple reflections and suggestions for future CDMI designs.
• Advantages Compared to Existing Solutions:
  • ComString stimulates a stronger sense of group connection through multi-user interaction, contrasting with existing single-user-oriented instruments.
  • Close collaboration with music therapists during the design process enhances the solution's relevance and practicality.
• Experimental or Evaluation Results:
  • CDMIs can provide distinct emotional and social experiences when addressing specific therapeutic needs, particularly in fostering collaboration and group connection.
  • Participants expressed special appreciation for ComString's "active white noise" feature, which was perceived to enhance immersion and therapeutic effects.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limited by the small scale of research involving a few therapists and groups; future studies need more case studies to verify broader applicability.
  • ComString still has technical stability issues, such as low measurement accuracy of infrared distance sensors.
  • Further exploration is needed for CDMI design strategies tailored to a wider variety of group contexts.

The summary above comprehensively outlines the research background, proposed innovative solutions, and their significance, while summarizing the design and experimental findings. It is recommended to delve deeper into specific sections of the original paper based on individual interests.