Designing a Digital Tool for Singing 
Improving the UX design for a choir and solo singing  
app in collaboration with We Are Voice 
Master’s thesis in Industrial Design Engineering 
 
 
MIRIAM NAPADOW 
 
 
 
 
DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCE 
DIVISION OF DESIGN AND HUMAN FACTORS 

CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 
Gothenburg, Sweden 2021 
www.chalmers.se 



  



Master of Science Thesis 

 

 

 

 

 

Designing a Digital 
Tool for Singing 

Improving the UX design for a choir and solo singing app 
in collaboration with We Are Voice 

 
 
 
 
 

Author  

MIRIAM NAPADOW 

Supervisor and examiner  

Pontus Wallgren  

 
 
DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCE 
Division of Design & Human Factors 

CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 
Gothenburg, Sweden 2021 
www.chalmers.se 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Master of Science Thesis  
Designing a Digital Tool for Singing, 2021 
 
Improving the UX design for a choir and solo singing app 
Master’s thesis in Industrial Design Engineering  
MIRIAM NAPADOW 
 
© MIRIAM NAPADOW, 2021  
 
Department of Industrial and Materials Science 
Chalmers University of Technology  
SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden  
Phone +46(0) 31-772 1000  
 
Cover image: Miriam Napadow 
 
Print: RepoService Chalmers  
Gothenburg, Sweden 2021    



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
Many thanks to Pontus, my supervisor at Chalmers. One of your previous courses 
that I took, Advanced User Studies and Co-creation, influenced me very much and 
inspired me in the design of my user study. You have taught me the importance of 
conducting thorough user studies before starting to design - it is a lesson I will hold 
dear. 
 
Thanks to We Are Voice, who welcomed me with open arms. Since I am passionate 
about music and singing, it has meant a lot to me to have had the chance to develop 
a digital tool for this purpose. Thanks to CEO Martin, and my company supervisors 
Fredrik and Kalle, I have learned so much from you in such a short time. Thank you, 
Katarina, Johan and Patrik who, from the very first moment, made me feel 
welcomed. 
 
I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to my fiancé, family, & friends for 
your love and support.  
 
Last but not least, many thanks to the participants in the user studies. I cannot alone 
take credit for the results of this work - it was a co-creation effort, and it simply 
would not have been possible without you. 
 
 
Miriam Napadow, Stockholm, September 2021   



  



ABSTRACT 
This thesis work was conducted in collaboration with We Are Voice with the aim of 
improving the user experience of their current digital tool for singing rehearsal. The 
tool was an app running on phone and tablet, providing the users with sheet music 
and recordings with separate tracks for each part of the piece (e.g., one track for 
soprano, another for alto, etc.). 
 
The objectives were to gain user insights through user studies and to make a design 
proposal based on the users’ input. The focus of the project was to develop the media 
players of the app, investigate if it could be used for both choir and solo singing, as 
well as in all important situations (individual practice, joint rehearsal, and concert). 
 
The studies consisted of a market analysis, an ensemble user study, as well as a user 
survey. The ensemble study, which was the most comprehensive study, used a 
combination of several methods, such as enactment, digital diary, focus group, and 
co-creation. The results were analyzed using a KJ-analysis and the user needs were 
summarized. Based on these needs, an ideation phase took place through 
brainstorming, and solutions for each user need were generated. This phase resulted 
in three contrasting concepts of low fidelity.  
 
After discussions and feedback from We Are Voice, a final concept of medium-high 
fidelity was developed in the software Figma. In this final concept, four different 
modes were suggested in order to cover all users and situation-based needs. The first 
two were practicing modes (Sheet Music & Audio and Learning on the Go). The last 
two were concert modes (Backing Track and Sheet Music). 
 
The conclusion of this thesis study is that an app that aims to satisfy the users’ needs, 
must provide (1) the same important functions as paper sheet music (a substitute 
that works for both joint rehearsal, individual practice, and concerts), as well as 
provide (2) a higher value than paper sheet music. The most positive outcome of the 
presented design proposal is that it works for all important situations and users, 
achieving both (1) and (2).  
 

 
 
Keywords: Design for User Experience, Product Development, App, Activity Theory, 
Singing, Music.   



1. INTRODUCTION 1 
1.1 Background 1 
1.2 Human-centered Design 5 
1.3 Thesis Project 5 

2. METHOD 8 
2.1 Market Analysis 8 
2.2 Ensemble User Study 8 
2.3 User Survey 10 
2.4 Ideation 10 
2.5 Evaluation 10 
2.6 Design Concept 11 

3.MARKET ANALYSIS 12 
3.1 User Map 12 
3.2 Competitor Analysis 12 

4. ENSEMBLE USER STUDY 14 
4.1 KJ Analysis & Observations 14 
4.2 Digital Diary 26 
4.3 Focus Group 27 
4.4 Co-creation 28 

5.USER SURVEY 30 

6. SYNTHESIS USER STUDIES 35 

7. IDEATION 37 
7.1 Sketching & Brainstorming 37 
7.2 Concept A: The Individual User 38 
7.3 Concept B: The Small Group User 39 
7.4 Concept C: The Large Group User 40 
7.5 All User Groups 43 
7.6 We Are Voice’s Future Direction 44 

8. DESIGN CONCEPT 45 
8.1 Practice Mode 1: Sheet Music & Audio 54 
8.2 Practice Mode 2: Learning on the Go 56 
8.3 Concert Mode 1: Backing Track 56 
8.4 Concert Mode 2: Sheet Music 57 

9. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION 58 
9.1 Method 58 
9.2 Findings and Results 59 
9.3 Suggestions for Future Development 60 
9.4 Conclusion 61 

REFERENCES 62 

APPENDICES 64 



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1. Introduction 
1.1 BACKGROUND 
Choir and solo singing 
Choir singing is an activity performed by both professionals as well as at a hobby 
level. In Sweden, choir singing is a relatively popular activity, and in 2019 the Swedish 
Choir Association had approximately 600,000 members (Sveriges Körförbund, 2019), 
and European Choral Association (European Choral Association, 2015) estimated 
that 37 million Europeans were choir singers in 2015. For amateurs, it is common to 
meet their choir once a week to practice together for 1-2 hours. Choir singing is for 
many not only a musical activity, but also a social one. It is common for the choir 
members to organize themselves and distribute responsibilities regarding concert 
activities, economy, trips, etc. Between the joint rehearsals, the choir singers are 
usually expected to practice individually at home. Most choirs have a conductor who 
helps them with rehearsal, conducting, and accompaniment. A large part of choral 
music is a cappella, that is, music consisting of only voices, without instrumental 
accompaniment. A choir usually consists of several parts (e.g., soprano, alto, tenor, 
bass), and there are several different voicings, for example SATB or SSAA. 
 
Solo singing is also an activity performed at both professional and hobby level, and 
differs somewhat in the practice from choir singing, although the two activities 
naturally share several common features. Some solo singers are self-taught, while 
others take lessons from a vocal teacher, or may even have a formal music 
education. Most often, the solo singer wants some type of accompaniment, which 
can either be provided by an accompanist (e.g., pianist, guitarist, instrumental 
ensemble) or a backing track (recorded background). The most significant 
difference between choir and solo singing is that a soloist who performs with a 
background or accompanist and usually has no conductor and has to adapt to the 
accompaniment rather than other choir parts. 
 
For both choir and solo singing, there are large variations in practice. Some use sheet 
music, others do not, depending on both traditions of the genre and levels of 
proficiency. Both choir and solo singing occurs all genres, from classical repertoire to 
pop / rock / jazz. Each tradition has its own practice at concerts, singing technique, 
relation to sheet music and terminology. 
 
We Are Voice  
We Are Voice is a company based in Stockholm, Sweden, which started in 2016. 
Their mission is to digitize the choir movement and provide its users with a digital 
rehearsal tool for singers, as well as providing fair compensation for arrangers and 
musicians who contribute with musical content to the app. 
   



 2 

We Are Voice’s current app 
Until now, We Are Voice's main target group has been choir singers in all genres, and 
at the time of writing, the company has just started to investigate whether the app 
could also be used for solo singing. 
 
The app has a large music library including approximately 1000 pieces of music in 
various voicings and genres. A large proportion of these pieces include recordings, 
with separate tracks for each individual part. We Are Voice has a media player that 
plays the piece while at same time displaying a synchronized cursor moving over the 
sheet music. This serves as a pedagogical tool for those choir singers who want to 
practice individually but may not be able to read sheet music fluently. At present, 
the appearance of the media player differs slightly depending on which format the 
piece has been delivered to We Are Voice. Some pieces have sheet music only for 
instance, while others have sheet music with synchronized recordings. In some of the 
pieces that includes recordings, the exact volume of each part could be adjusted in 
a mixer, while it in other pieces is only possible to listen to one part at a time. 
 
Common to all pieces using synchronized sheet music and recordings, are the 
features Play / Pause (Figure 1), Mixer (Figure 1), Tempo (Figure 2), Loop (Figure 2), 
option of Horizontal (Figure 3) or Vertical Page Orientation (Figure 4), and Zoom 
(Figure 4). In the top left corner, there is an option leading back to a playlist menu. 
 

 
Figure 1. Media player and menu (left), and option to listen to the pieces’ individual parts (right). 
 
 

 
Figure 2. Tempo slider (left), and Loop option (right). 
 



 3 

 
Figure 3. Horizontal Page Orientation when player is running (left), and option to change to Vertical 
Page Orientation, “Riktning” (right). 
 

 
Figure 4. Vertical Page Orientation when player is running (left), and Zoom option (right). 

 
The app is a subscription service with the three levels Free (the features are locked, 
but the user can see which features are available), Premium (SEK 49 / month and 
the user gets access to the entire music catalog) and Member (SEK 19 / month, the 
user only gets access to playlists created by the group administrator, usually the 
conductor). In addition to the music catalog, the app works as a communication 
platform for the choir, where members can communicate by writing posts, creating 
playlists, joining groups, and getting tips on other playlists (Figure 5). The app runs 
on both tablet and phone, in both Android and iOS. During the project, a version for 
browsers (laptop) was also launched. 



 4 

 
Figure 5. Social platform for groups (left and middle), and music catalog (right). 

 
Activity Theory 
Activity Theory applied to interaction design (Kaptelinin & Nardi, 2006) is a 
theoretical framework (Figure 6) for understanding how a user (subject) uses a tool 
(mediating tool) to achieve a goal (object). Furthermore, the activity always takes 
place in a context. Activity Theory can be used as support in the user research process 
to gain important insights. 
 
Since choir and solo singing are complex activities, Activity Theory will be used as a 
guide to understand them from a holistic perspective. Building an app for singing 
means that users interact with the app not only by tapping on the screen, but also 
by reading on the screen in tempo with the music, while at the same time singing 
and listening to themselves together with the recordings. The singers also interact 
with each other (listen to the intonation) and try to have eye contact with the 
conductor and audience. 
 
In this project, the subject refers to the choir singer, solo singer, conductor, and 
accompanist. Using the mediating tool (could be sheet music, recordings, 
instruments, or the We Are Voice App) they strive to achieve the object, namely, to 
be able to perform a musical piece (with or without audience). In this thesis project, 
these components are assumed to form the core of the activities solo and choir 
singing, although there may be other important objectives and motivations for 
practicing singing. The context in this case will be, for example, the audience (which 
should also be considered as a type of extended user), practice in different genres 
and levels of proficiency, and practice in different situations (individual practice, joint 
rehearsal, and concert). 
 



 5 

 
 

Figure 6. Activity Theory applied on choir and solo singing. 
 

1.2 HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN 
This thesis work will build upon a human-centered design approach. Human-
centered design means, as the name suggests, starting from the human user's 
needs, and through a creative process generate innovative solutions to problems 
that improve people's lives (DesignKit, 2021). Designing for user experience is also a 
key aspect of this project, as user experience concerns how the user feel about the 
overall impression and satisfaction from using it (Sharp, Rogers & Preece, 2019). 
Furthermore, the design process in this thesis is characterized by design thinking 
(IDEO, 2021), which does not have only one definition, but is rather an approach or 
strategy for problem solving. The Design Thinking process consists of the five steps 
empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test (Interaction Design Foundation, 
2021), which will be used as a guide throughout the project. Most, if not all, design 
problems are so-called wicked problems (Buchanan, 1992). This means, that finding 
the correct definition of the problem is as much a part of the solution as the solution 
itself. The designer must therefore be guided by curiosity and openness towards the 
users, as well as be ready to reconsider prior assumptions. 
 

1.3 THESIS PROJECT 
Aim and Objective 
The aim of this thesis project is to improve the users' experience of We Are Voice's 
app. The output from this work is supposed to benefit We Are Voice in its future 
product development work and provide them with insights of their users, as well as 
providing them with a basis for future strategic design decisions. The purpose is to 
design a service that satisfies the users' needs in the form of a digital singing practice 
tool. 
 
The main objectives of this thesis work are to: 

• Gain and communicate insights about current and potential users, as well as 
the context in which the product operates, by conducting user studies. 



 6 

• Make a design proposal by the media player that improves the user 
experience, satisfaction, and usability, within a solution space that could be 
implemented given We Are Voice’s current resources. 

 
Demarcation 
Music reading ability varies greatly between choirs; many singers possess music 
reading ability to some extent, but sometimes they also need to listen to the music 
to learn it. Professional, fluently music reading singers differ from amateurs in this 
aspect, and do not need to practice with a recording. Since We Are Voice’s main 
product consists of providing users with recordings together with sheet music, 
fluently music reading singers are not the main target group and will therefore not 
be addressed. However, most choirs often have professional elements, and these can 
be included in the user studies. The conductor is usually educated at a music 
conservatory, and it is not uncommon for some choir singers to be highly skilled music 
readers or perhaps even have studied music at a higher educational level.  
 
The branding and graphic profile (fonts, colors, form, etc.) was already developed by 
We Are Voice and their partners. In this project, therefore, no elements of the graphic 
profile were further developed. Instead, the existing graphic profile was applied to 
the design proposal, so that We Are Voice could easily implement the presented 
design solutions. 
 
Only the user experience of the media player (and aspects related to it) was 
examined in this master thesis project. Other parts of the app, such as payment 
flows or the social platform, was not directly addressed in this work.  
 
Furthermore, the pandemic with Covid-19 imposed certain restrictions on the 
execution of user studies. The studies had to be carried out in a safe manner, and for 
this reason there were ethical and safety reasons for conducting user research 
remotely that preferably should have been done on site. It also entailed a restriction 
regarding what sample to recruit for physical user studies. For instance, only young 
and healthy participants were recruited, even though singing is an activity performed 
by many older people and which potentially has other needs regarding technical 
skills, readability, and preferences. 
 
Ethics 
The Covid-19 pandemic means that special ethical aspects had to be considered 
when conducting the physical user studies. All user studies were performed in 
accordance with the Swedish authorities' recommendations (Folkhälsomyndigheten, 
2021), and as a further measure, only young (aged 20-30) and healthy participants 
were recruited for the physical user studies. 
 
All participants gave their expressed consent to voluntarily participate in the study, 
and all data was anonymized. Data was collected in accordance with the GDPR. One 
part of the user study included a digital diary, and the users were given the option to 
choose whether they wanted to share their input through a non-public social media 
account, or some other, more anonymous communication channel (whereupon all 



 7 

chose the non-public social media account). The character of the project overall, 
choir singing, was not considered to generate any sensitive information or situations. 
On the contrary, singing is for most people an enjoyable and recreational activity.  
 
There were also ethical and legal aspects concerning music copyright that was 
considered during the project.  
 
Regarding ecological footprint and sustainability aspects, digital sheet music might 
be a better alternative than printed. Studies have shown that certain types of e-
books have lower ecological footprint compared to printed books (Tahara, Shimizu, 
Nakazawa, Nakamura, & Yamagishi, 2018). It is not confirmed, however, that the 
use of digital sheet music is comparable to, for example, e-books, but measuring the 
exact usage and corresponding emissions reaches beyond the scope of this thesis. 
 
Disposition of Thesis 
Followed by this Introduction, a Method section will be presented. After this, a Market 
Analysis, results from two user studies (Ensemble User study + User Survey) as well as 
a Synthesis of User Studies will be presented. Finally, the sections Ideation, the Design 
Concept, and Discussion and Conclusion will be presented. 
 
The design process (Figure 7) in this project was initiated by a phase of User Studies 
and Market analysis (i.e., three parallel studies), followed by Analysis, Ideation, 
Evaluation and ended with the final Design Concept. For full project time plan (Gantt 
chart), see Appendix 1. 
 

 
Figure 7. The design process of the thesis project. 
 
 

  

Ensemble
User Study

Analysis Ideation Evaluation Design
ConceptUser Survey

Market
Analysis



 8 

2. Method 
2.1 MARKET ANALYSIS 
First, a user map of the target groups created, based on input from We Are Voice, to 
identify what other services and products should be considered competitors. This user 
map also included the contexts in which the service is intended to operate. 
 
The market analysis included competing products found on the market. The purpose 
of the market analysis was to provide We Are Voice with important insights to make 
a strategic and clear market positioning. Clear positioning is crucial in order for users 
to understand why a service or product solves their particular user need (Jobber, Ellis-
Chadwick, 2019). In addition to obvious competitors, the analysis also included 
related products (e.g., for other instruments or other customer segments) as well as 
substitute products. Potential future competitors were also explored, since the 
technology used in other product categories are likely to be used for singing apps in 
the future. A total of 20 competitors were included. 
 

2.2 ENSEMBLE USER STUDY 
The Ensemble User Study was the most comprehensive study in this thesis project. It 
involved a combination of several different qualitative methods. The participants 
were supposed to not have used the app previously, with the intention of 
understanding what new users need in order to be interested in the app. The 
participants consisted of a convenience sample that was recruited via social media. 
Most participants knew each other, which was believed to be positive since it had the 
potential of creating a relaxed atmosphere. The participants were compensated for 
their participation with a We Are Voice Premium subscription for 6 months. 
 
Participants 
The ensemble user study consisted of two ensembles, one located in Malmö, the 
other in Gothenburg. The author acted as a participating observer in both groups 
and performed the same singing tasks as the participants. This was done partly to 
(1) gain experience similar to the participants’, and partly to (2) create a good 
atmosphere, where the participants would not feel scrutinized while singing. The 
ensemble in Malmö consisted of 5 participants (6 including the author) with relatively 
high musical proficiency (between 1-7 years of post-secondary music education). The 
ensemble in Gothenburg consisted of 2 participants (3 including the author) where 
the participants had choir experience, but had not attended any higher music 
education. One more participant had registered interest for the Gothenburg 
ensemble, but was unfortunately prevented due to illness. In the total sample, there 
was a large spread in music-reading ability; both non-music readers, intermediate 
level and advanced music readers participated. The sample consisted of women aged 
20-30 years. 
 



 9 

Procedure 
Each group received instructions via a non-public social media account on how to 
download the app and create a Premium We Are Voice account. They were also 
informed that the study consisted of three parts: (1) joint rehearsal, (2) individual 
practice, and (3) fictive concert + focus group + co-creation. Before the first part 
started, participants were in a social media post asked to imagine a scenario, namely 
that they belonged to a choir that would perform three songs at a wedding. This 
scenario was intended to make the participants enact what it would be like using the 
app in real situations. The songs the participants were asked to learn were: 
 

• Goliat. (L. Pourkarim, G. Thörn. Arranger: F. Berglund). Solo song, pop, 
containing accompanying background. 

• Tre Lå. (Trad. Arranger: H. Kennemark). SSAA, classical, a cappella.  
• It’s Raining Men. (P Jabara, P Shaffer. Arranger: Å. Hagerman). SSAA, pop, 

containing accompaning background.  
 
The first part of the study, (1) joint rehearsal, was a physical meeting where the 
ensemble met for about 1.5 hours. The participants themselves chose what part to 
sing, and then practiced the three pieces together. They were asked to learn the solo 
song (Goliat) as if they were to perform it as a solo singer. In the group from Malmö, 
one of the participants took on the role of conductor. In the Gothenburg ensemble, 
the conductor role was taken by the author. The meeting was recorded with both 
audio and video, which was then transcribed. 
 
The second part of the study, (2) individual practice, took place during the week after 
the first meeting, and consisted of practicing individually and keeping a digital diary. 
This digital diary was kept over the same non-public social media account and 
consisted of scheduled questions and reminders that were sent once a day. 
Participants were encouraged to reflect on the experience of the app, and if 
necessary, send photos and screenshots. No meetings took place during this part of 
the study. 
 
The third and final part of the study, (3) fictive concert + focus group + co-creation, 
consisted of an approximately 2h long physical meeting, one week after the first 
meeting. This was also recorded with both audio and video, which was then 
transcribed. The meeting began with the participants enacting a performance of the 
fictive wedding gig, singing the three songs. After the fictive wedding gig, the 
participants were asked to react to prepared statements and have a focus group 
discussion. These statements were written on small pieces of paper that lay in six 
different envelopes with the labels "choir singers", "conductor", "choir audience", 
"soloist", "accompanist", and "soloist audience". The purpose of the different labels 
was for the participants to reflect on the perspectives of different users. One at a 
time, the participants drew a statement from one of the envelopes, decided whether 
they agreed or not, and then other participants were able to react and discuss. After 
this activity, the participants watched four videos where digital sheet music were 
presented in different ways (variations in color, animation, etc.). Simultaneously, 
they discussed and rated to what extent they liked or disliked the way the sheet music 



 10 

was presented. The last part of the meeting consisted of a co-creation session, where 
the participants in pairs were encouraged to create their own app. Each pair was 
given a prepared A3 paper template where they could express themselves by 
drawing, writing, using post-its and stickers. 
 
All comments from the ensemble user study (quotes from the meetings and the 
digital diary) were analyzed through a KJ analysis (Kawakita, 1967) and presented 
to stakeholders through the collaborative software Miro (2021). Using a KJ analysis, 
means all quotes were reviewed and then categorized into themes that was related 
to similar user needs. In the KJ analysis, a total of 25 different themes with associated 
requirements and attitudes were discovered. These themes are presented in the 
chapter Ensemble User Study, together with the authors interpretation of what was 
observed at the meetings. 
 

2.3 USER SURVEY 
A digital survey was sent by e-mail to all users with a registered We Are Voice 
account, with the purpose of collecting quantitative data about the current users 
and their needs. This method was chosen in order to complement the qualitative 
Ensemble User Study - the quantitative data was supposed to provide with an idea 
regarding the importance of various needs, in case priorities had to be made. A total 
of 91 people answered 21 questions about their use of the app in different situations 
and on different devices, their repertoire, attitudes, opinions on new features and 
more. The most relevant findings from the survey are presented in the chapter User 
Survey. 
 

2.4 IDEATION 
After conducting and analyzing the results from user studies and market analysis, 
the ideation phase began. First, solutions to each discovered user need were 
brainstormed through sketching. Because there were such a large amount of user 
needs, a brainstorming session was also needed to discover simplifications of the 
structure and flow of the media players (i.e., to meet all users' needs without 
overloading them with too many menu items). 
 
Subsequently, three contrasting concepts of low fidelity were created, emphasizing 
three different user groups and corresponding needs, in order to create discussion 
and decision material for We Are Voice to take a stand on. These three concepts were 
created in the software Figma (2021) and Affinity (2021), and presented in the 
software Miro (2021). At this stage of the design process, only the functions and 
dimensions (due to limited screen size) were important, avoiding distracting topics 
of a too high level of detail, such as symbols, color choices and fonts. 
 

2.5 EVALUATION 
The evaluation of the three contrasting, low-fidelity concepts took place through 
discussion with We Are Voice. Prior to the creation of the final design concept, We 
Are Voice's future strategy and target groups were considered. 
 



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2.6 DESIGN CONCEPT 
The final design concept prototype was made in Figma with medium-high fidelity 
(non-interactive prototype). We Are Voice's graphic profile (colors, fonts, etc.) was 
applied to the prototype. Furthermore, as far as possible, Google's (Google, 2021) 
and Apple's (Apple, 2021) guidelines were applied. Creative common icons for app 
design from Google (Google, 2021) was also used. Guidelines for gestures for mobiles 
and tablets concerning controls and dialogs (Cooper, Reimann, Cronin, & Noessel, 
2014) were also applied.  



 12 

3.Market analysis 
3.1 USER MAP 
Before starting the competitor analysis, a user map (Figure 8) was created. The 
different user groups were identified based on information from We Are Voice. 
Included in the user map was also the potential new users that We Are Voice were 
interested in attracting. 

 
Figure 8. User map, including several user groups and contexts.   
 
As seen in the user map, many different user groups were targeted. It was concluded 
that choir singers are a quite diverse group with different needs and practices 
depending on aspects such as levels of proficiency, institution, and genre. For 
instance, not all users use sheet music for learning - there are genres that have a 
tradition of learning by ear. In genres where sheet music usage is the common 
practice (e.g., classical music), there are beginner-level choirs that for this reason do 
not use sheet music either. On the other hand, there are choirs with high music 
reading ability, who do not need recordings. The different user groups were not 
systematized into subgroups, as the contexts often overlap.  
 

3.2 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS 
The competitors in the competitor analysis were categorized into three groups 
(Figure 9); choir, other instruments, and substitutes. These three groups will be 
described in more detail below. In general, no market-dominant competitors to We 
Are Voice were found. The lack of dominant competitors may be a result of 
regulations regarding musical copyrights rather than the lack of user need. The 
competitors were analyzed regarding 1) what type of service they provided, 2) the 
perceived competitiveness, 3) price and payment model, and 4) perceived level of 
good UX. The results of the analysis will be presented category-wise.  
 



 13 

 
Figure 9. Competitor analysis for three groups; choir (left), other instruments (middle), and 
substitutes (right).  
 

Choir 
Among the choir competitors, the target groups varied greatly. Several of the 
competitors targeted users that do not use sheet music at all (learning by ear), thus 
making them indirect competitors. Other competitors only provided users with 
digital sheet music but no recordings. One of the competitors was a music publisher 
who had developed a digital service for their choir music. This is a possible scenario 
for other publishing companies in the future, which could therefore develop them 
into competitors. Furthermore, the payment models varied, with some providing 
single-purchase, others term-based course packages, or monthly subscriptions. 
 
Other instruments 
The most common services for other instruments found were guitar and piano. 
Services that targeted other instruments were included in the competitor analysis 
since some user needs are quite similar and can be solved through the same type of 
technology. In this other instruments’ category, there were several competitors who 
focused on providing lessons, rather than just sheet music and recordings. However, 
solo singing lessons have much in common with instrument lessons, making these 
services highly relevant. Most of the found services used monthly or annual 
subscriptions, but some competitors also had single purchase options. There were 
also services that included purchasing sheet music as PDFs and printing options. 
 
Substitutes 
The most common substitute found was paper sheet music. Many times, the user 
behavior is not in accordance with copyright practice; pirate copies unfortunately 
seem very common. For this reason, using paper copies becomes a cheap alternative. 
It is common for choir leaders to make recordings themselves. It is also a relatively 
common behavior for choir singers to record the parts as voice memos during joint 
rehearsal. Furthermore, cloud storage services (which usually are free) are often used 
to upload both sheet music and recordings. Music and video streaming services are 
also common substitutes for recordings, but with the severe disadvantage that they 
do not provide with separate recordings for each part. Many times, choirs use a 
combination of the above-mentioned substitutes. Finally, there was a category of 
substitute product that consisted of electronic ink tablets design specifically for the 
purpose of replacing paper sheet music. These, however, were quite expensive and 
did not provide recordings. 



 14 

4. Ensemble user 
study 
The ensemble user study included several steps and methods (for a more detailed 
description, see method section). Several themes recurred in both ensembles and 
during several steps. To make the data understandable and useful, all participants' 
comments, regardless of which step they were generated from, were therefore 
integrated into the same KJ analysis. A total of 25 different themes were discovered. 
The comments from the KJ analysis are presented together with observations and 
interpretations under the section KJ analysis & observations. This is the most 
comprehensive section of this chapter. 
 
After this section, supplementary results from the study are briefly presented under 
the sections Digital diary, Focus group, and Co-creation. 
 

 
Figure 10. Photos from the ensemble user study; focus group statements (left), and co-creation 
sessions (middle and right).  
 

4.1 KJ ANALYSIS & OBSERVATIONS 
From the KJ analysis (Appendix 2), 25 different themes were found. Since ensemble 
singing is a complex activity, the number of themes was high. User requirements 
that emerged were color coded with black stickers, attitudes in yellow, and quotes in 
white (Appendix 2). Below is a summary and interpretation of each theme along with 
illustrative quotes from the participants (coded with ID number in bottom left corner 
of each quote). Each theme will also be put into context with observations made 
during the study. 
 
 
 



 15 

Mixer / Master 
The participants expressed frustration when the piece automatically restarted from 
top after switching parts. Furthermore, they had found it difficult understanding 
what the words "Mixer" and "Master" meant, stating that they were more used to 
the word "Part" (Swe: Stämma”). It was also considered a great flaw only being able 
to choose between listen to one part at a time or all parts with equal volume, not 
being able to adjust each part’s volume individually. The participants stated that it 
was essential to hear one’s own part as well as the others in order to perceive the full 
musical harmony, however with the possibility to turn up the relative volume of one’s 
own part. Note however, that the feature of adjusting each part’s volume 
individually already existed in some of the pieces in the music catalog, but not in any 
of those three pieces used in this study. 
 

 
Figure 11. Mixer feature where users could choose to listen to either one part at a time, background, 
or master (all parts at the same time). 
 

 
Figure 12. Quotes from study participants related to Mixer / Master. 

 
Measure number and navigation 
Users repeatedly asked each other what measure numbers or rehearsal letter to read 
from, but discovered that neither were to be found in the player. It is common for 
choir singers who rehearse together to say ”lets start from measure 14”, to orient 
themselves and have everybody reading from the same place. Note however, that 
some of the pieces in the music catalog contained measure numbers, but none of 
those three pieces used in this study. 
 

Can you listen to both first and 
second soprano? [Other 
participant replies "no"]. What, 
for real?!

5

Nope, you can't hear it (several 
parts simultaneously). That is 
also a real shame.

1

It would have been nice to hear 
two parts at the same time, for 
instance in "Tre Lå", where the 
upper part is quite important in 
order to feel where the lower 
part starts.

7

... one might want all of them 
(parts), but your own part louder, 
that would have been nice. And 
not just your own part, but 
together with the others, slightly 
louder.

6



 16 

 
Figure 13. Quotes from study participants related to measure number and navigation. 
 
Offline mode 
The participants expressed frustration when the app was loading the pieces, which 
could sometimes take up to about 10 seconds. This happened when users entered a 
new piece or switched part. The participants therefore expressed that it would be 
desirable to be able to download the pieces to local storage or an "offline mode". It 
also emerged that long loading times could be impractical at, for example, concerts 
(sometimes held in places with poor internet connection), where it is essential that 
users have access to the piece without delay. The participants further expressed that 
the app would consume a large amount of data on the occasions when they want 
to practice in places without Wi-Fi, for example when listening during a walk. 
 

 
Figure 14. Quotes from study participants related to offline mode. 
 
Loop 
The loop function was considered very practical, as it is common to practice more 
intensively on certain parts of the piece, for example during a difficult passage. 
 
Zoom 
Likewise, the zoom function was considered practical in order to adjust the 
readability. However, some participants thought that a separate button for this was 
unnecessary, as it is now conventional to use the gestures "pinch" and "unpinch" to 
zoom. 
 
Using the app’s repertoire during concert 
The participants were unsure whether they could practically perform the three pieces 
if it would have been a real concert situation. They stated that in normal cases they 
would print the sheet music and give it to the accompanist if, for example, they were 
to perform a solo song. However, neither printing nor saving sheet music as PDF is 
possible from the app due to copyright issues. They also expressed concerns that even 

From what measure?

5

That (no printed measure 
numbers) is perhaps a bit 
annoying.

1

One thing that is is not icluded is 
page numbers and that kind of 
things.

7

Perhaps a small note where the 
verse starts, refrain etc. So that 
you can find the right place. 
Especially when singing in a 
larger group, "Lets take it from 
verse 2" (...).

4

It's a bit slow when switching 
part, when it is loading.

1

What if you have a gig on the 
countryside without any 
coverage.

3

It (loading page) is the worst 
thing there is.

6

If you are out of mobile data or 
something, then it is tough, like "I 
can't practice anymore".

4



 17 

if a conductor/accompanist could read the music through the app, it was considered 
impossible to conduct/play at the same time, due to lack of possibility to turn one 
entire page in one swipe (Figure 15). Another difficulty for the accompanist was a 
lack of chords or piano parts printed on the screen. This was especially confusing in 
the pieces Goliat and It's raining men (Tre Lå was a cappella), as the users in the 
mixer could choose to listen to a background accompaniment and therefore 
expected to be able to perform the piece in the same way as presented in the 
recording. The participants chose to use the background music as accompaniment 
at their fictional concert to solve the problem, but at the same time stated that live 
accompaniment is considered better and more atmospheric than backing track. 
However, using the audio as backing track was difficult, since the lyrics in some 
pieces started immediately without any count-off. This led to participants failing to 
start at the right time and came in late.  
 

 
Figure 15. User need to scroll continuously and cannot turn one whole page at a time.  
 

 
Figure 16. Quotes from study participants related to using the app’s repertoire during concert. 
 
Synchronizing devices 
The word "Sheet music with synchronized audio" (Swe: Noter med synkat ljud) 
confused the participants, who associated the word "synchronize" primarily with 
"synchronizing devices". From this misinterpretation arose reflections and wishes in 
being able to synchronize several users' devices during joint repetition in order to, for 
example, quickly scroll to the same place. 
 

Is there even something for the 
accompanist to look at? (...) Are 
there chords printed on all 
songs? That is a bit silly.

1

Yeah, I think it would be difficult 
to accompany using the app.

4

(...) this is not adapted for an 
acccompanist at all, since you 
have a tablet,  you need to zoom 
out this much in order not to 
have to do like this [swiping fast 
and repeatedly]. I would prefer 
one page, so that I could do like 
this [swipes once]

6

If you are skilled perhaps you 
would try learning them (the 
chords) by ear.

7



 18 

 
Figure 17. Quotes from study participants related to synchronizing devices. 
 
Metronome, count-off & tempo 
As previously mentioned, the need for count-off at a concert was expressed. 
However, this need also existed during rehearsals, when the participants wanted to 
start rehearsing someplace in the middle of the piece. In the piece Tre Lå, the 
participants expressed difficulties in practicing in tempo, as they had neither a 
metronome nor a conductor. Furthermore, it was also found that it was difficult to 
find the tempo function, because the participants did not understand the symbol 
nor the text, which consisted of a steering wheel control and the label "100%". The 
participants at first thought that it perhaps represented the volume. 
 

 
Figure 18. Quotes from study participants related to metronome, count-off & tempo. 
 
Readability of parts 
In the vertical page orientation, users had difficulty finding their part in the system. 
Tre Lå, for example, had 5 parts, and the three middle parts were difficult to find 
after when starting to read on the next row. Repeatedly, they expressed that they 
jumped into the wrong part, which was due to several reasons; 1) the name of the 
part was not printed (usually in the left margin on paper sheet music, 2) too frequent 
automatic row shifts, since the shift occurred despite that several readable rows were 
visible, 3) in paper sheet music they sometimes mark their parts with a pen or 
highlighter, which could not be done in the app. 
 

You can do it (synchronize 
devices) in Garageband

1

But I think it (synchronizing 
devices) is possible. There are 
those kind of apps.

3

It would have been interesting 
trying to use one headphone, 
and listening to only my part 
while we sing. One headphone 
plugged in, and see if I know my 
part.

6

It would have been nice to be 
able to sync (our devices).

7

Especially when you practice, (...) 
metronome. (...) it is difficult 
when there are many pauses. 
And when the parts are 
separate... And you don't have a 
conductor.

1

Its like, "oops, we have already 
started", if you want to use the 
backing track.

3

I don't get this. This, "100%", is it 
volume, or is it...? At first I 
thought it was Zoom.

7

But it (metronome) could be nice 
as well, if you want to go without 
background.

6



 19 

 
Figure 19. Quotes from study participants related to readability of parts. 
 
Discrepancy audio and sheet music 
All three pieces had a couple of discrepancies between audio and sheet music. At 
one point, two parts were heard even though only one part was selected. On another 
occasion, the sheet music tones did not match the audio, which created confusion 
regarding what version was the correct. What caused the biggest problem, however, 
was that It's raining men had almost a whole beat discrepancy between the cursor’s 
location and synchronization of the recording. This resulted in the sheet music 
becoming very difficult to read, since the sheet music was almost outside the screen. 
 

 
Figure 20. Quotes from study participants related to discrepancy audio and sheet music.  
 
Restricted view of sheet music 
All pop-up menus (Mixer, Tempo, More) remained visible (instead of automatically 
collapsing) after the participants navigated the sheet music. This led users to 
mistakenly believe that the pop-up menus could not be closed, which they found 
impractical as they obscured large parts of the note. Furthermore, they considered 
that the menu in the mobile version was too large and took up too much space in 
relation to the sheet music. On some pieces and devices, it was also not possible to 
read the last measure of the lowest part. 
 

 
Figure 21. Quotes from study participants related to restricted view of sheet music. 

Would have liked a clearer 
system, so that one can easier 
find one's own part when 
scrolling.

4

Yeah, it's just a bunch of rows.

6

I usually do like this when there 
are many parts; I take a 
highlighter on all second 
sopranos in order to find it.

7

(...) color highlighting when 
listening to an individual part 
would have been perfect.

1

It (the cursor) is almost one 
measure ahead now, I don't have 
time to see what is sung

1

It is nice that there is a cursor 
following the music, but it is a bit 
too fast, which make it difficult to 
follow at times.

4

All of a sudden there where two 
parts? Something must be 
wrong.

1

It is annoying, there is a 
mismatch in what you see and 
what you hear. That does not 
make one happy.

7

...in the mobile version, the small 
box down there (menu bar) is 
covering a lot!

3

It is too bad one can't remove 
this box (mixer), it is covering all 
of my music. You can't see the 
lower part.

1

... one thing annoyed me during 
this week. When tapping 
"master"... In other apps, one 
can usually tap anywhere in 
order for it to (collapse)... I have 
to tap the down arrow. I tap here 
(middle of screen) by habit, and 
believe it pop- up box) will 
collapse.

7

Can't you hide it (menu bar)? I 
want to be able to scroll like this, 
like regular paper sheet music.

6



 20 

Starting notes 
When the participants were to practice together without a background, they needed 
a starting note. In the Malmö ensemble, there was a piano in the room which they 
used frequently. In the Gothenburg ensemble, there was no piano in the room they 
first used, but the participants moved to a room that had one, since they discovered 
that they could not play the starting note through the app. The only way they could 
find their starting notes was by tapping play and then pausing, an inconvenient 
compensation strategy according to themselves. In the Gothenburg ensemble, they 
expressed that it would be practical to have a miniature piano in the app, even if 
there are other apps for this purpose, since they would not have to remember all 
notes when switching between applications. 
 

 
Figure 22. Quotes from study participants related to starting notes. 
 
Scrolling and page orientation 
Scrolling and page orientation was one of the most comprehensive themes found in 
the user study, whereupon some of the needs are already mentioned. An example of 
such a user need was the ability to turn one whole page in the same way as on a 
piece of paper (or PDF). The two current views (horizontal and vertical) did not cover 
all needs for practicing situations. For example, when users wanted to be able to sing 
at their own desired tempo - this was difficult for them to perform, as the automatic 
movements (when pressing Play in horizontal or vertical position) determined the 
tempo. It was also difficult to perform by not pressing play, since they then had to 
scroll with high frequency while singing, which took focus from the singing itself. 
 

It actually would have made a 
great feature, to be able to "doo 
doo doo" [sings chord in 
arpeggio] in order to get a 
starting note.

7

Oh, or by just tapping the tone, 
and "pom" [pretends to tap]. 
That would be very good, 
because sometimes there is a 
flat note in the middle (of the 
piece).

6

Or, if you tap on a small piano, it 
will appear.

6

Lets go, can I have a D?

1



 21 

 
Figure 23. Quotes from study participants related to scrolling and page orientation. 
 
Furthermore, users often tapped in the middle of the screen when the player was 
running in the false belief that this would pause the player (but this action instead 
fast-forwarded to the place they tapped on). This created frustration among the 
users who then had to rewind to correct their mistake. 
 
As mentioned earlier, the vertical view also led to readability difficulties because the 
player automatically moved after each row, even though several rows were visible on 
the screen. This was problematic both because 1) each row shift is interruptive and 
should be minimized in terms of frequency, and 2) the participants are used to 
reading from left to right, and then moving their gaze down to the left side of the 
second row (rather than moving the gaze back to the top of the first row). 
 
Another problem that users expressed was difficulty reading the music when the 
player was running, as the cursor moved erratically. This was a consequence of the 
measures having different widths (Figure 24). It is common for measures to have 
different widths; measures containing only pauses are for example usually not as 
wide as measures with melody, which saves space on the paper. This does not pose 
a problem when reading sheet music in general, however it does so when 
simultaneously watching a moving cursor. 
 
 

A bit choppy (cursor).

6

I think I would prefer a 
continuous flow of the cursor, I 
have impaired vision and can't 
really see the text. (It's) like this 
[showing choppy movements 
with index finger].

7

I get so confused. Sometimes I 
sing soprano 2, and sometimes 
alto 1.

3

(...) the view should look more 
like a paper.

4

Difficult to make it in time after 
row shifts (vertical page 
orientation), it becomes 
somewhat of a surprise.

5

Is it possible to listen to the part 
while scrolling yourself?

1

You have to scroll a lot 
(horizontal page orientation).

6

No, I can't do it (conduct while 
scrolling). (...) Could you scroll for 
me?

1



 22 

 
Figure 24. Example of how measures widths are inconsistent due to space saving reasons in 
measures with, for example, pauses.  
 
Furthermore, users also expressed the importance of being able to read a few beats 
ahead of singing it. This means that the row shift needs to occur a few seconds in 
advance. 
 
The page orientation button (“Riktning” under “Mer”) lacked clear feedback, and 
users expressed uncertainty about whether the button indicated which page 
orientation was selected or which one could be selected (Figure 25). 
 

 
Figure 25. Page orientation button lacked clear feedback for what orientation was currently chosen; 
horizontal or vertical. 
 
Group versus individual membership 
The participants reflected on the difference in signing up for a group membership 
(where everyone in the choir has access to the app) compared to purchasing an 
individual membership (for the purpose of only practicing yourself). Most 
participants saw it as an absolute necessity to sign up for a group subscription 
because 1) practicing a part becomes meaningful only with the purpose of eventually 
singing together with others, and 2) if one is already singing in a choir, it is highly 
unlikely that the app’s music catalog has the same pieces or arrangements as those 
used in the choir. 
 
It was also found that the social aspect of choir singing was very important to the 
participants and played a big part in making the activity enjoyable. One attitude 
that was found was that the use of devices for singing could be perceived as less 
social compared to paper sheet music or learning by ear. It was also stated that 
being able to listen to co-singers was important. Considering these attitudes towards 
choir singing and its social components, group subscriptions were preferred. 



 23 

 
Figure 26. Quotes from study participants related to group versus individual membership. 
 
Comparison between devices 
The users thought that the different devices had both advantages and 
disadvantages. The phone was considered convenient since most people always carry 
it with them. Tablet, on the other hand, was considered to have significantly better 
readability, and was therefore preferred in most cases. When the readability was 
better (tablet in comparison with phone), the participants could also look up from 
the screen more often, and therefore thought that the tablet was better from a 
social perspective. 
 
Recording feature 
The participants expressed a slightly positive attitude towards the ability to record 
themselves along with other voices or background. Most people did not consider this 
to be a necessary feature but believed it could be a fun, additional feature. 
 
Paper sheet music 
The participants expressed strong positive attitudes towards paper sheet music, and 
all participants claimed that they preferred it over digital sheet music for several 
reasons. First, standard sized sheet music paper (US letter or A4) is larger than most 
screens on tablets. Typically, music stands and choir binders fits two paper pages. 
Two paper pages in comparison with a tablet therefore have about 2-4 times as 
much reading space. For singers, it is important to have a good posture so that the 
air flow can pass freely without tension in jaw, neck, and shoulders. Good readability 
is therefore essential for maintaining a good posture without leaning forward. 
Furthermore, it is easy to make notes on paper, which is a common practice in choir 
and solo singing. Participants expressed a desire for the opportunity to purchase 
individual arrangements for PDF and paper printing. Paper was also considered 
"genuine" and a way to reduce screen time. However, a couple of benefits of digital 
notes were highlighted; environmentally friendly when not printing, easier to carry 
than a heavy binder, enabling practice on the go, and the opportunity to organize 
and store everything in the cloud. 
 

If the entire choir used We Are 
Voice, then yes. Otherwise no.

1

No, I wouldn't have payed 
49kr/month for it, to use by 
myself.

7

You know, if I practice a part, I 
want to be able to sing it 
together with someone else.

4

No, I don't think I would've 
downloaded it (for 49kr/month). 
Not unless anyone else in the 
choir would have had it.

3



 24 

 
Figure 27. Quotes from study participants related to paper sheet music. 
 
Taking notes 
As mentioned above, the singers wanted the opportunity to take notes straight on 
the sheet music. There was also a desire to be able to see the choir leader's notes, 
which could be convenient since one could easily miss important, verbal instructions. 
 

 
Figure 28. Quotes from study participants related to taking notes. 
 
Learning by heart 
Attitudes varied greatly between the participants regarding how much repertoire 
they believed was reasonable to learn by heart before a concert. Some of the 
participants claimed that an hour's repertoire was possible to learn by heart if one 
just practice enough. Others thought this was unreasonable. The different opinions 
were partly due to habit and proficiency, but also to the type of genre. In classical 
music, it was considered a common practice to use sheet music during concert, since 
the repertoire often was too difficult to memorize. In other, popular musical genres, 
it was more common to sing by heart. In some genres, such as gospel (which has an 
oral tradition), it was considered common to learn entirely by ear, and hence also 
natural to perform the piece by heart. Common to all participants, however, was 
that it was preferred to sing by heart, as it made the singers more expressive and 
improved the contact with the audience. 
 
Using devices during concert 
The participants did not want the audience to see a device being used at a concert, 
as it could impair the atmosphere. Although devices (usually tablets) were 
sometimes used at concerts, they were careful to hide it behind a music stand. It was 
also mentioned that devices could give off a light on stages with dimmed light, which 
probably would not be appreciated by the audience. However, there were also 
opinions that such a light could be used as an artistic effect, at the same time as it 
improved readability. Some participants requested a device with electronic ink (often 

(...) mixed feelings. I like reading 
from the paper, you know. But I 
also tend to lose them (...), så it 
would be convenient (...). But I 
do like the feeling, physical 
paper.

4

(...) it is nice to bring with you, 
you can just bring an iPad 
instead of a large binder, it is 
also environmentally friendly.

7

But if I was to accompany I 
would not even want a tablet 
(during concert), I would have 
wanted physical sheet music. 
Beacuse then you can se two 
(pages), which doesn't fit on a 
tablet

6

(...)  a better note taking feature. 
Otherwise it doesn't have much 
advantage, except you don't 
have to print paper. Otherwise 
you would prefer paper sheet 
music.

1

Or drawing a circle on a difficult 
note.

6

 Something that would've been 
cool... If the whole choir had the 
app, that the conductor could 
add dynamics and notes, that 
everybody could see.

1

Or a breath mark, or a small 
break. This (feature) is not 
replaced by it (the app). But at 
the same time, it is nice to not 
have a lot of sheet paper music 
around.

7

 Yeah, when you have physical 
sheet music you can make notes, 
changes, or "sing like this", "do 
this". But maybe this would've 
been cluttery in the app?

3



 25 

used in reading tablets) as this was more analogous to paper notes and did not emit 
any light. 
 
As previously mentioned regarding a static PDF view, it was found to be important 
to be able to turn the page in one swipe during concert. The participants saw no 
possibility for either conductor or accompanist to be able to use the sheet music at 
a concert in the current design due to the frequent scrolling. 
 
Likewise, the need to have some type of count-off when using a backing track at a 
concert was emphasized, as the pieces started immediately. This was problematic 
both because 1) the singer does not catch the tempo and misses the first part of the 
piece, and 2) it is desirable to have time to go up on stage and prepare before the 
piece starts playing. 
 

 
Figure 29. Quotes from study participants related to using devices during concert. 
 
Upload own arrangements 
The participants thought that it was a practical feature to be able to upload their 
own arrangements, as it is then possible to collect all the material that the choir uses 
in the same place. 
 
Solo singing 
Singing with live accompaniment was considered preferable over performing with a 
backing track, although there were situations when backing tracks could be 
acceptable. Practicing at home with backing tracks was considered useful and 
enjoyable, although they were unsure if they were willing to pay for it (due to 
available free material for this purpose on other streaming platforms). 
 
Individual parts recordings 
Individual parts recording was considered an important learning tool for the choir 
singers who wants to practice individually between joint rehearsals and who are not 
advanced music readers. The users thought that the individual parts recordings had 
a very high value for the conductor who then would not have to make own 
recordings. It was also considered convenient for choir singers who themselves record 
their parts during the joint rehearsals in order to practice at home. Furthermore, it 
was appreciated among the participants that the recordings consisted of real voices 
instead of MIDI files, and that these maintained a high professional level. 
 

 What if there was like, a 
"individual practice view", and 
one "joint rehearsal view", and 
then also a "concert view". So 
that it was a bit adapted.

1

(...) it has to be a relatively large 
screen, otherwise you would 
stand like this [leaning forward 
with poor posture]. That is 
perhaps not very pleasant to 
watch.

4

Yeay, because it doesn't seem 
like this app is for the 
conductors.

6

It depends, if it (the tablet) shows 
it would feel a bit unprofessional. 
You also don't get the same 
interaction. And I also think that 
a tablet might light up the face. 
Then maybe the lighting must be 
made warmer.

7



 26 

 
Figure 30. Quotes from study participants related to individual parts recordings. 
 
Musical expression and dynamics 
The participants noted that there were no dynamics or musical expressions printed 
in the sheet music. However, this seemed like a desirable feature, but with less 
priority in comparison to other aspects.  
 
Other 
One feature that the participant asked for was the ability to play audio from the app 
through a locked phone screen, as the user could then practice by listening while 
doing something else. Playlists for different seasons were also requested; a feature 
already included in the app, but was not presented to the participants due to being 
outside the scope of this thesis.  
 

 
Figure 31. Quotes from study participants that was found in category “other”. 
 

4.2 DIGITAL DIARY 
As previously mentioned, the participants' responses from the digital diary were 
presented in an integrated KJ analysis and observations section. The digital diary 
generated relatively few answers (see discussion section). However, Figure 32 shows 
the timetable for the diary questions as well as three examples of diary questions. 
 

 One thing I think is nice is that 
they sing in the app, they sing 
quite well! I got goosebumps 
from her singing "Tre Lå". She 
sang it really well!

3

 Yes, it is also a good thing (not 
having to make recordings of 
parts).

1

 Yes, it is really convenient (that 
conductor doesn't have to make 
recordings of each part).

4

 (...) if you don't have the energy 
to identify the parts by ear, or 
record yourself. In that case it is 
really convenient to have.

2

Yeah, but before Christmas 
concert etc. we learn everything 
by heart. Then it would be nice 
to just walk around and listen, it 
is especially lyrics that are 
difficult. (...) What if one could 
listen on the way to the bus, 
either on your own part or just 
the lyrics you know.

7

But the app could exclude 
elderly.  (...). It is inconvenient 
having to scroll and stuff. My 
mother never would've bought 
or used one. Maybe if it was 
super easy. (...) I could imagine 
that elderly don't like it.

6

... and the ability to switch (part) 
while playing. (...) maybe you 
want to hear a piece with all 
parts, and another with only one 
(part). Otherwise you have to 
rewind and play forward and 
switch.

6

Under "More" there is only "page 
orientation", maybe this should 
be a menu item of its own 
instad? Or having several options 
under "More".

5



 27 

 
Figure 32. Digital diary for The ensemble user study. Timetable for posting diary questions (left), and 
three examples of diary question posts (right).  
 

4.3 FOCUS GROUP 
The focus group step consisted of two parts; (a) statements and (b) reactions to 
alternative digital sheet music representations.  
 
Figure 33 shows pictures from the first part. The statements were connected to six 
different user perspectives that the participants were asked to reflect on; choir 
singers, conductors, audience (for choir concert), solo singer, accompanist, and 
audience (for solo concert). The comments generated was included in the KJ 
analysis. 

 
Figure 33. Focus group discussion material. Six paper bags (one for each user perspective) 
containing statements that participants were asked to take a position on. 
 
The second part, the reactions to alternative digital sheet music representation, 
consisted of showing the participants four videos. These videos were chosen with the 
purpose of showing a wide range of alternative ways of presenting digital notes to 
the participants, who could then vote, react, and express their preferences. 
 



 28 

The first clip had a cursor with diffuse contours, almost like a "cloud" moving over 
the note. The second video had a cursor similar to We Are Voice's current cursor, but 
was moving in pulse instead of continuously, and therefore acted as a kind of 
metronome. In the third video, there was no cursor, but the current note being played 
changed its color to red. In the fourth video, the player had no cursor, but the entire 
current measure was highlighted while the other measures were dimmed. After each 
video was shown, the participants discussed (these comments were also presented 
in the KJ analysis) and rated their experience from 0 (strongly dislike) to 7 (strongly 
like) through the digital voice tool Menti (Figure 34). 
 

 
Figure 34. Attitudes regarding four different digital sheet music representations (menti.com, 2021), 
with scale spanning from Strongly dislike (0) – Strongly like (7). 
 

4.4 CO-CREATION 
The co-creation session was the last step that the participants performed in the 
study, and thus summarized the participants' opinions (Figure 35, 36). By finishing 
the study with an analogue build-their-own app workshop, they were able to express 
the preferences that they had formed during the past week. The comments from the 
workshop while building their own app is also represented under "KJ analysis & 
observation". For all co-creation results, see Appendix 3. 
 



 29 

 
Figure 35. Co-creation template given to participants, along with stickers and pens. 
 

 
Figure 36. Example from co-creation sessions, where participants in pairs “built-their-own app”. 
   



 30 

5.User Survey  
The questionnaire, which was sent to all users with a registered We Are Voice 
account, was answered by 90 respondents. Of these, however, only 31 people had a 
paid membership (either Premium or Member, Figure 37). Since most features in the 
app is locked without paid membership (the music catalog is locked except for a few 
single musical pieces), some answers from non-paying users were irrelevant. From 
such questions, the non-paying sample has been excluded. Other questions, such as 
demographics, attitudes, or the repertoire the choir sings, were considered relevant 
and therefore included. Results from the total sample (N = 90) are displayed in 
grayscale, while results from paying users (n = 31) are displayed in color. 
 

     Membership 

 
Figure 37. Percentage of respondents with membership Premium, Member, and Free.  
 
 
The majority of users sang in a choir with mixed voices; that is, in a choir with both 
women's and men's parts (Figure 38). In the total sample, these users consisted of 
73%, and among paying users 87%. Other voicings, such as women's choir, men's 
choir and unison choir, accounted for less than 17% respectively. The majority of the 
sample consisted of women, 69% in the total sample, and 58% among the paying 
users (Figure 38). 
 
 
  I sing in the following voicing   Gender 

 
Figure 38. Amount of respondents singing in a mixed voicings choir (left) and gender (right). 
 
 

Free
66%

Member
10%

Premium
24%

Membership

Mixed voices
87%

Mixed voices
73%

I sing in the following
voicing...

Men
42%

Women
58%

Gender

Men
30%

Women
69%

Other
1%



 31 

In the total sample, 13% considered themselves soloists, while in the paying sample 
it was only 7%. Furthermore, the ages in both samples were relatively high, with a 
large range of users of ages 50-70 years (Figure 39). 
 

 
Age 

 
Figur 39. Histogram showing age distribution among the respondents in the total sample (left) and 
the paying users (right).  
 
 
The music reading ability in both samples was relatively high (Figure 40). This was 
unexpected, as there was an assumption that good music reading ability made the 
individual parts recordings as a learning tool unnecessary. 
 
 

I read music… 

 
Figure 40. Diagram showing the user’s self-rating of their own music reading level. 
 
 
Questions regarding which genre (classical, pop / rock / jazz, gospel, church music, 
folk / songs, a cappella, other) the choirs most often sang was diverse, and no genre 
stood out. 
 

≤
20

20-
30

30-
40

40-
50

50-
60

60-
70

>
70

0

2

4

6

8

10
Frequency

Age

≤
20

20-
30

30-
40

40-
50

50-
60

60-
70

>
70

0

5

10

15

20

25

Frequency

0 10 20 30 40 %

Do not read at all

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Fluently a prima vista

I read music...



 32 

Most respondents preferred to perform by heart at concert (Figure 41). This was an 
important finding from a design perspective, as one can then make the assumption 
that the app does not necessarily have to be used by the choir singers for reading 
music during a concert. Furthermore, the respondents had negative attitudes to 
performing with an iPad during a concert, and relatively neutral attitudes regarding 
performing with paper sheet music. 
 
 

I wish that we during concert always performed by heart 

 
Figure 41. Attitudes regarding performing by heart during concert.     
 
 
In order to understand how the respondents used the app in different situations, they 
were asked which devices were used in the situations individual practice and joint 
rehearsal (Figure 42). Respondents were able to make multiple choice answers. For 
this question, only paying customers' answers were relevant. For individual practice, 
the phone was the most common device (~65%), followed by tablet (~50%, counting 
all tablet sizes). The responses differed greatly from the usage at joint rehearsal, 
where the most common was not to use any device at all (~70%), followed by phone 
(~30%).  
 
 

What devices are you using during… 

 
Figure 42. Usage of device type during individual practice and joint rehearsal. 
 
 

0 10 20 30 40 50 %

Disagree completely

Somewhat disagree

Neutral

Somewhat agree

Agree completely

I wish that we during concert always performed by heart

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 %

Phone

Tablet
small-medium

Tablet
medium-large

Laptop

Projector

None

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 %

Phone

Tablet
small-medium

Tablet
medium-large

Laptop

None

Individual practice

What devices are you using during...

Joint rehearsal



 33 

The respondents were asked to state freely how they used the app's repertoire at a 
concert, to which the largest proportion answered that they had not used the app's 
repertoire at a concert. Recurring answers were also that they used to learn the 
repertoire by heart or to obtain paper sheet music. 
 
Furthermore, they were asked if they lacked any function, whereupon the following 
themes were mentioned; possibility to play music with a locked screen, download to 
offline mode, possibility to purchase paper sheet music, printed measure numbers, 
possibility to listen to several parts at the same time, and possibility to upload own 
arrangements (existing feature). 
Participants also rated the perceived value of various features in the current app 
(only relevant for paying customers). It turned out that the most valued functions 
were the professionally recorded individual parts recordings (figure X), as well as 
being able to listen to their own part separately. Highly appreciated functions were 
also the opportunity to gather all the music in one place, and that the conductor did 
not have to record the parts. 
 
 

Rate what value the following features have to you and your choir 

 
Figure 43. Respondents ratings of perceived value of existing features.  
 
 
Furthermore, the participants estimated which new functions they were interested 
in (Figure 44), whereupon offline mode was the most valued function, followed by 
taking notes. There was also some interest in a recording feature, while more solo 
material only generated a slight interest. 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

0 20 40 60 80 100 %

Conductor does not have to record parts

One can listen to its own part

Not having to print paper sheet musi

The app is fun to use

Uploading own arrangements

Communication

All sheet music at one place

Professional, individual parts recordings

Very high value High value Somewhat value No value

Rate what value the following features have to you
and your choir.



 34 

How interested are you in having the following features in the app? 

 
Figure 44. Respondents ratings of interest in new features.  
 
  

How interested are you in having the following
features in the app?

0 20 40 60 80 100 %

Taking notes feature

Recording function

More solo material

Offline mode

Very interested Quite interested Somewhat
interested

Indi!erent



 35 

6. Synthesis User 
Studies 
The current app, according to most users, needs a few improvements in terms of 
user experience and usability, but overall work well for choir singers when practicing 
individually. The two most important needs seem to be (1) the ability to listen to 
several parts simultaneously and to customize the volume for each so that the 
harmony is audible, and (2) ergonomic readability. To solve these needs, a re-design 
of the interface might not be sufficient, since the appearance of the media player 
currently depends on the type of file format and quality of the musical content. 
 
In the future, it could be a good idea to prioritize the user groups (e.g., genre), since 
they have slightly different practices and contexts. For instance, in pop/rock/jazz it 
is common to call the piece a “song”, while in classical music it is referred to a 
“composition” or “piece”. Words such as “repertoire” or “playlist” also might be 
context specific, and the UX writing and labels in the app will therefore communicate 
a target group. Also, learning a piece by reading sheet music is more common in 
classical singing than in pop/rock/jazz, where one often learns by ear (and hence 
might only need recordings, not sheet music, to practice). During performance, using 
sheet music in a binder or on a music stand is more common in classical music than 
in pop/rock/jazz. Another difference is how the accompanist’s part is presented; in 
classical music the part is often notated in the bottom of the system, in 
pop/rock/jazz there are usually chords printed on top of the system. There are also 
differences in the usage of backing tracks during concerts, which are quite 
uncommonly used by classical singers. The content of the music catalog plays a large 
part in communicating to the user who the target group is.    
 
When it comes to using the app for joint rehearsals or concerts, a few problems 
occur. In both these situations, other types of users (conductors, accompanists, 
audience) are also interacting with the app. For instance, a conductor and 
accompanist cannot conduct or play while using any of the current page 
orientations, since they would have to scroll continuously and simultaneously. This is 
less of a problem for choir singers, who has their hands free, even though it might 
not be very ergonomic for longer sessions. In order to practice the repertoire during 
joint rehearsals, the choir singers must either use their phone (which is a bit difficult 
to read from due to small screen size), own a tablet (which is common, but not the 
case for all singers) or learn the piece by heart before the first joint rehearsal (which 
is an uncommon practice). It is also less likely that a conductor or pianist would like 
to learn the piece by heart, since they are often professional musicians who each 
week perform and rehearse a much larger quantity of music than do the choir singer. 
Also, an accompanist cannot play the background that comes with some of the 



 36 

pieces if there are no chords or piano part printed. Likewise, the lack of an offline 
mode could also be a problem that hinders the users from performing the app’s 
repertoire on a concert, since no backing track nor sheet music would be accessible 
with poor internet connection.  
 
Like previously mentioned, these mentioned needs are less important to the choir 
singer when practicing individually. However, if the consequence is that the choir 
cannot perform the repertoire on a concert, it seems to reduce their willingness to 
sign up for a paid subscription. In the Ensemble User Study, no participant was willing 
to neither practice nor pay for learning a choir piece that would or could not be 
performed (note however, that learning and paying for a solo singing app was 
considered to be interesting). The standard substitute product for choir singers is 
paper sheet music (and occasionally recordings), and it currently seem to be the 
preferred learning tool. Paper is often cheaper, enables notetaking, has a larger 
reading area, and is perceived as an authentic tool. It is therefore inevitable that 
users will compare all other types of singing apps to paper sheet music.  
 
According to Activity Theory, the mediating tool (app) must be purposeful to the 
subject (singer) in order to obtain the object (performance). This means that the 
product, in order to be purposeful, must work in all situations (individual practice, 
joint rehearsal, concert) as well as for all users (singers, conductors, accompanist, 
audience). The most valuable feature, that paper sheet music does not provide, is 
recordings of separate parts. The app also has several other appreciated features 
that provided high value for the users (e.g., professional recordings, large music 
catalog, ability to upload own arrangements), and therefore has great potential of 
becoming a better mediating tool than paper. To summarize; with a holistic and 
systemic approach, the user experience could be enhanced, and the app made useful 
throughout the whole user journey; joint rehearsal - individual practice – concert.  
 
  



 37 

7. Ideation 
7.1 SKETCHING & BRAINSTORMING 
Brainstorming (Interaction Design Foundation, 2021) was performed through writing 
and sketching by hand (Figure 45) for each of the discovered user needs presented 
in the previous chapter. Likewise, brainstorming was used to find ideas for 
categorizing different features and modes based on type of users and situation. This 
strategy was essential, since We Are Voice’s aim is to target a broad span of user 
groups and situations. 

Figure 45. Extract from ideation and brainstorming sketches. 
 
After this initial brainstorming session, three concepts were designed containing 
combinations of solutions and were visualized as a low-fidelity prototype in Figma 
(2021). Each of the concepts had its own focus area; the individual user, the small 
group user, and the large group user. Each current user of the We Are Voice app falls 
into at least one of mentioned focus area. The purpose of the different focus areas 



 38 

was partly to outline what distinguishes different situations and user groups, and 
partly to create contrast and discussion material before designing the final concept.  
 

7.2 CONCEPT A: THE INDIVIDUAL USER 
The individual user does not sing in any choir but has downloaded the app to become 
a better singer on her own. Phone is assumed to be the most used device in this 
concept, however tablet is also frequently used.  
 

 
Figure 46. Concept A: The Individual User. 
 



 39 

The cursor has been made slightly wider for increased readability. All measures do 
now have equal width, which will make the cursor move with constant speed (and 
thus not erratic). To save space on the screen, the play button has been removed 
and is now located in the center of the screen. Through the gesture horizontal scroll 
(instead of tap), the user can now navigate in the piece without accidentally fast 
forwarding. The tempo button has the same symbol as before but has been labeled 
"Tempo" instead of "100%". The button in the slider snaps to 100%, in order to 
facilitate resetting to original tempo. Since the song starts immediately in some of 
the pieces in the catalog, a count-off feature has now been added, labeled "Räkna 
in" (Eng: Count-off), in order to help the user get into the piece in time. Furthermore, 
there is also a timer function so that the app can be used as a backing track at a 
concert. The timer allows the user to prepare or move to the stage after pressing 
play. Another new feature is also the record feature, which allows the user to record 
herself with other parts and/or backing track. To make the app more interactive and 
enjoyable to users who do not sing in a choir currently, a virtual choir co-creation 
feature, “Virtuell kör” (Eng: Virtual Choir) has been added. Furthermore, the mixer 
now has the label "Stämma" (Eng: Part) and has continuous sliders on all pieces in 
the catalog so that the user can adjust the volume of each part and thus hear the 
full harmony if they choose to. The loop function is the same as before, but has been 
given a new symbol that matches conventions of other music software. Under 
“Views” (Eng: Views), the user can choose to highlight her part (“Markera stämma”), 
change page orientation (“Sidorientering”) or to only show the lyrics (“Endast text”).  
 

7.3 CONCEPT B: THE SMALL GROUP USER 
The Small Group User sings in a small ensemble of 4-6 people without any conductor. 
They typically use tablets as they gather around the kitchen table to practice 
together. A couple of features are the same as in Concept A, but with a couple of 
differences. 

The jam function (Figure 47) allows users to synchronize their devices through Wi-Fi. 
This means that all users can easily follow the sheet music at the same place without 
having to scroll at the same time. By pressing “Led ensemble” (Eng: Lead ensemble) 
the user controls the units of the other device. There is also a small piano keyboard 
so that users can play the tone, in case they do not have a piano or other instrument 
at home. Under "Vyer" (Eng: views), the user can choose to mark its part, which 
makes the other parts fade. The user can now choose between 3 different page 
orientations, the first two operate in the same way as in the previous app, but with 
some modification of the vertical page orientation. In this design, the page is 
automatically moved upwards only after all visible systems have been displayed (pink 
arrow in figure 47 illustrates the intended eye movement), which improves the 
readability. The third and new page orientation is a static PDF view where the user 
navigate by swiping the pages. Since the group does not have a conductor, there is 
also a metronome with a BPM slider to help keeping the tempo. 



 40 

 
Figure 47. Concept B: The Small Group User. 
 

7.4 CONCEPT C: THE LARGE GROUP USER  
The Large User Group is the type of user that is the most common at We Are Voice 
at the moment: a large group of singers with a conductor. In concept C, the 
conductor has the option to share notes with the rest of the choir and for this reason 
there are two interfaces; choir singer and conductor (Figure 48). These interfaces are 
otherwise identical. In each interface there are two modes available; View and Play 
/ Edit.  
 



 41 

 
Figure 48. Two different interfaces; one for choir singers (left) and one for conductors (right). 
 
The View Mode 
The View mode is most suitable for concerts, where it is easy to view the notes 
without any distracting options that take up space from the sheet music. In the View 
mode one can choose whether show the chords (usually desired in jazz / pop / rock 
repertoire), which makes it possible for an accompanist (could be the choir leader 
himself) to play along. Furthermore, it is possible to choose which parts you want to 
see (for example SA in a SATB arrangement) and piano part for those pieces that 
have one (usually classical repertoire). It is also possible to show or hide notes and 
choose a color theme. At a concert, it can be advantageous to choose one of the 
darker color themes so that the audience is not disturbed by the light from the tablet. 
Finally, the user chooses how to turn the pages, by tapping, swiping or with a 
Bluetooth page turner pedal. The latter is to be recommended for conductors and 
accompanists since it allows them to have the hands free for conducting and playing.  
 



 42 

 
Figure 49. Concept C, View Mode.  
 
The Play/Edit Mode 
In Play / Edit Mode, the user can listen to the recordings. Similar to the View Mode, 
the color theme (Swe: Färger) can be chosen. Tempo, Loop and View are the same 
as before. New for this mode is that you can make notes in the static PDF view for, 
for example, dynamics and breathing. You can also choose to show / hide your own 
notes (Swe: Egna) and the choir leader's (Swe: Körledares). This feature is 
convenient, as the choir singers sometimes miss noting instructions from the choir 
leader. The Part mixer (Swe: Stämma) has the same appearance as previous 
concepts. 
 



 43 

 
Figure 50. Concept C, Play/Edit Mode.  
 

7.5 ALL USER GROUPS 
For all concepts, there is also a separate mode where one can listen and learn by ear 
while simultaneously doing something else. The playlist can be started, one can 



 44 

shuffle and repeat, and continue playing the recording when the screen is locked. In 
order for the playlist not to consume large amounts of mobile data and to also 
function offline, it is now possible to download the pieces to local device storage. 
 

 
Figure 51. Download to the pieces and listen to playlist with locked screen. 

 
7.6 WE ARE VOICE’S FUTURE DIRECTION 
After presenting the results of the two user studies as well as concepts A, B, and C 
to the stakeholders, it was decided in dialogue with We Are Voice which direction the 
further development would go. We Are Voice's wishes and strategies for future target 
groups were considered. 
 
Prior to the final concept, the following target groups was included as potential users: 
choir singers, conductors, solo singers, singing teachers, accompanists, and music 
teachers. Performers of all genres represented in the music catalog would also be 
included. All organizations where singing occurs would also be kept in mind for the 
future design. 
 
Less relevant users were the individual user (who does not sing in any social context 
but buys the service herself, without connection to group packages) and small group 
user, who lacks a conductor. 
 

  



 45 

8. Design concept 
To fit all targeted situations and users, four different user modes were created. These 
user modes were categorized by situation rather than user group, since users in the 
same situation have more needs in common than do users from different groups (for 
example, conductor, choir singer). 
 
The two upper modes are intended for rehearsal situations, and the lower two for 
concert. Having several modes in the design makes it possible for each user to follow 
a user journey and with good usability perform the same activities with the app as it 
would have carried out with paper sheet music. The second concert mode is only 
available on tablet and is displayed as a locked choice (gray) in the mobile version, 
communicating to mobile users that more features are available on tablet. 
 

 
Figure 52. Four user modes; two for rehearsal (top) and two for concert (bottom). 

 



 46 

 
Figure 53. Practice Mode 1: Sheet Music & Audio. Features (from left to right): Play, Restart, Part, 
Count-off, Loop, Tempo, Notes, and More. 

 



 47 

 
Figure 54. Practice Mode 1: Sheet Music & Audio. Pop-up menus for Parts, Count-off, Loop, Tempo, 
Notes, and More features.   



 48 

 
Figure 55. Practice Mode 1: Sheet Music & Audio. ”Markera Stämma” activated, highlighting alto’s 
part in green and tenor’s in purple. 
  



 49 

 
Figure 56. Practice Mode 1: Sheet Music & Audio. ”Endast text” (Eng: Lyrics only) activated, showing 
lyrics and slider for audio.   



 50 

 
Figure 57. Practice Mode 1: Sheet Music & Audio. Displayed on phone, horizontal page orientation. 
 

 
Figure 58. Practice Mode 2: Learning on the go. List of playlists with download option (left), Hidden 
track in playlist and media player (middle), and parts mixer for each trach (right).  
 

 
Figure 59. Practice Mode 2: Learning on the go. Playing on locked screen. 



 51 

 
Figure 60. Concert Mode 1: Backing Track. Customizable backing track playlist for concerts, with 
options to change song orders(left), adjust volume of parts, hide song, timer, and count-off (middle 
and right).  
 
 

 
Figure 61. Concert Mode 1: Backing Track. Silent count-off function, counting one measure with 
flashing numbers 
 
 



 52 
 

Figure 62. Concert Mode 2: Sheet Music. a view-only mode resembling paper sheet music which can 
easily be used during concerts when sheet music is necessary.  



 53 

 

 
Figure 63. Concert Mode 2: Sheet Music. Menu for Concert Mode 2: Sheet Music. 

 



 54 

8.1 PRACTICE MODE 1: SHEET MUSIC & AUDIO 
Practice Mode 1 is similar to the current app, but with enhanced features (Figure 53). 
The intention was that old users should have a smooth transition start using this new 
version. Of the four different modes, this was the most complex one and could be 
used both for individual practice and joint rehearsal, and by all user groups. 
 
This mode works best on tablet as this provides the best readability due to large 
screen size. The menu options described in the section below appears as pop-up 
menus above the menu list in Figure 54 (for exact placement in context, see Appendix 
4a). These pop-up menus automatically collapse when the user presses play, moves 
the cursor, or scroll in the sheet music. There is no zoom button, but the feature is 
accessible through the gesture pinch. To save space, the bar showing the number of 
seconds into the song has also been removed, as singers mainly use the sheet music 
to navigate. One would not want to use this mode during a concert, as the cursor 
and menu takes up screen space from of the sheet music, and one may accidentally 
access play or other settings. 
 
1. Play / Pause 
When the user taps play, the recording is played, similar to the current design. It is 
also placed in the same place as before, on the far left where it is easily accessible 
and where the user expects to find it. 
 
2. Restart 
This feature is new, and the user can now quickly restart the piece without having to 
scroll. This feature is common in most types of media players and is convenient 
because the user often wants to restart from the beginning and practice the whole 
piece in one go. 
 
3. Parts 
The Parts mixer is quite similar to the current app, but with some adjustments. It is 
now labelled “Stämma” (Swe: Part) instead of “mixer”, which is a more common 
term used in the context of choir singing. All songs now have continuous sliders (in 
the current design, only some of the pieces in the music catalog had this option). 
The user can then adjust the parts’ volumes, and for example choose to hear their 
own part and simultaneously the other parts with lower volume, so that the musical 
harmony is audible. The synthetic sound is no longer available in the mixer, as it is 
rarely used. The mixer has also been rotated 90 degrees so that the order of the 
sliders from top to bottom corresponds to the order in of the parts in the system. 
 
4. Count off 
There is now a new count-off function that helps the user to get into the piece 
without "missing the first measure". The countdown consists of one measure 
counting and consists of both clicking sounds and a large orange number that 
appear in the middle of the screen.  
 
 



 55 

5. Loop 
The loop function is unchanged from the current design, except for the symbol which 
now is made more like loop functions symbols of other music software. 
 
6. Tempo 
Since users sometimes want to practice at a slower tempo, and sometimes want a 
higher tempo than the recording, it is now possible to adjust the tempo to both faster 
and slower. The slider snaps to the middle, 100%, so that the user easily can find the 
original tempo. 
 
7. Notes 
The new note taking feature allows users to take notes. The user can both undo and 
redo an action, as well as choose between taking notes with a pen or a thicker 
highlighter. The notes can also be deleted with the eraser. Furthermore, the user can 
choose stroke thickness, opacity, and color. The user can also choose whether the 
notes should be displayed or hidden. A practical feature is that choir singers can also 
choose to see their choir leader's notes, and thus do not miss any important musical 
instructions. 
 
8. More  
Under the More button, the user can customize the view according to personal 
preference. First, the user can choose which parts to display (Figure 55). For example, 
the altos can choose to display their part only, which saves space on the screen. It is 
also now possible to see chords, which means that an accompanist (as well as choir 
leader or vocal teacher) can now also play along with the piece. 
 
On several occasions, however, the user needs to see the other parts. In those cases, 
it is better to use the Markera stämma (Eng: Highlight part) function (Figure 55) 
which highlights the part with a color, and thus makes it easier to find in row shifts. 
 
Under page orientation (Figure 55), the first two options are the same as in the 
current app; vertical or horizontal view. In this new design, however, all measures are 
equally wide. This makes both the horizontal and vertical views easier to read when 
the player is running, as the cursor moves at a continuous speed instead of 
erratically. The readability is further enhanced in the horizontal view, since the sheet 
music does not automatically move upwards all visible systems have been played 
(unlike before, when the sheet music moved upwards after each row regardless of 
several systems still being visible). This minimizes the number of movements and will 
therefore be perceived as more restful.  
 
The third view is new and consists of static PDF sheet music. Scrolling is done with 
the gestures swipe or tap on the right and left margin. Even better (recommended) 
is to use a Bluetooth page turner. A conductor needs the hands for conducting and 
can therefore turn page without obstacles. 
 
Endast text (Eng: Lyrics only) is also a new function (Figure 56), which is useful when 
one has already learned the melody and only wants to practice the text. In this mode, 



 56 

it is not possible to select part or page orientation. When this option is activated, a 
pop-up bar with a player appears, showing numbers of seconds played into the song, 
allowing the users to orientate themselves in the piece. The user can also choose color 
theme (Swe: Tema), similar to an option available in many reading apps. 
 
Practice Mode 1 is also available on phone (Figure 57) but is simplified and does not 
include the note taking feature, since it would be difficult to take and read notes on 
the phone and also takes up space in the menu bar. The horizontal view is the optimal 
one for phone in this mode. Since the measures in the new design have equal width, 
the sheet music become easier to read as the cursor moves in a smooth and 
continuous manner. The cursor is placed slightly closer to the center than in the 
previous design, which means greater tolerance for discrepancy in synchronization 
between sheet music and recording. Musical notes that are slightly behind the audio 
should now still be visible inside the screen. 
 

8.2 PRACTICE MODE 2: LEARNING ON THE GO 
In Practice Mode 2, the user can practice by just listening and thus learning by ear 
(Figure 58). Since the player in this mode works also with a locked screen, the user 
can now practice when on the go (e.g., when walking or taking the bus). When the 
screen is locked, the name of the piece, arranger, picture, and a media player is 
displayed. This mode is best suited for phone, which is the easiest device to carry, but 
also works on tablets. For more images, see Appendix 4b. 
 
The user can choose which playlist to practice on and download it to the local device 
storage. For example, if the user already knows a piece and do not need to practice 
it anymore, it can be hidden from the playlist, and the piece will appear gray. In the 
media player there are the options Play / Pause, shuffle, repeat, and fast forward / 
backward. One can also see how many seconds into the piece the media player is 
playing at. By tapping "more" during each piece, the user can adjust the part volume 
in the mixer. 
 

8.3 CONCERT MODE 1: BACKING TRACK 
Concert Mode 1 (Figure 60, 61) works equally well on all devices, and is supposed to 
be connected to a sound system at a concert. 
 
The user selects the playlist and can adjust the song order (Figure 60) through the 
tap and hold gesture, and then drag and drop. For more images, see Appendix 4c. 
 
By pressing the play button at the bottom, the playlist is started automatically from 
start to finish in the selected order, without pause or repeat. This is convenient for 
the user who arranges the concert on its own and does not have anyone who can 
assist by pressing play. If the user wants more control without automatic playback, 
one can just tap on one of the pieces in order to make it start playing, and then the 
next song will not start until the user taps play on a new song 
 
Under "Mer" (Eng: More) the user can choose to hide a song from the playlist. By 
using a timer (Figure 60), the user can set how many seconds countdown each song 



 57 

should have before it starts. For example, 15 seconds before the first song starts may 
be enough for the user to enter the stage. Between the songs, the user can, for 
example, have a 10-second timer to have time to wait for applause. Likewise, the 
user can use the count-off, as some pieces in the catalog starts immediately. In order 
to not disturb the audience's experience at a concert, this can be made silent and 
only visual (figure X). 
 

8.4 CONCERT MODE 2: SHEET MUSIC 
During the concert, sheet music is sometimes used. Even in cases where the choir 
sings by heart, the conductor or accompanist often needs to be able to see the sheet 
music. Concert Mode 2 is therefore a concert view that works like regular paper sheet 
music: a static PDF view where the user turns page with the gesture swipe or tap to 
the left / right side (Figure 62). For accompanists and conductors who need to keep 
their hands free, it is strongly recommended that a Bluetooth pedal for page turn i