Subjects

We had three volunteers participate in our two validation sessions. All were fathers of children under six years old who listen to music in the home, car, or both.

Results

While we got myriad useful comments and insights from our subjects, some of it conflicted between sessions. The favorite concept from the first session was all but ignored in the second session, and the favorite concept from the second session was discarded in the first as impractical. Despite this, we were able to use the input to refine our ideas and sketches.

Music Frame - While our subjects liked the idea of using their own photos to play music, and the ability to know what their children were up to based on auditory cues, they were generally unenthusiastic about this concept. The requirement of carrying photos in order to play music seemed like an unnecessary burden, and the whole idea of using music as an escape from the children rang false. Parents were also concerned that children could use this device to play the same music repeatedly, and it would be difficult to prevent such annoyances.

Music Table - This one one of the concepts that got a split reaction from our subjects. One was concerned that this would be a prohibitively expensive device, and as parents tend to have constrained finances due to the demands of growing children, cost was an issue. The other subjects expressed delight at the concept, especially potential expansions such as interactive music creation with the touch-sensitive surface. The parents were also concerned that a combined playlist of all family members would be a null set, as the parents and children often have divergent musical tastes. One suggestion for this interface was to include some kind of abstract representation of the music being played, similar to the visualizations available on most PC-based music players such as iTunes.

Music Cards - This concept also got a dichotomous response, but between the two aspects of the audience rather than the two validation sessions. The subjects all agreed that the concept was valuable for children, but would just annoy parents at the prospect of having to carry cards - 'a step backwards from the iPod', in the words of one subject. Many of the same concerns from the Music Frame were replicated in this concept, but several novel ideas were generated as well. The idea of implementing the cards as a playing or trading game for children presented an interesting opportunity both for co-branding and interactions beyond just the family. And while the parents were generally resistant to the idea of using the cards themselves, they believed it could be an interesting way to allow guests to generate playlists at parties or social events.

Faceplates - This is the second concept to get a contradicting set of responses. One subject was very enthusiastic about the idea, citing his child's fondness for emulating his parents and demanding to use the same devices. The other subjects were concerned both about the visual and interactive aspects of the design. The prospect of having their primary music player at times resemble a child's toy was distasteful, and they were concerned that children would have trouble navigating between songs on a dramatically simplified interface. The ideas they generated related to these concerns. One idea was to simply have a faceplate on the remote control, rather than the primary device. Another suggestion was to simply use a touchscreen interface with different configurations for parents and children.

Soundtracks - Of all the concepts, this one got the most negative response. Subjects were all concerned about the 'big brother' aspect of a music player that can intelligently select playlists depending on context, either as an invasive force or a flawed concept. Another significant concern was that rather than augmenting play for children, it would suppress their imagination by constantly surrounding them with mass-marketed musical ideas and play-suggestions.

"Children want to emulate their parents."

• Parents want to avoid the 'Fisher Price' style of home decor
• Music can augment play, but parents don't want it to be too immersive