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Ableton Live Redesign

nenadmilosevic.co

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Re: Ableton Live Redesign

#71

Post by thedaniel »

ter0 wrote: post #48
anonova wrote: post #16

I don't really have a problem with the UI; I want Ableton to fix the other annoyances first: * Saving the project resets the undo history. A someone who frequently saves, this is super frustrating. * No normal zoom controls. You have to use the "minimap" at the top. * Only a single project can be open at once, which makes copying from old projects tedious unless you shuffle files around into your current project. * T…

For project versioning I've had a good experience with Splice [0]. It has also got some features for project collaboration which are nice, as well as a marketplace for samples and synths. I believe it also supports most of the big name DAWs, although I've only ever used it with Ableton. [0] https://splice.com/

cosign for splice, i have been using it since beta and now it's an essential part of my workflow - i don't really use their collab stuff much (just to send people projects, not to actually collab on them), 90% of my use is backup and versioning. Still I can't imagine going without it.

Re: Ableton Live Redesign

#72

Post by crispyambulance »

nrser wrote: post #51
bjt wrote: post #4

I like that he followed a process of gathering suggestions from real users and then testing his solutions with them. It's a big step above the typical "I redesigned X!" posts that look really pretty but probably aren't very usable. I wonder what kind of job one would expect to get from this. These tasks (gathering user feedback, doing visual designs) are probably divided between several people at Ableton already. Doe…

yeah... are their any success stories with regards to these kind of post? all the ways i play it out in my head don't seems great... 1. someone at exec/board/mgmt-level somewhat detached from product development process sees it and comes in with the "see! this is what it should look like, this looks way better, this guy gets it and he doesn't even work here! you should hire him / do this." which doesn't tend to be re…

This is merely a way for him to demonstrate his design process on his own terms using a complex real-world project.

Sure, he might love to work at Ableton, but as a portfolio artifact this project may very well attract attention at other places which are interested in that kind of skill-set. I think that's really the intent rather than a single-minded, unsolicited appeal to just one employer.

Its not unprecedented. Googly-as-heck went much further [https://medium.com/@googleyasheck], spent 8-months publicly preparing for a google interview, blogged about it, then didn't get hired by Google. He instead got hired by Amazon. Not bad at all and not a waste of time-- though I bet it was hard for him to get rejected by his dream employer.

Re: Ableton Live Redesign

#73

Post by creativeembassy »

Cshelton wrote: post #29
33degrees wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried Bitwig? I haven't but I believe it does address a few of these things

I've been using Bitwig and really like it. It still has a few bugs here and theee but I think the productivity gain over Ableton is good. I haven't come across anything Ableton does that Bitwig can't either.

I want to switch over to Bitwig completely, but I've also been learning Max/MSP. Bitwig would make me more productive IMO, but Max/MSP is a creative goldmine. I can't really take Max/MSP with me to Bitwig, I don't believe there are any efforts at integrating the two... and Ableton just bought Cycling '74 last week.

Re: Ableton Live Redesign

#74

Post by NamTaf »

Just a minor side note and I don't know if it's just something you did during the data display or if it is actually reflective of how you surveyed, but if you're surveying for comparitive purposes you probably should keep the descriptors and options as similar as possible (ideally identical). Having multiple different 'yes' and 'no' variations can introduce subtle distortions to the data.

If your goal is to actually deal with users and their feedback, this is probably more important than it is for anyone who just wants to show their design clout.

Re: Ableton Live Redesign

#76

Post by cryodesign »

realsneil wrote: post #64
cryodesign wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only dabbled in Ableton Live a little bit many years ago, so I'm not familiar with some of the terms you mentioned. Can you describe what a modulation system is - what's your understanding? Also any examples out there that illustrate this, other apps that do it well? It's not like a node based shader system like in Houdini or like Fusion's compositing system?

Not the person you asked, but I believe he is referring to the lack of arbitrary modulation mapping in Ableton, where modulation is typically one parameter on a synthesizer, effect or other device being changed over time by an external source such as a Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO). Many Ableton devices have features such as this on specific parameters like filter frequency but, without Max for Live, you can't map c…

Thanks for explaining - that makes sense.

Also did some research online before I saw your answer and found an answer after watching a video about Bitwig Studio's unified modulations system [0].

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_mQUV2iwiI

Re: Ableton Live Redesign

#77

Post by roldie »

Unrelated to the quality of the redesign. I would advise other designers to not follow this method exactly.

Talking to users is great, it's what separates a designer from someone who just pushes pixels, but it's not a good idea to ask users what they like or what they want.

"Does ____ look like a helpful feature to you?" "Does ____ work for you?" "Is this better than before?"

What's the response going to be? "Sure, sounds good to me". Or "nah, I hate that kind of thing".

What you should do instead is observe user behavior. Watch how they interact with the tool/site/etc. and what they do. What are they trying to click on, what are they looking for, what is confusing. Ask them to talk out loud and share their thought process as they're going through the design.

Granted, the designer here may not have had time or access to do this, but then the questions should be more along the lines of what goals the users are trying to accomplish, and what helps or hinders them.

There's the old adage attributed to Henry Ford, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." Through observation, or task/goal-oriented questions, discover what people need instead, and design for that. My explanation here is very simplistic, but I hope it gets the idea across.

Source: Am designer, and review portfolios and conduct interviews. We look at process as much as we look at quality of output.

Re: Ableton Live Redesign

#79

Post by listentojohan »

anonova wrote: post #16

I don't really have a problem with the UI; I want Ableton to fix the other annoyances first: * Saving the project resets the undo history. A someone who frequently saves, this is super frustrating. * No normal zoom controls. You have to use the "minimap" at the top. * Only a single project can be open at once, which makes copying from old projects tedious unless you shuffle files around into your current project. * T…

The resetting of undo history when saving have had me screaming more than once...

Re: Ableton Live Redesign

#80

Post by wousser »

roldie wrote: post #77

Unrelated to the quality of the redesign. I would advise other designers to not follow this method exactly. Talking to users is great, it's what separates a designer from someone who just pushes pixels, but it's not a good idea to ask users what they like or what they want. "Does ____ look like a helpful feature to you?" "Does ____ work for you?" "Is this better than before?" What's the response going to be? "Sure, s…

OT. Can I contact you to review my portfolio?
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