Week 10
This week's focus shifted further toward the performance experience, with meaningful progress on both the visual system and audience interactivity. I made refinements to the visuals and spent significant time thinking through the user feedback layer, specifically, how to make the instrument feel genuinely playable for an audience participant, not just technically functional. Now that the underlying systems are stable, I'm able to approach these questions with more intentionality and less distraction from the technical side.
The open issue flagged in my midterm assessment, how much of the system's responsiveness to the surface is visible, is still the central design question, but it feels more like an artistic decision now than a technical one. I'm treating it that way.
Looking ahead, the next area of focus is patch transitioning. I want to explore ways to move between patches more fluidly during a live performance, so that the "conversation" the piece is built around doesn't get interrupted by the seams in the system. Smooth transitions feel important to the integrity of the work. Especially if the piece is about uninterrupted improvisational dialogue, the architecture should support that.
No new risks or blockers have emerged. The project remains on track for the public performance.