In few words

YUIO is a musical instrument and sequencer for Thounds. The company asked me to think about a little playful looking app, to catch people’s curiosity on Facebook and to lead them to their website.
In other words I had to focus mainly on those people who didn’t know Thounds but who might be interested in contributing to the network in some way. On the other hand it was also important to keep some more technical use for Thounds’s users who have a more clear idea about what to get from the instrument.

Three levels of control

I chose to design a tool looking like a little device; giving the most importance to the musical interface — the four colored pads.
The device is then surrounded by few buttons and switches to stimulate the user’s curiosity to explore it. By doing that, the user is led into a the more technical aspects of the tool which open up like little drawers filled with different controls and possibilities.
According to the sequence on the right there are three possible levels of control:

1 – When the app is launched the instrument is close. You can click on the big buttons or use the letters Y, U, I, O, on your keyboard to play it.

2 – By moving the switch on the side you enter into the sequencer mode where you can program your pattern and few related parameters.

3 – Clicking on the mic button will open up four little drawers that will show what’s behind the four buttons. Here you can change the default sounds by recording your own.