CASE STUDY

PianoHunt

Helping people discover and access public pianos to encourage creativity and connection through music.

ROLE

Designer

TIMELINE

3 Weeks

YEAR

2024

OVERVIEW

PianoHunt is a mobile app I designed to help people discover public pianos nearby. It aims to make musical exploration more accessible by connecting people to shared instruments, encouraging spontaneous creativity and community interaction.

Public pianos create moments of spontaneous creativity and connection.

THE PROBLEM

Access to instruments like pianos is limited, especially for those without the resources to own or regularly use one. Public pianos exist, but they are often difficult to find, inconsistently maintained, or not widely known.

People needed access that felt:

• easy to discover

• reliable and up to date

• welcoming for all skill levels

Which led me to ask…

How might we make public pianos easier to find and encourage more people to engage with music in their everyday environments?

INSIGHTS

To better understand the role of public pianos and the challenges around access, I interviewed CSU Fullerton music students and analyzed their experiences interacting with shared instruments.

What I learned:

Access is inconsistent

Public pianos exist, but information about their locations is scattered or unreliable.

Environment shapes engagement

The condition and setting of a piano directly impacts whether people feel comfortable using it.

Music creates connection

Public pianos act as social catalysts, encouraging interaction, collaboration, and shared experiences.

Awareness is the biggest barrier

Many people simply don’t know these pianos exist.

Research synthesis from user interviews

DESIGNING THE EXPERIENCE

A simple and intuitive flow designed to help users quickly discover, explore, and interact with public pianos in their area.

I mapped key user paths to ensure users could quickly find, explore, and interact with nearby pianos.

Through usability testing, I identified friction in navigation and clarity, and refined the experience to make key actions more intuitive.

THE SOLUTION

I simplified the experience by centering it around a map-based interface, allowing users to immediately see nearby pianos and explore them visually.

This shift changed the experience

From searching for an instrument

to discovering one in the moment.

THE FINAL design

A simple and supportive flow designed to help users quickly understand the feature, filter resources, and access relevant information.

FLOW 1

Onboarding

Users are introduced to PianoHunt and given the option to enable location

FLOW 2

Locate a piano

Users can locate a piano using three methods: the map, list view, or search bar.

FLOW 1

Piano details

Users can click on a piano to view its details, check in, and add it to their favorites.

OUTCOME

PianoHunt demonstrates how thoughtful design can lower barriers to creative expression by making shared resources more visible and accessible.

The project highlights the potential of simple, location-based tools to foster community interaction and encourage everyday moments of creativity.

REFLECTION

This project strengthened my ability to design for accessibility and discovery, and to think about how digital tools can support real-world experiences.

It pushed me to consider how small design decisions, like visibility and clarity, can influence whether someone feels empowered to engage or not.