Design Affects Us In So Many Ways, Especially In Subtle Ways We Don’t Really Notice.

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(In fact, I’m not even writing this column. I’m dictating it to my iPhone while driving my car, waiting for the light to turn green on Nuuanu Avenue.)

Design affects the way we consume music, whether by intentional design, or as the byproduct of a system. I’d like to share with you a few thoughts I’ve had lately regarding how design has affected our experience with music.

-Let’s start with a throwback. Two words will do: Sony Walkman. This little guy (big by today’s standards) and the cassette tapes we brought around with it made music portable, convenient and available on command. Of course, there were portable FM radios before the Walkman, but the radio was always someone else’s music. The cassette made your personal music collection available anywhere you went.

-P2P sharing systems like Napster disrupted traditional music consumption and led a revolution in Internet file sharing. The software enabled anyone with an Internet connection to access endless amounts of music for free, and subsequently helped accelerate the demise of shops like Tower Records and Sam Goody.

-The way we consume music changed dramatically with P2P, but legitimizing that process of downloading over the Internet was iTunes, which, in conjunction with the iPod, paved the way for paid downloads to reign as an accepted form of music consumption.

-iTunes originally was designed as a way for listeners to digitally “own” their music collections by downloading albums and songs.

-But then Pandora came along, its creators having designed a service that streams music based on what you like — a personal radio station where the music isn’t yours to keep, but rather available on demand when you want to hear it (well, sort of, if you don’t mind not being able to select specific songs when you like).

-Spotify put the two worlds together and has created one of the most sophisticated design interfaces for music consumption today. Spotify makes it extremely easy to discover, enjoy, share and “collect” music.

-Bluetooth speakers enable anyone with a smart phone to entertain at a party. No one person needs to be in charge of the music for a gathering — someone else can connect their device if the current playlist doesn’t fit the mood.

-A seemingly far cry from music itself, YouTube and computer-mounted cameras enable aspiring musicians (think Bieber) to build fanbases without the traditional effort of touring or gigging.

The best design facilitates that enrichment, influencing the way we experience music. Music always will be with us; it enriches our lives. The worst designs fall by the wayside and are quickly forgotten. HitClips, anyone?

For more from Roger, check out his blog at alohagotsoul.com.