Tools to Engage Users and Unleash Their Creativity

March 13, 2024

The AG live streaming mixer series offers intuitive operability, while the CK stage keyboard series empowers keyboardists to play anywhere, anytime. Both products were crafted with a user-centric approach, beginning with what the product planners themselves would want to use. These products allow users to become completely absorbed in their craft, opening the door to new and unexpected encounters.

“What Would I Want?”: The Ultimate User-Centric Approach

"If I'm involved in creating a product, I aim to develop something I'd personally want to purchase," says Mizuyuki Shirai, who worked on the product planning of the new AG series. During his student years, Shirai worked part-time operating mixers at clubs hosting live music. That’s why he was convinced that the qualities he wanted in a mixer would also be desirable to other users.

What, then, would constitute a mixer that Shirai himself would purchase? "I believe the most crucial aspect is that it's designed with the user in mind," he says. "This principle applies to any device in the world. I'm drawn to products that reflect the designer's consideration for the user experience. That’s why, when we started planning the new AG series, I was committed to make user-friendliness a top priority.”

Yuji Yamada, involved in the product planning of the CK series, expresses a similar sentiment. Reflecting on the aspects he admired in the compact synthesizers from his student years, he pondered why Yamaha does not offer similar products. This inspired him to create “reface,” a new conceptual instrument. The product planning expertise Yamada gained from this project came in handy when he embarked on the development of the CK series.

As product planners, both Shirai and Yamada embrace the perspective of also being users of their own products. Drawing inspiration from their personal experiences, they develop products that genuinely align with their own preferences. This approach is the driving force behind the creation of the AG and CK, exemplifying the ultimate user-first philosophy.

Supporting Diversifying Forms of Expression

Another shared mindset between Shirai and Yamada is their continuous endeavor to predict the future needs of users. They achieve this by closely observing their target users and identifying their genuine needs, even before the users themselves may fully recognize them.

Take, for instance, the built-in speaker in the CK series, a feature that means the keyboard that can be played anywhere. While it may seem like a natural solution, in retrospect, user requests to incorporate a speaker were unheard of prior to the release of this product. "In fact, the notion of adding a speaker might have been considered absurd," notes Yamada, "since compactness and portability are essential characteristics for a stage keyboard." Yet, through their research, the working group identified a common frustration held among keyboardists — the inability to play on the go. The integration of the speaker emerged not as a specific user request but as a solution to a common problem.

Shirai, who also interviewed many users during the development, emphasizes that users might not always be able to verbalize the problems they face. This underscores the importance of observation. “We need to unearth their genuine needs and desires, often without directly asking,” he explains. “If you ask, ‘Would you like this feature?’ they might instinctively say ‘yes’ without giving it much thought. As experts, our job is to figure out whether the features really align with the users’ underlying needs.”

Yamada and Shirai are both excited and challenged by the evolving ways users enjoy their instruments. Keyboards are expanding their user base — players of other instruments like guitars are starting to take on keyboarding. Likewise, in the live streaming domain, the content being uploaded is changing daily. In this era of widespread live streaming, people are embracing new challenges, spanning from singing and playing instruments to live video gaming and ASMR performances.

As the spectrum of self-expression broadens, Yamada and Shirai aim to develop products that offer users even greater expressive freedom.

Surprising Users with Unexpected Experiences

In addition to delivering an intuitive user experience, both AG and CK possess the ability to generate unexpected experiences.

One of the most exciting aspects of live streaming, in Shirai’s opinion, is the potential for surprising connections and relationships. People who initially begin live streaming as a hobby sometimes find themselves making it a full-fledged career. Meanwhile, the CK offers players a stress-free experience for instant and spontaneous performance, facilitating creative output that even users themselves may not have anticipated.

Both Shirai and Yamada share an appetite for embracing the unexpected. Shirai was unfamiliar with product planning until joining Yamaha, but his passion for mixers led him to eventually take on that role. He also pushed himself to work on products for international markets, something he wouldn’t have imagined during his student days. "Maybe I'm just bad at planning for the future," he jokes, but it's clear that he had the curiosity and courage to keep taking on the new challenges.

Yamada, meanwhile, is an avid traveler who is constantly in search for sights he has yet to encounter. "I've already visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, but there are still many things I haven't seen," he says. "I'm always wandering off to new towns to discover something I've never experienced before." His passion for encountering the unknown serves as inspiration, driving him to deliver new and unprecedented experiences through his products as well.

"I still remember the time when I saw a user play the CK for the first time. They assumed, like with other stage keyboards, that there was no built-in speaker, so they were stunned when they played it. It's a fantastic example of defying expectations. When I see reactions like this, I feel confident that our idea was on the right track. It's my passion to consistently create unexpected experiences through my work."

Living in a world where everything is predictable and planned would be boring. Encountering the unexpected and discovering a new side of yourself you never knew is what makes life interesting. Shirai and Yamada, who relish the unknown, continue to provide products and experiences like the AG and CK series to go beyond the expectation of users. By doing this, they allow users to be absorbed in their performances, fostering unprecedented creativity, which then inspires audiences to be creative as well. That's how passions impact each other and resonate throughout the world, just like music.

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