In June 2025, we described here how a UX process completely transformed the Werckmeister music app project: The fully programmed prototype from 2018 ended up in the trash because it required too much prior musical knowledge. What remained was a new concept—an educational game that focuses on listening, evaluating, and comparing, and does not require sheet music (read the article).
Now there's a first playable version of it. In the new gameplay video, Martin Halter walks viewers through the current prototype:
Watch the gameplay videoWhat the video shows
What you see is the heart of the matter: short listening exercises in which intonations are compared and evaluated. No music notation, no technical terms to act as a barrier to entry—exactly the low barrier to entry that emerged as a requirement from the user interviews and the user journey map.
What it doesn't show (yet)
The prototype is intentionally a rough sketch. Navigation, structure, and story will follow in the next phase. That’s exactly why it’s valuable: a stripped-down but fully playable version can be tested rather than just discussed. This allows feedback to be incorporated into the design before the time-consuming content production begins.
What's next
Next up are usability tests with the target audience, along with improvements to navigation and gameplay. If you’d like to be part of the project: Werckmeister is always looking for beta testers— click here to sign up.
Werckmeister is being developed with support from the Winterthur Conservatory, the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), and other schools, as well as various choirs, ensembles, and consorts. Raskin Apps is contributing to the UX concept and implementation.
