WeJam is a smart guitar that revolutionizes musical expression, enabling individuals to freely create and communicate through music. With collaborative jamming capabilities, intuitive learning tools, and customizable effects, it empowers musicians to explore their creativity and connect with others through the language of music.

Why should this design exist

The musical instrument category has faced limitations due to significant barriers between listening, singing, playing, and creating. Only a small fraction of 700 million online music users have played an instrument due to challenges like repetitive practice and lengthy learning periods. WeJam breaks barriers, enabling music lovers to freely express themselves and create through the universal language of music.

Design Brief and Problem

Music lovers desire to self-express through music, but the high learning cost of the traditional instrument makes it an obstacle to self-expression. In this process, they face challenges like

1. Experiencing frustration with slow progress and occasional plateaus;

2. Lacking a structured practice;

3. Struggling with identifying the most effective practice techniques;

4. Complex mapping, and encrypted fretboard on the instrument.

Process Overview

Through emphasis, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing, we meticulously developed our product. Our research included interviews with eight potential users, including a guitar jam club, and two experienced experts. We iterated with cardboard models, gathered valuable feedback, and refined our physical product. This led to innovative features such as sensor-based string replacements, auto-tune, and a streamlined single-button physical interaction. The input from experts inspired the creation of "modular music creation", "simple chord", and "Simplified Jam Session" functions, elevating the overall user experience.

Users

The users are primary to intermediate-level guitar enthusiasts. The challenge, not just for guitar learning but also for instrument learning, is that users must go through a long and painful process of practicing basic skills to get better and truly enjoy this instrument. The majority of them give up halfway. We also noticed that in order to break this barrier, users need to indeed be able to play the music, which in the guitar learning case is to learn, create, and share.

Unique Selling Point & Innovation

Wejam is a great companion for guitar enthusiasts, providing a transformative guitar learning experience. Our innovative features, such as the sensor matrix, LED guidance, and humming-to-melody function, ensure that users can enjoy playing and creating music. Whether beginners or experienced players, Wejam empowers guitarists to enhance their skills and connect with others through jamming. Here are some takeaways from WeJam Guitar

1. We redefine guitar learning, making it enjoyable and accessible.

2. With a sensor matrix replacing traditional strings, users experience pain-free practice.

3. Connect to a phone for strumming chords, playing riffs, and learning solos with LED guidance on a semi-transparent fretboard.

4. Create melodies from humming, record them, and access through user's phone app.

5. Engage in harmonious jamming, even as a beginner, with others or an AI bot on the Wejam App. Wejam melts down the barriers of guitar learning, becoming the ultimate companion for players.

Conclusion

WeJam's design enhances the quality of life by making music accessible and enjoyable. It fosters connections, promotes self-expression, and boosts well-being through an inclusive and engaging learning experience.