Designing DMIs for Popular Music in the {Brazil}ian Northeast: Lessons Learned

Regarding the design of new DMIs, it is possible to fit the majority of projects into two main cases: those developed by the academic research centers, which focus on North American and European contemporary classical and experimental music; and the DIY projects, in which the luthier also plays the roles of performer and/or composer. In both cases, the design process is not focused on creating DMIs for a community with a particular culture - with established instruments, repertoire and playing styles - outside European and North American traditions. This challenge motivated our research. In this paper, we discuss lessons learned during an one-year project called Batebit. Our approach was based on Design Thinking methodology, comprising cycles of inspiration, ideation and implementation. It resulted in two new DMIs developed collaboratively with musicians from the Brazilian Northeast.