The product that will be discussed in this report is an Akai MPK Mini MK3 MIDI keyboard. A MIDI keyboard (a.k.a. controller keyboard) is an electronic musical instrument that is built mostly in a piano-like style and features various buttons, wheels and sliders for various functions. They send MIDI signals or commands using a USB or a MIDI cable to computers or musical devices. MIDI keyboards are mostly used for controlling musical instruments and parameters within a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation); which are softwares that are used for music production, mixing and mastering.
The keyboard is a compact-sized 25 key MIDI keyboard that features 8 pressure-sensitive pads, 8 knobs, buttons for controlling MIDI parameters (changing octave, turning on the arpeggiator etc.), an OLED display and a 4-way thumbstick for dynamic pitch and modulation control.
The keys are mini sized pressure-sensitive piano keys with little key travel (the distance keys move when pressed). They are used for playing notes and chords.
The pads are large sized and can switch between 8 additional notes using the BANK A/B button. They are mostly preferred for controlling drum instruments or playing notes that require more velocity sensitivity.
The knobs are endless knobs, which means they do not have a start and an end position and are used for changing the sound parameters of an instrument.
The buttons control various MIDI signal commands and instrument features such as changing the arpeggiator properties, changing the octave interval, adjusting note velocity and repetition, switching between pad presets, program selection and changing. The OLED display places visual feedback of DAW mode selection, velocity, CC etc onto the keyboard’s surface. The thumbstick operates as a two parameter controller: moving the stick within the x-axis changes the pitch of the sound within a whole note range and moving it within the y-axis changes the assigned modulation parameter.There are two input jacks at the back surface of the keyboard: one sustain pedal input, which is a separately sold pedal that allows the notes to play continuously until they naturally fade away when pressed, and a USB output, which is used for plugging the keyboard into a PC or tablet for DAW integration.
The reason we chose this product is that a MIDI keyboard is a common item for both of us, but we use different models; which allowed us to compare the items from different perspectives. After a thorough analysis and comparison of the two keyboards, we decided that Akai MPK Mini MK3 was the product that proposed more problems and/or inefficient design solutions compared to the other. These inefficient and dissatisfactory ways Akai MPK Mini MK3 applied for answering basic needs of a MIDI keyboard were the main reason why we wanted to analyse and propose design solutions for it.
Discussion
After the analysis we made, we agreed upon the idea that Akai being a popular brand and the brand name being the ensurement of customer satisfaction to some users may have shift the brand’s production strategy to a direction where the emphasis is made upon the higher tier models and not focusing as much to the budget product such as the MPK Mini MK3. The motive behind our design suggestions is that this example of a supposedly budget Akai model remains quite inadequate when compared to other brands that show better functionality at the same or even lower price points. Strong features of this product in particular may have compelled the designers to put more emphasis on them but as a drawback, diminish the functionality of some other features. This overall discredits the product and creates the impression of “giving up on certain features to take advantage of the others”; which we believe would only damage the reputation of the brand.
The adjustments we made were mostly interfacial, since it was the most interactive and functional aspect of the product. However while doing that, we did not want to make changes in the product identity and mostly avoided changing the design of the components but rather adjusted them slightly to function better and make the most out of the keyboard. The keys felt quite fragile and felt like they lacked enough support so we increased the thickness of the keybed for a more piano-like feel and sturdiness.We augmented the material texture of the knobs by adding a rubber coating to increase the surface friction in order to make them grab more easily. We thought the size of the pads were excessively large so we decreased their size. The most problematic design of the keyboard was its thumbstick. It did not live up to its intended purpose and was lacking the stability to function properly. So we made use of the room we acquired from decreasing the size of the pads and put touchstrips for controlling pitch shifting and modulation. We organized the layout according to the solutions we found.
In case of the user feedback, we did not have much issue with the product. It was overall informing the user very clearly and the indications it gave were enough to properly use the product. One of the issues we found that diminished the product’s user feedback capabilities was the limited information given by the LED screen. However, it was a software issue that could be fixed by updates so we chose not to address it. The only possible downside we identified that required changes in the hardware was the clicking noise issue of the buttons. It was generally distracting and could be problematic in cases where it would be required to keep the noise minimal. We tried to deal with this issue by changing the button material from a hard plastic to a softer rubber material which would absorb the button pushing impact and silence them.
Utilitywise, we wanted this product to offer as many functionality options as the other products within the same mini MIDI keyboard range of products so we added the MIDI out function. This granted us the utility to perform the MIDI functions of the keyboard with analog instruments.
Conclusion
The design of Akai MPK Mini MK3 highlights certain functions of the product and make them predominant in the design. However, this as a drawback diminishes the functionality of the not-so-strong features of the product which overall interferes with the productivity of the product and the user experience. This causes it to be a keyboard where users enjoy the stronger features yet “deal with” the poor ones. Our approach was to make this product more consistent and balanced as well as a product that does not only rely on the influence of its brand name and actually delivers the needs of a MIDI keyboard.
Some of the design proposals we suggested are the approaches other brands have taken that were utilized to not interfere with the user experience and propose simple and minimal solutions to the basic needs of an entry-level compact sized MIDI keyboard. Some of these solutions that other brands utilize in their designs are the pitch shift and modulation strips and the use of silicon in the buttons for silence. These are industry standard solutions that meet the basic needs of a MIDI keyboard while not going overboard with the design.
One of our main limitations was to not get away from the compatibility aspect of the product and develop physical solutions within the dimensional limitations of the product. Also, not being able to get a professional’s opinions and receiving their feedback limited our analysis approach. That could have provided information regarding actual music production and live performance.
