It’s probably a question you’ve never thought of, but are now keen to ask.
And we will be more than happy to answer it!
HOW IT ALL STARTED
A few years ago, we partnered with Uberchord, an app development company from Germany.
Uberchord was engaged by Yamaha, a global leader in the manufacture of musical instruments, to develop an app to support the URBAN guitar signed by Keith Urban, a well-known musician and guitarist.
The aim of the project was to create an interactive guitar learning platform using sound recognition technology, gamification elements and dynamic animations.
This is where itSilesia – our team of 6 developers – stepped in, along with a project manager who worked for four years to develop and maintain this application. Our experience of working with the Unity engine played a key role, enabling the real-time dynamic exercises to be realised.
When working on the Urban Guitar app, we focused on providing the most engaging and varied functionality possible, which was not only meant to teach, but also to motivate users to practice regularly.
HERE IS WHAT WE MANAGED TO CREATE
The main axis of the app is based on courses, which contain detailed designed lessons to help you learn how to play specific pieces of music. Each lesson is a set of exercises that develop the user’s skills step by step. To aid learning, instructional videos appear between lessons with practical tips for each section.
To keep users constantly motivated, we have implemented a system of rewarding points for completing lessons. In addition, the app is equipped with a progress tracking module that shows, among other things, the time spent practising, the number of experience points gained, the chords learned and the level of proficiency. The user can thus track his or her progress over time, which significantly increases his or her engagement.
One of the unique features of the app is the ‘daily workout’ function. Based on the chords mastered by the user, the app automatically generates a new song to practise. This feature provides a personalised approach to each user, making training more personalised and attractive.
One of our priorities was to better understand users’ needs. To this end, we implemented an analytics system that allowed us to monitor how users were using the app. With this data, we were able to better adapt its functionalities to the expectations of the audience.
TECHNOLOGY
The technological basis of the application was the Unity Engine, which made it possible to create dynamic animations and interactive exercises in real time. Unity excelled in the implementation of gamification elements, which added a whole new dimension to learning to play guitar.
We also used React Native, which significantly accelerated the work on the CMS module. It made the management of course content and the implementation of new features faster and more efficient.
Our goal was to create a product that combined modern technology, intuitive use and advanced gamification mechanics. The result of our work was an application that gained wide recognition among users.
WHY ITSILESIA?
IT outsourcing is a popular and effective solution in the IT industry that allows companies to hire specialised teams. This gives companies access to experts with the unique skill sets needed to deliver demanding projects. As itSilesia, we often partner with a variety of entities, offering our developers and teams to support them with work or complex projects. Our experience, commitment and skills led to us being entrusted with the work on Urban Guitar.
The application was very popular and became a success. So much so that …
...this is not the end of the story! In the following parts, we will tell you how we further developed the app and what possibilities technology offers in the context of music education and beyond!
