Project Overview
Context, Conditions, Scope, and Role
Tune Up Your Ears was created during the Summer of 2024 for EME 5602: Technology & Design to develop an interactive multimedia lesson applying visual design principles. The 27-slide interactive PowerPoint teaches ear training through identifying musical intervals in familiar songs. A visual site map on the home page and consistent breadcrumb navigation throughout support learner orientation, while integrated graphics, embedded audio and video, and quiz questions with corrective pop-up feedback provide engagement and reinforcement.
This project was developed independently from concept to completion, applying visual design principles such as chunking, white space, alignment, and contiguity to create clarity and instructional flow. Demonstration videos were produced in Camtasia, and visual piano-key animations from Chrome Music Lab’s Piano Roll were used to create a realistic musical atmosphere. I used Eleven Labs to generate the narration. Interactive exercises encouraged immediate practice and reflection, and consistent typography and spacing unified the design. This is the final version submitted for the course assignment.
Competencies Demonstrated
Select the small arrow to read the skills and rationale applied to this project.
Communication
- Communicate effectively in written, oral, and visual formats.
- Produce clear, concise and grammatically correct messages.
- Produce visuals that adhere to the principles of message design.
The lesson communicated ear training concepts through written instructions, embedded videos created in Camtasia, and supporting graphics. The design applied Mayer's multimedia and contiguity principles by presenting words and pictures together and placing related text and graphics in close proximity to support comprehension.
Design
- Design a curriculum, program, or learning solution.
- Align outcomes, strategies, and assessments.
- Generate appropriate instructional strategies and activities.
- Apply interaction design principles.
- Design assessments to measure learning and performance.
- Identify the scope and sequence for instructional solutions.
- Use visual design principles appropriately.
- Provide a rationale for design decisions.
The lesson aligned the objective of identifying three musical intervals with practice exercises and quiz questions that gave immediate feedback. I applied Hick's Law by limiting each question to four options to keep the challenge balanced. Following Fitts's Law, buttons were large and placed within easy reach to support smooth navigation. Breadcrumb trails were used to show the user's current location. Visual design principles such as chunking, white space, contiguity, and consistent typography organized the 27 slides.
Technology and Media
- Select and use appropriate technology and media for specific outcomes.
- Develop instructional materials using a variety of media (e.g., print, audio-visual, multimedia).
- Use technology tools in the design process.
- Provide a rationale for technology and media decisions.
The lesson was built in PowerPoint with interactive navigation and pop-up feedback. PowerPoint was a practical choice given the project timeline, since developing the same interactions in Storyline would have taken longer for me to accomplish. Chrome Music Lab’s piano showed falling-note visuals, Camtasia produced short instructional videos, and ElevenLabs generated clear voice narration. Together, these tools combined audio and visuals to support the learning objective.
Review this Project
Option 1: Select the image and download for an interactive experience
Option 2: Select the image to watch a movie of this project
TechSmith Screencast
PowerPoint Slide Show - [Sperrazza_Assignment_#4] - 2025-10-29_19-34-29
This lesson was created using advanced PowerPoint features, including hyperlinks, pop-ups, mouse-over effects, and audio feedback that provides immediate learner response cues. When exported as a .ppsx (PowerPoint Show) file, it functions independently as a complete interactive learning experience.
ID Artifacts > Tune Up Your Ears