Project Summary

The product

Scale Genie: A set of stickers for piano keys that visually map out scales, intervals, and chords.

Designed for beginners and self-taught players, it turns abstract theory into a clear, hands-on learning tool from the first note.

The problem

Beginner piano players often struggle with scales and note relationships due to the uniform appearance of piano keys and the abstract nature of theory. Without visual guidance, students can develop bad habits, lose motivation, or feel overwhelmed memorizing fingerings and patterns.

The goal

Create a colour-coded system that helps learners quickly recognise and play scales with confidence; turning the keyboard into a clear, guided learning surface.

My Role & Responsibilities

Initiated and led the project, identifying a gap in how beginner pianists learn scales.
Prototyped and tested sticker layouts to support visual, hands-on learning.

Project duration: 07/2012-03/2013

Designed a labelling system to simplify scale recognition.
Adapted layouts for different keyboard sizes.
Refined the product based on user feedback.

Understanding the User

To design an effective solution, I conducted interviews with beginner piano learners and gathered insights from music teachers. These conversations revealed a consistent set of challenges:

User journey: from sheet music to confident practice

Lena's journey shows how visual tools like Scale Genie help beginners move from confusion, to confident playing. Clear, colour-based guidance bridges the gap between theory and practice.

Design process

1. Identifying Barriers & Exploring Visual Solutions

While observing beginner learners, I noticed a pattern: traditional music theory felt abstract and disconnected from the keyboard.

Students struggled to recall which notes belonged to which scale, especially when returning to practice after a break.

To explore alternatives, I began using coloured dot stickers directly on piano keys.

This simple, hands-on method made patterns more visible, revealing that learners could grasp scale structures faster when theory was tied to something they could see and touch.

2. Designing & Testing Visual Patterns

I used Illustrator to design clear, colour-coded layouts that visually mapped scale tones onto both white and black keys.

I experimented with label size, shape, and spacing to ensure they fit standard keyboards without obscuring the keys.

I then printed and applied these designs to keyboards of various sizes, testing for visual clarity, ease of reading during practice, and how intuitive the placement felt while playing.

(Early prototypes left no space for fingering and did not indicate the key in the sequence. Only the scale it belonged to.)

3. Refining Through Classroom Feedback

Feedback from students and teachers helped shape the final design of Scale Genie.

Initially, the stickers only used colour to indicate the overall scale, without labelling each individual note.

Based on user input, I redesigned the system to show every key in the scale, whether sharp or flat-and added recommended fingerings for both hands.

These changes made the tool more informative, especially for beginners who needed clearer guidance while practising.

4. Finalizing Assets for Real-World Use

To prepare Scale Genie for real-world use, I created professionally printed sticker sets for sale and designed watermarked PDFs for free download. I also developed simple usage guides to support both home and classroom application. These final assets made the system accessible, easy to implement, and suitable for a wide range of learners and teaching contexts.

Lessons Learned & Future Enhancements

Design Value Summary

Let’s connect!

Visit my website: https://www.marekconnellenglish.com

Reach out: MarekConnell@hotmail.com

+34 622 403 884

Want to dive deeper? Download the full case study (PDF)

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