WHAT I LOOKED AT

How each app transfers knowledge in its tutorials: who teaches, what is shown, how the player gets feedback.

WHAT NOTEY MISSES TODAY

Help to place fingers in the right spot on the guitar, and visual feedback on the hand. Most competitors rely on video teachers for this.

THE BET

No filmed teacher, so turn it into an advantage: video game codes and the mascot do the teaching, without hurting learning.

THE NOTE

"Where do I put my finger?"

Unsure which fret, and how hard to press.

Show it: note card, then Notey's guitar.

THE RULES

"Which line is which string?"

Nobody says the tab is the guitar seen from above.

Teach it: the basics, in the world.

THE MIC

"I played it. Why nothing?"

The system cannot hear the guitar.

Fix it: mic settings, one tap.

THE GUITAR

"I'm right, but it says wrong."

Out of tune, and nothing tells you.

Fix it: tuner, only when needed.

Notey is the helper

No new mascot, no Clippy. He is loved and already plays guitar, so he demonstrates instead of explaining.

Inside the world

No support widget. The camera zooms into the 3D level and Notey teaches where the player already is.

Text first, player paced

Like a DS or Game Boy tutorial: short bubbles, tap to continue. The game already works without voice.

The guitar is the controller

Every teaching step ends with the player playing, not reading. Even a hint closes by playing the note.

Escalate gently

The lightest help first. The full lesson only when the signals say the player needs it.

Phone first

Designed on an iPhone: the hardest screen, and the one every player has.

LEVEL 1 · 2 MISSES, THEN 3 MORE

A hint the game doesn't stop for

A small "?!?" bubble first. Then the note card: C, B string, fret 1, finger 1. It closes when the player plays the note.

LEVEL 2 · 3 MORE MISSES

An offer, never a takeover

"Still feeling lost?" with Watch the basics or Not now. Past 5 misses, the bubble leads straight here: a level-zero player needs more than a diagram.

LEVEL 3 · PLAYER OPTS IN

The basics, taught by Notey

The camera zooms into the world. Short chapters, each closed by a guitar check, then straight back to the level.

START

Gameplay

2 MISSES

"?!?" bubble

+3 MISSES

Note card

+3 MISSES

"Still lost?" offer

OPT IN

Basics lesson

CHECK

Transfer test

MASTERED

Back in the level

Exit points

Solved alone · "Not now" · X, then "Going solo?" · Mastered it. All return to the level with the score.

Shortcuts and loops

Past 5 misses, the bubble opens the basics offer directly. Skip forward between chapters. +3 misses on the test: Notey shows the fret, then a new note.

System detours

Mic not heard: settings. Guitar out of tune: tuner. Available any time, the game keeps running.

1 · TABLATURE

Six lines, six strings. "It's like looking at your guitar from above."

2 · FIRST INPUT

Copy Notey on the thinnest string. A "Perfect!" unlocks the next step.

3 · FRETS

Counted from the head. Press hard, slightly behind the metal strip.

4 · NUMBERS

"When you see 1, play fret 1." Then fret 1, then fret 2.

CORRECT

Instant praise and unlock. Small, frequent wins.

INCORRECT

After 3 misses, Notey zooms on his guitar and shows the exact spot.

MISSING

"I don't hear you correctly." Notey's own mic looks broken. One tap to settings.

UNCERTAIN

"Your guitar sounds a little off." A tuner button appears only when needed.

Accessibility, within the brand

I fixed contrast and button affordances in the UI, without changing the app's look. Text-first bubbles also work without sound.

Settings and tuner: entry points only

Redesigning mic settings and the tuning flow was out of scope. The helper routes the player there at the right moment.

A complete lesson, by caution

Without user tests, it is easier to remove content later than to leave guidance gaps that block learning and autonomy. Shorten it once tests show quality holds.

Notey and text, not a new voice

A new mascot or voice acting would add cost and dilute the brand. Notey already plays guitar, and the game already works without voice.

Automatic, manual, or both?

Both. Signals escalate the help on their own, and the bubble lets the player call Notey at any time.

How does Notey know?

Repeated misses on one target, error density early in the session, and signal quality: silence means mic, a steady pitch offset means tuning.

Not interrupting, not patronising?

The first help is tiny and ignorable, the bigger one is opt-in. Two audiences get two depths of help.

Dismiss, pause, revisit?

X with a friendly confirm, chapter controls to pause or skip, and the bubble to come back whenever needed.

Preserving momentum

The hint doesn't pause the game. The lesson lives in the same world, with a camera zoom and no context switch. Steps are short, and the exit drops the player straight back into the level.

Trust when unsure

Recognition confidence sets the response. High: judge the note. Medium: "Play it again for me?", no miss counted. Low: don't judge, check the mic or tuning.

Actually unblocked?

The player proves it by playing: the transfer test on a new string, one extra note after a recovery, then success back in the real level.

Bubble affordance

Do players understand that the "?!?" bubble can be tapped? It is the entry point to everything.

Thresholds

Calibrate the 2, 3 and 5 miss triggers and the confidence bands with real play data, possibly per age group.

Kids and pressure

Feedback on pressing hard enough without pain. Children often press too softly.