Som Da Cidade: A reflection on the contribution of user-centered design tools in projects for the cultural industry

The complexity that emerges from the combination of psychological, social and economical considerations involved in the experience of listening and consuming music results in several new products and services that attend different needs of distinct customer segments. This paper analyzes the relevance of the results obtained with the application of User-Centered Design Tools in a project that aimed to develop innovative technology-based products and services for a cultural industry in a context of similar complexity. The applications of these tools originated the “Som da Cidade” project, a web-based service that combines cultural flows in an urban space with the virtual world to characterize their different points of contact and provides a new experience of musical interaction. Obtained results reveals that the application of User-Centered Design tools can generate relevant results in contexts where product development phases are not completely understood before the project approaches its end.