Tools have evolved since the beginning of time. What started as a primary element to assist the human body has evolved as the human mind keeps finding ways to make them more efficient, aesthetically pleasing and generally cheaper for us to consume. With every improvement comes change but for the most part, we have seen change in tools as a gradual process due to the fact that adopting change is not easy for consumers. This does not mean that we cannot think ahead and visualize how tools would look and interact in the future, it just means that both trajectories (visionary and evolutionary) need to inform each other as both strive to improve tools and our quality of life through the use of those tools.

Gregory Kaufman or Gerg as he prefers it, is a young designer from Houston with an interesting vision. A recent bfa graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, Gerg chose to redesign a tool for music as his final Senior project, the DJ table. As a DJ himself, he saw an opportunity to make a change that would drastically influence DJing by not only thinking about the tool but also the logistics of owning and transporting the equipment. He found the process of DJing cumbersome and inefficient as DJs must go through an arduous process of preparing and transporting the equipment. Heavy, bulky, expensive and tedious are the tasks of set up and tear down. There is also the risk of dropping and damaging the equipment as you move back and forth between venues. Gerg saw an opportunity to consolidate these obstacles by developing and designing a digital DJ turntable.

He studied not only the logistics of purchasing and transporting, but also the facets of tactile behaviors that come with DJing. Gerg worked arduously considering the physical and emotional connection the DJ must have with equipment and audience. He developed a digital interface on a flat screen that will allow DJs to have more control and a more fluid process with their passion. Understanding the difficulty of not having the dimensional and tactile qualities of the turntables, Gerg designed a series of gestural interactions to compensate for not having dimensional parts. This clever solution allows the DJ to maintain his/her current integration with the music and the audience.

Video Courtesy of Gerg

Enough said, take a look at Gerg explaining the concept and demonstrating the product through a conceptual video. Go ahead and give us your opinion in UX, interaction and gestural considerations.