The Paperoles Project: An analysis of paper use by music composers

Technologies such as Anoto offer a novel approach to supporting the creative design process, by integrating paper with on-line tools. However, creating successful 'augmented paper' applications requires a detailed understanding of the existing and potential roles of both paper and computers. This paper describes our study of contemporary music composers, who are highly skilled users of both. We challenge common assumptions, particularly that paper's key value lies in its flexibility and describe our early prototypes of 'augmented scores'. We conclude with implications for the design of augmented paper applications that support creative work.