FeelIt: A Tool for Expressing Real-Time Emotions and Its Influence on the Audience Experience

Abstract

Live music is not only an artistic expression but also a social encounter in which performers and listeners negotiate meaning. While popular concerts often embrace this exchange through collective gestures and technological mediation, classical recitals usually preserve a strictly passive audience role. This work investigates how digital interaction can bridge this gap. We designed FeelIt, a mobile and web-based application that transforms spectators’ emotional responses into visual projections, thereby integrating the public into the concert atmosphere without altering the music itself. The system was evaluated during an international piano seminar, where engagement was assessed through direct observation, the User Engagement Scale (UES), and qualitative accounts from both listeners and performers. Audience members highlighted the novelty, aesthetic appeal, and rewarding nature of the tool, though some reported difficulties related to interface design and reaction visibility. Musicians, in turn, emphasized that the visual feedback generated a stronger sense of dialogue with the public and intensified their emotional connection during performance. Beyond reporting empirical evidence, this work contributes by (i) introducing and validating a non-intrusive mechanism for audience participation in classical concerts, (ii) offering insights into how interactive technologies can enrich experiences without compromising artistic integrity, and (iii) providing practical design guidelines for integrating spectators’ voices into traditionally passive cultural events.