Details
Transition provides DJs with a new way to grow from private practice to live performance. This thesis project combines a physical controller, Transition one, designed to mirror club-standard equipment, with a digital learning tool, Transition play, set in an immersive virtual venue. Together they support both technical skills and stage confidence. DJs can practise mixing on familiar hardware while experiencing crowd reactions, challenges, and rewards in a safe, simulated environment. Transition helps DJs refine their craft, manage performance anxiety, and perform for real audiences with greater confidence and joy.
Bachleor's degree project in official collaboriation with Ableton
Full report can be read here
2025
10 weeks
background
Cause
Most DJs practise on equipment that does not match club standards, leaving them unprepared for real gigs. Combined with common performance anxiety, this makes the step from home to stage greater than what actually should be necessary.
Change
Transition bridges this gap by combining a physical controller designed after club gear with an immersive digital tool. DJs can build both technical skill and stage confidence in a safe, engaging way.
research
Academic Framing
Music performance anxiety affects up to 60% of musicians, often limiting confidence on stage. Studies show that extended reality can act as safe exposure training, helping performers build resilience over time. Virtual reality exposure therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety by up to 55%. Gamification can increase motivation through challenges and rewards and crowd-reading is recognised as one of the hardest skills to master as a DJ.
User insights
Interviews with six DJs revealed struggles with unfamiliar gear, nerves, and crowd disconnection. Many described early gigs as stressful, even overwhelming. Growth often came through challenges, yet confidence was often described as fragile.
Survey
From 62 respondents, 88% reported experiencing performance anxiety and all agreed that crowd reading was harder than technical mixing. Most were self-taught and lacked structured support.
Workshop
To test how DJs react to audiences, I staged a live experiment with three performers. Each DJ played a short set while I prompted the crowd with signs to simulate positive, neutral, and negative reactions. Their heart rate and body temperature were measured to capture stress responses. The DJs reported genuine feelings of pressure, with negative reactions described as discouraging and distracting, while positive ones boosted confidence and encouraged risk-taking. In follow-up interviews, they expressed surprise at how real the simulation felt despite knowing that it was staged and highlighted transitions between sets as the most stressful moments.
The DJ performance journey
Learning program framework architecture
A DJ controller designed to help aspiring DJs move from livingroom sessions to confident club performances. Featuring full-size jogs, dual angle-adjustable displays and a club gear layout.
A virtual DJ learning program that builds stage confidence through immersive practice. In a VR club with lighting, dancers, and sound, DJs can refine crowd-reading skills and learn to manage performance anxiety.
details
An angled display improves ergonomics and reduces glare, while a flat position makes Transition One simple to pack and transport.
pitch at UID talks 2025
Companies attending
Above Agency (Sweden)
Apple Inc (USA)
Accenture Song (Sweden)
Afry (Sweden)
Agile Robots (Germany)
BMW (Germany)
Changeworks (Sweden)
Cliff Design (Sweden)
Coloplast (Denmark)
Consat Design (Sweden)
Epiroc (Sweden)
Getinge (Sweden)
Honda R&D (Germany)
Huawei (Sweden)
Hultafors Group (Sweden)
Hyundai Motor (Germany)
KISKA (Austria)
Knightec Group (Sweden)
Laerdal Medical (Norway)
Nokia (Finland)
PHOENIX Design (Germany)
Prevas (Sweden)
Propeller (Sweden)
Scania (Sweden)
Swedbank (Sweden)
Swift Creatives (Denmark)
Teledyne FLIR (US)
Thule (Sweden)
Toyota (France)
Volvo Cars (Sweden)
Volvo Group (Sweden)
process
