Selected Research & Design Case Studies

UX research-driven systems integrating multimodal data, real-time interaction, system design, and adaptive interface design across complex environments.

ADAS UX Research

Driver perception and safety-critical interaction systems across vehicle scenarios.

View Case Study
Multimodal Interaction

EEG, HRV, behavior, and real-time UX modeling for adaptive interfaces.

View Case Study
MoodMap

Heartbeat-adaptive music recommendation using HR, HRV, and affective corpus mapping.

View Case Study

About Me

I am a UX researcher and UI designer focused on real-time, adaptive systems that respond to human cognition and behavior in dynamic environments. I developed a human-centered in-vehicle warning system, creating a scalable UX framework that organizes 100+ ADAS use cases into a coherent auditory and visual ecosystem. This work strengthened my focus on safety-critical design, system-level thinking, and cross-functional collaboration. Building on this, I developed a real-time multimodal system that performs expert-level harmonic analysis and synchronizes musical structure with physiological and behavioral data. This enables adaptive experiences where media responds directly to user state, supporting stress-aware, attention-aware, and personalized Human-Machine interaction. I am focused on bringing these systems into real-world applications, contributing to intelligent, human-centered environments that integrate real-time data, UX strategy, and system and UI design.

Events

Resume

Oğuzhan Tuğral

Mobile: +1 413 490 1935

Education

  • University of Massachusetts, Amherst

    Master of Arts in Music
    Massachusetts, USA
    Sep. 2023 – May 2026

  • Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM)

    Master of Arts in Music
    Istanbul, Turkey
    Sep. 2012 – July 2017

  • Kocaeli University

    Bachelor of Communication / Journalism
    Kocaeli, Turkey
    Sep. 2001 – Jan. 2010

Experiences

  • University of Massachusetts, Department of Music and Dance

    Research & Teaching Assistant – Music Theory I and II
    Amherst, Massachusetts
    September 2023 – May 2025
    • Designed and conducted multimodal UX research integrating behavioral, EEG, and HRV data.
    • Developed real-time systems for synchronizing user input, physiological signals, and interaction feedback.
    • Generated actionable insights for adaptive interaction and user-state modeling.
    • Supported instruction in Music Theory through teaching and academic guidance.

  • Togg (Automobile Company)

    UX Researcher & Designer
    Informatics Valley, Gebze
    May 2020 – Jan 2023
    • Led UX research for ADAS systems across 100+ driving scenarios using mixed methods.
    • Defined evaluation metrics for alert perception, reaction time, and cognitive load.
    • Synthesized multimodal data into system-level UX frameworks and interaction models.
    • Developed and validated a full prototype including interaction logic and real-time dashboard UI.

  • Freelance

    Researcher & Designer
    Istanbul, Turkey
    Sep 2018 – April 2020
    • Conducted independent research in computational music theory, cognition, and generative modeling frameworks.
    • Presented research at international conferences (CNS, SMPC, ESCOM, AAWM), contributing to music cognition and multimodal analysis discourse.
    • Developed theoretical and computational models for musical structure, syntax, and cross-cultural classification systems.
    • Published peer-reviewed research and received international grants supporting conference presentations and research dissemination.

  • Radikal Research Services Ltd. Co.

    Market Research & Participant Screening Specialist
    Istanbul, Turkey
    April 2014 – August 2018
    • Conducted end-to-end market and public opinion research across industries in collaboration with marketing and UX teams.
    • Recruited and interviewed participants, evaluating eligibility based on predefined research criteria and study requirements.
    • Screened and matched participants to appropriate research studies, ensuring methodological alignment and data quality.

  • Musician / Arranger / Guitar Trainer

    İzmit, Turkey
    Sep 2001 – June 2012
    • Performer in Live Music Avenues: In 2000, I began performing solo and with orchestras as an electric, acoustic, and bass guitarist in various cities across the Marmara Region in Turkey.
    • Pop, Rock & Jazz Music Arranger: During that time, I was also recording songs for local singers and bands using various Digital Audio Workstations like Cubase, Nuendo, Reason, and Fruity Loops.
    • Guitar Trainer: Starting in 2004, I taught guitar to private students and conducted classes in art studios in Kocaeli.

Conferences

  • Evanston, IL, USA: Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC 2026), Poster Presentation (forthcoming), 2026, "A Real-Time Multimodal Architecture for Musical Expectation: Automatic Harmonic Tokenization with Behavioral and Physiological Synchronization."
  • Evanston, IL, USA: Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC 2026), Poster Presentation (forthcoming), 2026, "MusWM: A Computational Model for Musical Working Memory."
  • Vancouver, BC, Canada. JW Marriott Parq Vancouver Hotel: Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) Annual Meeting, March 7–10, 2026 (forthcoming), "Dynamic Temporal Alignment of EEG and Music: A Novel Framework for Real-Time Music Cognition Research." Poster presentation scheduled for March 8, 2026.
  • Bologna, Italy. Palazzo dei Congressi: 18th World Congress of Music Therapy, July 8–12, 2026 (forthcoming), "A Multimodal Real-Time Tool for Music Therapy: Investigating Musical Memory and Emotional Engagement in Cognitive Decline."
  • Paris, France. Musee de l'Homme, 17 place du Trocadero, 75116: The Sixth International Conference on Analytical Approaches to World Music, 2020, June 24 – 27. June 2021, postponed due to Covid-19 — "On The Syntax of a Compound Maqam in Turkish Art Music: Yet, Another Look at Cadences in Generative Grammar Studies in Music."
  • St. Petersburg, Russia. Vaganova Ballet Academy, St. Petersburg University: International Conference "Language-Music-Gesture: Informational Crossroads"; April 2021, "On The Syntax of a Compound Maqam in Turkish Art Music: Yet, Another Look at Cadences in Generative Grammar Studies in Music."
  • Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul Technical University: "International Music and Sciences" Symposium, Istanbul Technical University, April 2019 — "Foucault's Falling Apples from Chomskyan Trees."
  • Indiana, USA. Indiana University Bloomington, Jacobs School of Music, Historical Performance Institute: 2nd Annual International Conference – Historical Performance: Theory, Practice, and Interdisciplinarity, May 2017; "Does Internalism Apply to Medieval Music: Cultural and Universal Aspects of the Prosdoscimus de Beldemandis's Contrapunctus?"
  • Nottingham, UK. University of Nottingham: History, Analysis, Pedagogy: Music Analysis Conference, "A Generative Representation of Mo.311 in Montpellier Codex."
  • New York, USA. City University of New York: 19th Graduate Student Music Conference: Music and Radicalism, Radicalism in Music; "Resurrection of Renaissance Thoughts: An Alternative Analysis in Generative Approaches."
  • Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul Technical University: 1st Graduate Student Conference in Musicology; "A Linguistic Approach to the Early Music: Representation of the Hexachord Theory by X-Bar Method as an Excavation Tool."
  • Manchester, UK. Royal Northern College of Music - Music Conservatoire: 9th Triennial Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Science of Music (ESCOM); "A Linguistic Approach to the Early Music: Representation of the Hexachord Theory by X-Bar Method as an Excavation Tool."
  • Keele, UK. Keele University: The Keele Music Analysis Conference (KeeleMAC), July 2015 — "A Linguistic Approach to the Early Music: Representation of the Hexachord Theory by X-Bar Method as an Excavation Tool."
  • St. Petersburg, Russia. Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation: International Workshop on Music, Language and Computing, April 2015 — "A Linguistic Approach to the Early Music: Representation of the Hexachord Theory by X-Bar Method as an Excavation Tool."

Publications

  • A Linguistic Approach to the Syntax of Early Music: Representation of the Hexachord System by X-Bar Method as an Excavation Tool. In: Eismont, P., Konstantinova, N. (eds) Language, Music, and Computing. LMAC 2015. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 561. Springer, Cham.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27498-0_12

Awards & Grants

  • UMass Amherst Humanities and Fine Arts: Summer Research Award, 2025.
  • Society for Music Theory (SMT), 2017: International Travel Grant for 40th Annual Meeting of the Society.
  • Society for Music Analysis (SMA), 2016: Travel Grant for "History, Analysis, Pedagogy – Music Analysis Conference" of the Society.
  • European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM), 2015: Travel Grant for "Ninth Triennial Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music."

Membership

  • Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS)
  • Society for Music Theory (SMT)

Software Skills

  • Languages: Python, Javascript, Max/MSP.
  • Data Analysis and Representation SQL, Tableau.
  • Design & Prototyping Tools: Figma, Miro, After Effects.
  • Program Management: JIRA.
  • Digital Audio Workstations: Cubase, Ableton Live, Nuendo, Pro-Tools.
  • Music Notation Software: Sibelius.

Certificates

  • Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere
    Google/Coursera Certificate. Completed: June 6, 2025. Grade Achieved: 88.50%.
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  • Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions
    Google/Coursera Certificate. Completed: June 25, 2025. Grade Achieved: 96.87%.
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  • Foundations of Project Management
    Google/Coursera Certificate. Completed: January 16, 2026. Grade Achieved: 96.87%.
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