Prototyping—the instantiation and exploration of many ideas, before settling on a final design—is important in any creative practice. Creative domains including music composition and instrument building can be seen entailing “wicked design problems” (Dahl 2012) wherein creators must simultaneously navigate many unknowns. Experimentation with prototypes helps creators understand more deeply what they are trying to make, as well as the practicalities of how to make it.

For many Wekinator users, ML is valuable in that it allows them to create and try mappings more quickly than making mappings by hand. This means that they are able to experiment with a wider variety of mapping ideas in the time they have available, potentially allowing them to identify an instrument design that is ultimately more satisfying.