A non-commercial research project on the question of whether a professional Digital Audio Workstation can be fully operated without a screen. Research team: Petar Nikolic (research question & audio, blind since July 2024), Dejan Nikolic (prototype), Vesna Nikolic (audio production & validation), Branislav Nikolic (architecture & code injection), Gilda-Nancy Horvath (scientific methodology). Based in Vienna, non-commercial, open source.
A three-generation family research project with external scientific accompaniment. Petar formulates the research question from a blind user's perspective, Dejan builds the prototype, Branislav is responsible for the system layer, Vesna contributes Logic Pro expertise, Gilda-Nancy Horvath ensures the methodological quality and the research design.
Research question & audio
20+ years audio engineer & music producer. Founder of GipsyRadio (2006) and GipsyTV (2011). On 24 July 2024, Petar lost his sight to a severe inflammation. From this personal experience emerged the research question PapoNox is built on: can a DAW be fully operated without a screen?
“From patient to researcher.”
Prototype & implementation
Dejan Nikolic is Petar's son and is responsible for the technical side of the research. He builds the prototype with the support of modern AI-assisted research tools and translates the research question into an empirically testable methodological approach. Formerly managing director of a Vienna media company (10-person team).
Audio production & validation
Vesna Nikolic is Petar's daughter and has been working in music production for over 15 years — Logic Pro expert and sighted bridge to the blind research lead. She is responsible for workflow validation in real-world operation, documents DAW interaction paths and translates her father's audio engineering knowledge into the methodological specification of the software architecture.
Architecture & code injection
Branislav Nikolic is Petar's father. 30+ years as a programmer and developer — an autodidactic technology pioneer in the family since the 1970s. Responsible for the technical architecture and the system layer of the code injection in PapoNox. Former Apple authorised reseller technician and IT consultant for medium-sized businesses.
Scientific methodology & accompanying report
Gilda-Nancy Horvath is a Roma journalist and participatory researcher with over 15 years of methodological work on minorities, accessibility and participatory research. Co-author of the 2020 Empowerment Study on Sinti and Roma (Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior), member of the Pakiv Board (ERIAC) and chair of Lovara-Roma Austria. Responsible for research design, the scientific accompanying report and methodological quality assurance.
Questions, feedback, or research interest? We welcome any response.