Melo: An Innovative Mood Tracker/Music Playlist App Design
OVERVIEW
In this case study, I will walk through the creation and design of Melo, a mood tracker/music playlist app targeted at any individuals interested in the concept of music for emotional regulation. This project utilized extensive academic research as well as wireframing, prototyping, sketching, and branding.
ROLE
UI/UX Designer
Graphic Designer
TIMEFRAME
4 Months
TEAM
Myself (UI/UX, Graphic Design)
Melo is an app that combines the functions of a daily mood tracker with a music playlist creator. The user begins by creating a mood entry for that day by describing how they’re feeling overall and what emotions they are experiencing that are associated with their overall mood. The user can choose from a wide variety of feelings and emotions, including great, terrible, and everything in between. Melo then generates a unique music playlist using their favorite music that best fits the way that they’re feeling. The intent is for the user to experience the therapeutic effects that music can have on human emotions.
RESEARCH
Many of us have experienced the effects that music can have on our emotions. Music therapy is a term that refers to listening to and/or practicing music for emotional benefits. Typically used as a treatment for certain medical ailments, music therapy has a wide range of uses and an even wider range of individuals that can experience its benefits.
There are many environments and medical conditions in which music therapy can be helpful. Music therapy has been used in the treatment of patients suffering from dementia, which is a decline in mental ability that often has negative impacts on the individual’s emotions (Alzheimer’s Disease International 2020). It has also been used in the treatment of other, more generalized mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Many studies have explored the use of music therapy as a form of treatment for cognitive and emotional disorders, returning generally promising results.
While formal music therapy is often thought of as one of the most accessible forms of treatment/therapy for medical conditions, it still can be inaccessible for many individuals. This is especially true of those in rural or developing areas, who may not have access to the same resources as those in other areas (Artesani 2019). The use of a mobile app can help to address this problem, as the number of individuals with a smartphone has grown rapidly in recent years. Mobile apps can also be helpful for those who live a busy life and feel that they don’t have the time or capacity for treatments such as music therapy.
THE PROBLEM
There are many ways that mobile devices can affect a person’s mental health, good and bad. Many individuals find it helpful to use daily mood tracking apps in order to identify patterns in their emotions over a given period of time. These apps can be especially helpful when going through numerous mental health struggles, such as depressive episodes or unstable emotions.
In much the same way, many have a unique relationship with the music that they listen to, as music can be one of the most impactful influences on a person’s mood. Multiple specific mood playlists are often a part of someone’s music library in order to fit the emotions they experience on a regular basis. Some apps, such as Spotify, also create playlists using the user’s music library based on the emotions that they’re currently feeling.
While mood trackers and music playlist apps are helpful tools on their own, they often lack the personalization that is a key part of experiencing emotions. Mood trackers are helpful for understanding trends and patterns but typically fail to address why the mood is being experienced and how to best get someone through it. Similarly, mood playlists made by Spotify and other music apps aren’t made for the specific emotions and/or experiences that the individual is facing, but rather an overall feeling (Rage, Chill, etc.).
While there are some mobile apps that try to combine music and mood tracking in some way, the concept of a mood tracker/music player hybrid is relatively unexplored due to the presence of already established and popular music apps.
LEARNINGS & CHALLENGES
Teamwork is crucial in redesign projects in order to make sure that the whole team’s voices are heard and their strengths are utilized.
It was challenging to find ways to increase user trust aside from simple errors such as alignment and general tidiness.
It is important that usability testing is conducted among a wide range of users rather than concentrated groups in similar settings.