Once upon a really-stressful day…
Scene: Aarav, a 26-year-old analyst, tries to zen out on Spotify. Instead, he’s bombarded with ads, lost in playlists titled “Chill Vibes,” and still wide awake at 3 am.
Problem statement (aka inciting incident):
Users can’t quickly find music that matches their emotional state.
Relaxation derails mid-session by ads.
Community support? Non-existent or noisy AF.
Armed with ~20 survey takers and a few nights of insomnia, I dove in. The mission? Design a safe, ad-free, mood-based space to relax—and maybe vent anonymously.
Research & validation:
Music reduces anxiety by ~65%.
Over 60% rely on tunes for sleep.
Big dogs like Calm & Headspace didn’t offer customizable mood playlists.
“Music that actually gets me.” – Priya, 22, student dealing with stress.
1. Mood Playlist Launcher: Big tiles: “Anxious,” “Tired,” “Barely-hanging-on.” One tap and—boom—a curated playlist.
2. Minimalist Home Screen:
A clean feed grouping mood selector, breathing tools, daily mix, community.
Inspired by Spotify’s casual vibe—clear, familiar, but ghosting the noise.
3. Playlist Tabs: Anxiety, Sleep, Breathing, Meditation.
Premium mode unlocks expert talks.
Default art = Harmonia logo (no ugly blanks).
4. Breathing Breaks:
3-minute guided breathing loops for instant calm.
5. Voice Chat Rooms (VIP):
Imagine Clubhouse, but serene. Max 15 rooms, just for premium users.
6. Profile (aka My Chill Space):
Tabs: Saved, Mine, Downloads. Simple, organized, zero judgment.
7. Music Player & Queue
Soft waves, gentle breeze, inner calm. Your personal audio butler.
8. Premium Upsell
For the price of few vada pavs a month: no ads, more peace, full features.
Dark mode: Gentle on the eyes, cozy on the soul, for the people who browse at night (mostly do)
Orange CTAs: Pop like cake frosting—they demand the click.
UX law love:
Hick’s Law: Fewer mood options = faster chill.
Fitts’s Law: Big buttons = no thumb gymnastics.
Jakob’s Law: Mirror what users already get—comfort of familiarity.
In prototype testing:
Mood-to-playlist flow was 30% faster compared to other apps
4/5 usability testers nailed it on the first try (these testers were my friends 🥸)
“Designing Harmonia taught me that less noise = more voice. Even a simple breathing loop can offer emotional ROI. Constraints don’t cage creativity—they amplify it.”
And yes, this is only Season 1. Season 2 features community sentiment tracking, AI playlist customization, and—maybe—therapy that doesn’t cost more than my rent.
If you want to read the IN-DEPTH research and case study, click anywhere on this box 🤓