CÜRATE
Role
Designer/UX Research
Service
UI/UX
Deliverables
Mobile app
Overview
CURATE is a mood-driven music app designed to help users shift their emotional state through curated playlists. Many people already rely on music to relax, focus, or boost energy, but finding the right music often takes time and effort.
Through user research, I discovered that music plays a key role in helping people regulate their mood, especially during moments like waking up, working, or decompressing. CURATE simplifies this process by guiding users through a mood check-in and generating playlists designed to help them reach their desired emotional state.
Problem
What's the problem we are trying to solve here?
Many users use music to influence how they feel, but struggle to quickly find music that matches their current mood or desired energy. This results in time spent searching instead of immediately benefiting from music as a tool for emotional regulation.
Solution
The Solution
CURATE introduces a simple flow that allows users to identify their current mood and select the energy level they want to reach. Based on this input, the app generates curated playlists designed to guide users through an emotional transition, creating a more intentional and seamless listening experience.
User Personas
Maya Rodriguez
“I don’t need more productivity hacks. I just need help getting into the right headspace so I can actually start.”
Location: Seattle, WA
Age: 24
Occupation: Graduate design student/ Part-time barista
Income: $40,000
Background
Maya moved to Seattle to pursue her master’s degree in design. She balances school, freelance work, and a part-time job. Her days feel emotionally inconsistent with some mornings she wakes up motivated and other days she feels overwhelmed and stuck.
Goals and Challenges
Get into the right headspace faster
Understand patterns in her mood and energy
Struggles with starting tasks when overwhelmed.
Gets distracted when scrolling instead of working
Pain Points
Mood shifts mess up her days
Wants a way to start day on the right note
Wants structure in her playlists
Affinity Diagram
Exploring the Relationship Between Mood, Energy, and Music
What I got out of my reseach
Users rely on habits like caffeine and routines to manage their energy, but often struggle with inconsistency and low motivation. At the same time, music is consistently used as a tool to influence mood, yet users lack a fast and intentional way to find music that matches how they feel. This revealed an opportunity to design a system that helps users quickly shift their mood through music.
Define
Defining the process
After analyzing user insights, I defined a clear flow that guides users from their current mood to their desired emotional state through music. This process reduces friction and focuses on creating a simple, intentional experience that allows users to quickly start a session and reflect on their mood.
This flow shows how users move from their current mood to a desired emotional state through curated music. By selecting their mood and energy goal, users receive personalized playlists and reflect on their experience, creating a continuous feedback loop.
Ideate
Using insight to create concrete designs
I explored different ways to simplify the experience and reduce friction for users. Early sketches focused on creating a clear and minimal flow that prioritizes mood selection and fast access to music.
Prototype
Prototyping my designs
The final prototype focuses on a simple, mood-based flow that allows users to quickly access curated playlists. The design emphasizes clarity, emotional intent, and ease of use.
What I learned
My next steps
This project reinforced the importance of designing based on real user behavior. Understanding how users already use music helped me create a more focused and meaningful experience.
I plan to continue improving the app by refining the mood transition experience, expanding playlist personalization, and incorporating more user feedback to enhance usability.