1. Daily Listeners, Deep Feelings
   90% of surveyed users (ages 18–24) listen to music daily, with over 80% saying they use it to manage mood or stress.
   → Music already acts as self-therapy—design needed to make that intentional.

2. The Journaling Gap
   While 70% said they’ve tried journaling, most found it “too time-consuming” or “too blank to start.”
   → Guided, low-effort logging methods would help sustain long-term engagement.

3. Mood Apps Feel Clinical
   Users compared apps like Daylio and Headspace to “checklists” rather than reflections.
   → Design should feel warm, visual, and emotional, not procedural.

4. Music as Reflection
   Research from Emotional Design (Norman, 2004) and Music Therapy Studies shows that music helps people express what words can’t.
   → Emotional UX design = music + reflection = self-awareness.

Early sketches explored how to make the act of logging a mood feel delightful, not like data entry.

• Mood Wheel: Tap and drag across colors to represent emotion intensity.

• Song Pairing Screen: Auto-fills recently played songs from Spotify or Apple Music.

• Reflective Journal Cards: Display personalized prompts like “What lyric matched your day?”

Mid-fidelity wireframes refined this into a flow that starts with feeling → links to sound → ends with reflection, blending functionality with emotional rhythm.

Goal: Test how intuitive and emotionally engaging the design felt.
Participants: 10 music-loving young adults (18–24).

Quotes That Shaped the Design:

• “I like the colors, they really fit my moods.”

• “It interesting seeing my emotions as a map instead of just a list.”

• “The writing prompts are really helpful when I don’t know what to write about.”

Key Changes:

• Added audio journaling for expressive entries.

• Simplified navigation: users can log mood → add song → write or record.

• Created auto-color themes that change with emotional patterns to make data feel human.