Muse
User research and interface design for memory-making app.
Original illustration by Humaans, modified in-house for Muse.
The brief
Muse is a social media platform which blends music with memories to make memory-recording a delight. Muse empowers young adults to reflect and contemplate their lived experiences, leveraging the power of music to help people remember stronger and more vividly.
Timeline
January 2020, 10 weeks
Context
UX designer and researcher for senior capstone project
Tools
Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, Amplitude, React Native
Pivoting from Rechords to Muse
Muse sprung out of an initial quarter-long project called Rechords, which meant I joined the project well into its development. As part of the senior capstone class, I was tasked to improve the user experience, both in aesthetics and usability.
As part of this process, we conducted both lab usability tests and field tests on Stanford campus and at Disneyland to refine ease of use in contexts similar to expected use. At the same time, we looked to refresh the brand identity to better align with our new POV.
Focusing on the memories
While the old palette fit the original calm and contemplative tone of the app, it also felt dull and unexciting. We punched up the vibrancy in the new color scheme, adopting a bolder, energetic color story to match the feeling of reminiscing on past memories.
On the home screen, we consolidated the original filter bar into a search function and simplified the bottom nav bar for greater ease of use and to place greater focus on the memories.
Experiencing memories with clarity
The memory screen saw the largest departure from the initial prototype. While users found the vinyl interaction delightful, we ultimately ditched it as all critical information was obscured in tap and flip interactions.
The new screen adopts a more easily recognizable interface similar to the music streaming apps our target users are aware of. We retained the kinetic energy of the vinyl in spirit by allowing for video memory covers, which adds a touch of delight to the overall app experience.
Outcomes
Muse won Best Project at Stanford’s 2020 Senior HCI Capstone Expo.