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Abeona

Provide music playlists that may sooth the driver's mood and promote safe driving.

Project Type
Solo Concept Design
Scope
MVP Design Sprint
Duration
4 weeks
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View UI Design
The influence of music on mood and performance while driving, Marjolein D van der Zwaag et al. 2011
Discovery

Can music promote safe driving?

The current study shows that listening to music can positively impact the mood while driving, which could affect the driver's behavior.

Problem

Let's admit it:
we all get distructed while driving.

Music may influence mood and behavior of the listener, and this could be also true while the person is driving.

Some people like to listen to music of a certain genre or tempo in order to stay alert while driving, while others think music may cause destruction.

How might we...?
  • promote appropriate behavior while driving
  • calm the driver's mood when he is in traffic
  • encourage the driver to stay alert while driving long distances

User Research

Market Share

Spotify is on the lead.

What user said

Does music changes your mood while driving ?
29 people said yes.

Out of 31 participants 26 people like listing to music while driving. 68% or 21 people use spotify the most.

Personas

I came up with two of personas both in Millennials and Gen Z with different driving frequency and music dependency. Many tech savvy Gen Z paradoxically drive older cars without Apple Carplay or Android Auto, due to lack of resources and lower income.

Product Goals and Key Features

The app may play calming music when…

  • The weather forecast is difficult condition to drive ahead.
  • The driver is way over the speed limit.
  • More than usual traffic ahead.
  • Difficult to drive, accident-prone road.

The app may play up-tempo music when…

  • The driver is driving what too slow for the road.
  • The driver needs to drive for a long period of time at night.
  • The weather has been depressing and needs something to up lift the driver’s spirit..

Lo-Fi Sketches

Mid-Fi Wireframe

I began my process by thinking about how a person would interact with this app which needs to be based on familiar interface. It should offer both auto and manual modes for choosing music so that the driver needs not to interact while driving. It should be flexible and easy to oeprate so that people can use it just like any other music players.

Branding

Logo

Abeona is the Roman Goddess of outward journey, who protects travelers. Abeo is "to depart" in Latin. She also teaches children how to walk away from home and explore the world.

Moodboard
Style Tile

High-Fidelity UI

The app could be used as a regular music player allowing users to chose their favorite music from the library. While playing, the user may change music by chosing different genre, or by changing the desired tempo using the color wheel. The gradient color the background reflects the tempo or the BPM of the music it's playing.

Prototype

Onboarding Flow
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Auto Mode
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Future Considerations

Further questions to ask:

How might we...

- let user enjoy the app while doing other activities besides driving?
- incorporate external information that may affect the driver's behavior, such as sleep quality?
- detect driver's such reaction ?
- customize play list for each individual drivers?

This project was a quick design sprint in which I came up with a concept and UI design. It would be also interesting to develop how it may interact with other product like Apple Watch or Fitbit besides car navigation. It may be interesting if the app is capable to shuffle music according to user's stress level and sleep quality. Endless ideas!