Resona: where every sound finds a home
Producthon is a 36-hour design challenge at Tufts where participants build a product from 0 to 1 which solves a problem in a given space. The theme for Fall 2024 is entertainment, focusing on media streaming.
I mentored a student designer with no prior Figma experience and worked with the entire team through the whole design process, from research to prototyping. On day 1, we chose a problem, brainstormed ideas, formed a hypothesis, created a questionnaire, and collected 39 responses. On day 2, we conducted 4 interviews, analyzed our findings, sketched wireframes, developed a style guide, created high-fidelity designs, created brand identities, and prepared a pitch deck.
Our app concept, Resona, is a sensory map platform that streams live and archived sounds from locations around the world. By combining geolocation, immersive audio, and cultural storytelling, Resona provides a unique auditory experience for people feeling homesick or those interested in exploring different cultures through location-specific sounds.
Date
November 2024 (36 hours)
Role
Product Designer
Skills
Visual Design, Interaction Design, User Research, Product Thinking
Team
2 Product Managers, 1 Graphic Designer, 1 UI/UX Designer (Me)
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Let's backtrack a little …
How did we get the initial idea?
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It all started with a casual conversation
It was clear - sound is more than just noise; it’s tied to memories, culture, and identity. That’s when we knew we had something special to explore.
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But wait …
We wonder if this emotional connection
to sound is universal
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From a background research
"Musical emotions and musical memory can survive long after other forms of memory have disappeared"
(Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE, British neurologist, naturalist, historian of science, and writer)
"Homesickness is a practically universal experience to any person, regardless of age, gender and cultural background, separating from their home."
(Fisher, 2017; Thurber, 2005)
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From our survey with 39 responses
79.5%
strongly associate sound with the concept of “home”
92,4%
associate sounds with the experience of a place
60,5%
think of the nostalgic and emotional feelings from sounds at home
Question: What sound reminds you of home/your city?
From 4 interviews with people who are away from home
1.
Homesickness is multifaceted and deeply tied to mood and nostalgia.
"Homesickness is the sadness I feel when I'm away from home, but it’s not always negative. Sometimes it brings a sense of nostalgia and happiness as I reflect on good memories from the past."
"I want something that can understand my mood at the time and generate sound or music based on that."
2.
Authenticity and cultural context are essential for trust in sound recommendations.
"As long as the sounds are authentic, like they’re from locals - not just foreigners guessing what it’s like."
"I usually use Spotify to listen to songs. But when it comes to sounds, you can NEVER hear similar sounds to your home. You can’t replicate it."
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Confirming our hypothesis, let's …
Identify & Synthesize
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THE DEEP-ROOTED INSIGHT IS
HOW MIGHT WE
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Now we got the idea, it's time to …
Dive into the design process
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Who are we designing for?
Based on our preliminary research, we defined two target personas of our platform: those wanting to connect with their own culture while being away from home (Emily) and culture enthusiasts (Jack).
How are we different from other competitors?
While apps like Soundsnap or Spotify focus on pre-recorded or generic content, and Google Earth focuses on visuals, none tie live, location-specific audio experiences to cultural storytelling.
Building information architecture
With the PMs, I organized the information and features we believe are important on our platform, drawing from the user research and priority needs.
Sketching lo-fi wireframes
Based on the information architecture we created, I sketched key features in low-fidelity wireframes to quickly validate the ideas with the team.
Design decisions
On the homepage, I considered between displaying a world map vs. a map centered on the user’s hometown. However, based on user research insights emphasizing the importance of personal connection and nostalgia, I decided to feature the user’s hometown map to evoke a more meaningful experience.
For the display of sound options, the PM proposed a list view, while my co-designer and I advocated for a map view. Ultimately, I designed a toggle allowing users to switch between a list and a map view, because referring back to user research, personalization is a key feature that users desire. This also ensures flexibility and accommodates diverse user preferences.
Setting the style guide
I chose these warm colors - yellow, peach, pink, and purple - because they evoke a sense of nostalgia, emotional comfort, and balance, which align with Resona’s goal of fostering mindfulness, emotional well-being, and reconnection with memories.
With a graphic designer, we selected Plus Jakarta Sans as the primary typeface and Red Rose as the heading font because of their modern simplicity and versatility.
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Presenting …
Our final solution: Resona
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01
TUNE IN TO LIVESTREAMING SOUND SESSIONS FROM YOUR HOMETOWN
Immerse yourself in real-time sounds from your hometown with just one tap.
02
PERSONALIZE YOUR SOUND PLAYLISTS AND ACCESS RECENTLY LISTENED SOUNDS
Create and revisit curated soundscapes tailored to your preferences.
03
SEARCH AND FILTER FOR SOUNDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
Discover global soundscapes with advanced search and filter options. Toggle between either a list or a map view for more personalization.
04
INTERACTIVE MAP GETS YOU TO EACH CITY AND SEE THE ARCHIVED SOUND PLAYLIST
Explore cities worldwide through an interactive map and access their real-time and archived sounds.
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If I had more time …
Future steps
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Deepening user testing
If given more time, I would delve deeper into usability testing with our mid-fi wireframes and also our hi-fi prototypes. This expanded testing would be a valuable resource for user feedback, which is crucial for iterations to ensure the app evolves to serve its users’ needs better.
More research on cultural nuances
If given more time, I would also expand on understanding cultural contexts and auditory preferences. Sounds carry unique meanings across different regions and cultures, so refining our content to align with these nuances would make Resona even more engaging and authentic. This could involve partnering with cultural experts or conducting focus groups with users from diverse backgrounds to ensure our platform respects and celebrates cultural diversity.
Although we didn’t take home the trophy, these testimonials from one of the judges and my teammate are my own definition of success metrics for this project!
"I just wanted to follow up with you to let you know that your concept and presentation materials were truly excellent. It was very clear you and your team put A LOT of work into it. You're very talented and hardworking and I hope you continue to sign up for events that challenge you in the future!"
- Jeff, UI/UX Judge
"I've gained so much knowledge, especially about Figma, while collaborating with An!"
- Fatima, Graphic Designer
