Synesthesia & Music

Synesthesia
and
Music

This research explores the potential of integrating synesthesia-inspired features into music apps to enhance the user experience. Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon where stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to involuntary experiences in another.

The study focused on chromesthesia, where sounds evoke color perceptions, and investigated how this could be leveraged to create more intuitive and emotionally resonant music interfaces.

Problem Statement

Traditional music apps often lack personalized, emotion-based features that could deepen user engagement and improve playlist curation. This research aimed to address this gap by:

Exploring whether music can be effectively labeled with colors that represent associated emotion
Developing features that utilize color-emotion associations to enhance music selection and mood regulation

Research Methodologies

Competitive Analysis:
- Conducted an in-depth analysis of popular music streaming apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music
- Evaluated unique features, playlist functionalities, and user interface designs

Case Studies:
- Examined the works and experiences of synesthetic artists like Olivier Messiaen and Wassily Kandinsky
- Analyzed how their synesthetic perceptions influenced their artistic creations

Interviews and Surveys:
- Conducted online interviews with members of a Facebook group for synesthetes
- Engaged in email conversations with Carol Steen, a renowned synesthetic artist and co-founder of the American Synesthesia Association
- Surveyed 27 participants aged 18-70 from diverse ethnic backgrounds on music app usage and customization preferences

Experimental Research:
- Carried out a card sorting experiment with 32 participants to examine color-emotion associations in music
- Participants listened to 13-15 curated songs and matched them with color cards

User Testing:
- Conducted eye-tracking sessions using a Tobii Nano eye gaze tracker
- Analyzed heat maps and user track points to understand user behavior and interface interactions

Synesthesia Wiring The Senses Together E

Findings

Color-Emotion Associations:
- Found consistent associations between colors and emotions across participants
- For example, red and its shades were strongly associated with anger, while pink dominated for love
- Cultural differences emerged, highlighting the need for customization options

User Preferences:
- 81.82% of users favored customization options for color labeling of playlists
- Female participants showed a higher preference for using colors to label music and discern emotions

Feature Evaluation:
- Feature 1 (Color Labeling): Received positive feedback with an average user flow rating of 3.85 out of 5
- Feature 2 (Mood Tracker): Garnered interest, especially among female participants, with an average user flow rating of 4.1 out of 5

Gender Differences:
- Female participants showed greater inclination towards the mood tracker feature, citing potential holistic benefits
- Male participants generally preferred simpler app functionality focused on playlist-based listening

Heuristic Evaluation:
- Users appreciated the minimalistic UI and clear navigation
- Suggestions for improvement included refining terminology and enhancing theme options

This research demonstrates the potential for integrating synesthesia-inspired features into music apps to create more personalized and emotionally resonant experiences.

The color-labeling feature and mood tracker show promise in enhancing user engagement and supporting emotional wellbeing through music. The study highlights the importance of customization in addressing individual and cultural differences in color-emotion associations.

It also underscores the potential of leveraging these associations to create more intuitive and emotionally aware music interfaces. While further testing with larger and more diverse samples is needed, this research paves the way for innovative approaches to music app design.

By bridging the gap between synesthetic perceptions and everyday user experiences, we can create more immersive, emotionally intelligent music platforms that cater to a wide range of users.

Future work could explore real-world implementation of these features, long-term impact on user engagement and wellbeing, and potential applications in music therapy and education.

Feature 1

The colour labelling feature enables user to create playlists made of colours that is representative of their emotion

Feature 2