Kaos: What If Spotify and TMZ Had a Baby?
A behaviour-driven music app designed to redefine streaming and artist discovery.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Tech
Client :
Personal Project
Project Duration :
4 weeks
3 weeks
🧠 Context
Kaos is a speculative concept app I designed as part of a personal exploration into emotional behaviour, streaming habits, and support for independent artists. Inspired by the saturation of music-related content on platforms like Instagram and TMZ, I set out to create a richer, more unique experience, one that balances entertainment, discovery, and cultural insight.
🔍 The Problem
Platforms like Spotify and Deezer typically rely on listening history to power their recommendation systems. But music is emotional, and often driven by context outside the app, like news, mood, or social conversations.
After countless conversations with producers, friends, and independent artists, one theme kept surfacing:
📌 “Why is the industry so focused on numbers over emotion and connection?”
Listeners are more than stats. Artists are more than streams. The industry often overlooks emotional value in favour of algorithmic output.
♟️ How might we design a music platform that understands not just what users listen to, but why?
THE mission
To build a product that empowers artists, especially independent ones without label support, and connects them with listeners on a more emotional level. The aim was to bridge the gap between human behaviour, technology, and emotion, while improving music recommendations through alternative inputs like mood, article engagement, and content interaction.
💡 Key Concept
Think TMZ meets Spotify, but designed for depth, not just clicks.
Kaos goes beyond listening history by tracking what users engage with across the app.
In the “News + Gossip” section, reading about certain artists or genres becomes a signal for refining recommendations.
In the “Tune In” carousel, watching an artist’s Story or behind-the-scenes clip has the same effect: more signals, smarter suggestions.
Together, these features turn Kaos into a behaviour-driven discovery platform — where every tap, read, or view feeds into a more emotionally intelligent recommendation system.
🧪 UX Research Insights
Conducted focus group sessions with designers, AI specialists, and music lovers, some with experience at Spotify, Deezer, and Facebook.
Created personas and journey maps to reflect real behavioural patterns.
Found that mood, context, and emotional state strongly influence music selection.
Identified opportunity for content-based recommendation loops using news + music.
👥 Personas
Maya, 23
University student and aspiring DJ. Loves discovering new artists, keeps up with music news, and often feels that mainstream apps don’t “get” her mood or interests.
USER FLOW AND EMOTION MAP:
Discovering new artists, keeps up with music news, and often feels that mainstream apps don’t “get” her mood or interests.
KEY DESIGN DECISIONS
Mood-based playlist curation: Letting users choose music based on feelings rather than genres, improving emotional alignment with the MRS (Music Recommendation System).
Artist “Stories” for deeper discovery: Artists can upload story-style content, giving listeners a more human, behind-the-scenes connection.
Track article engagement: Every article a user reads influences their music suggestions.
Future-ready integration: Structure designed to include podcasts and artist media in future releases.
Accessibility-first thinking: Features like converting audio or podcast content into text or PDFs for inclusive access.
VISUAL DIRECTION
Dark, neon-accented UI to evoke a futuristic, immersive mood
Minimal iconography to keep focus on content and navigation
Simplified UX hierarchy across Home, Mood, and News tabs
Designed in Figma with clean user flow and emotional accessibility in mind
OUTCOME
Delivered high-fidelity mobile screens
Built a flow where content and listening behaviour inform the MRS
Created a UX case that highlights strategy, emotion-based AI, and inclusivity
Developed a UI that aligns with a neon-brutalist yet clean aesthetic.
TAKEAWAYS
Design is not just visuals, it’s emotion, behaviour, and systems
Powerful features can feel simple when driven by user empathy
Music platforms can (and should) do more for artists and listeners alike.
What’s Next
Currently refining the UI based on feedback and testing new ways users might interact with the News tab (e.g. swipeable “Stories” for genres or artists). Kaos stands as a foundation piece in my portfolio, representing not only my design aesthetic but also my approach to user-centred, emotionally intelligent product design.
Designed with Passion
© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by Nahom Studio.
Kaos: What If Spotify and TMZ Had a Baby?
A behaviour-driven music app designed to redefine streaming and artist discovery.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Tech
Client :
Personal Project
Project Duration :
4 weeks
3 weeks
🧠 Context
Kaos is a speculative concept app I designed as part of a personal exploration into emotional behaviour, streaming habits, and support for independent artists. Inspired by the saturation of music-related content on platforms like Instagram and TMZ, I set out to create a richer, more unique experience, one that balances entertainment, discovery, and cultural insight.
🔍 The Problem
Platforms like Spotify and Deezer typically rely on listening history to power their recommendation systems. But music is emotional, and often driven by context outside the app, like news, mood, or social conversations.
After countless conversations with producers, friends, and independent artists, one theme kept surfacing:
📌 “Why is the industry so focused on numbers over emotion and connection?”
Listeners are more than stats. Artists are more than streams. The industry often overlooks emotional value in favour of algorithmic output.
♟️ How might we design a music platform that understands not just what users listen to, but why?
THE mission
To build a product that empowers artists, especially independent ones without label support, and connects them with listeners on a more emotional level. The aim was to bridge the gap between human behaviour, technology, and emotion, while improving music recommendations through alternative inputs like mood, article engagement, and content interaction.
💡 Key Concept
Think TMZ meets Spotify, but designed for depth, not just clicks.
Kaos goes beyond listening history by tracking what users engage with across the app.
In the “News + Gossip” section, reading about certain artists or genres becomes a signal for refining recommendations.
In the “Tune In” carousel, watching an artist’s Story or behind-the-scenes clip has the same effect: more signals, smarter suggestions.
Together, these features turn Kaos into a behaviour-driven discovery platform — where every tap, read, or view feeds into a more emotionally intelligent recommendation system.
🧪 UX Research Insights
Conducted focus group sessions with designers, AI specialists, and music lovers, some with experience at Spotify, Deezer, and Facebook.
Created personas and journey maps to reflect real behavioural patterns.
Found that mood, context, and emotional state strongly influence music selection.
Identified opportunity for content-based recommendation loops using news + music.
👥 Personas
Maya, 23
University student and aspiring DJ. Loves discovering new artists, keeps up with music news, and often feels that mainstream apps don’t “get” her mood or interests.
USER FLOW AND EMOTION MAP:
Discovering new artists, keeps up with music news, and often feels that mainstream apps don’t “get” her mood or interests.
KEY DESIGN DECISIONS
Mood-based playlist curation: Letting users choose music based on feelings rather than genres, improving emotional alignment with the MRS (Music Recommendation System).
Artist “Stories” for deeper discovery: Artists can upload story-style content, giving listeners a more human, behind-the-scenes connection.
Track article engagement: Every article a user reads influences their music suggestions.
Future-ready integration: Structure designed to include podcasts and artist media in future releases.
Accessibility-first thinking: Features like converting audio or podcast content into text or PDFs for inclusive access.
VISUAL DIRECTION
Dark, neon-accented UI to evoke a futuristic, immersive mood
Minimal iconography to keep focus on content and navigation
Simplified UX hierarchy across Home, Mood, and News tabs
Designed in Figma with clean user flow and emotional accessibility in mind
OUTCOME
Delivered high-fidelity mobile screens
Built a flow where content and listening behaviour inform the MRS
Created a UX case that highlights strategy, emotion-based AI, and inclusivity
Developed a UI that aligns with a neon-brutalist yet clean aesthetic.
TAKEAWAYS
Design is not just visuals, it’s emotion, behaviour, and systems
Powerful features can feel simple when driven by user empathy
Music platforms can (and should) do more for artists and listeners alike.
What’s Next
Currently refining the UI based on feedback and testing new ways users might interact with the News tab (e.g. swipeable “Stories” for genres or artists). Kaos stands as a foundation piece in my portfolio, representing not only my design aesthetic but also my approach to user-centred, emotionally intelligent product design.
Designed with Passion
© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by Nahom Studio.
Kaos: What If Spotify and TMZ Had a Baby?
A behaviour-driven music app designed to redefine streaming and artist discovery.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Tech
Client :
Personal Project
Project Duration :
4 weeks
3 weeks
🧠 Context
Kaos is a speculative concept app I designed as part of a personal exploration into emotional behaviour, streaming habits, and support for independent artists. Inspired by the saturation of music-related content on platforms like Instagram and TMZ, I set out to create a richer, more unique experience, one that balances entertainment, discovery, and cultural insight.
🔍 The Problem
Platforms like Spotify and Deezer typically rely on listening history to power their recommendation systems. But music is emotional, and often driven by context outside the app, like news, mood, or social conversations.
After countless conversations with producers, friends, and independent artists, one theme kept surfacing:
📌 “Why is the industry so focused on numbers over emotion and connection?”
Listeners are more than stats. Artists are more than streams. The industry often overlooks emotional value in favour of algorithmic output.
♟️ How might we design a music platform that understands not just what users listen to, but why?
THE mission
To build a product that empowers artists, especially independent ones without label support, and connects them with listeners on a more emotional level. The aim was to bridge the gap between human behaviour, technology, and emotion, while improving music recommendations through alternative inputs like mood, article engagement, and content interaction.
💡 Key Concept
Think TMZ meets Spotify, but designed for depth, not just clicks.
Kaos goes beyond listening history by tracking what users engage with across the app.
In the “News + Gossip” section, reading about certain artists or genres becomes a signal for refining recommendations.
In the “Tune In” carousel, watching an artist’s Story or behind-the-scenes clip has the same effect: more signals, smarter suggestions.
Together, these features turn Kaos into a behaviour-driven discovery platform — where every tap, read, or view feeds into a more emotionally intelligent recommendation system.
🧪 UX Research Insights
Conducted focus group sessions with designers, AI specialists, and music lovers, some with experience at Spotify, Deezer, and Facebook.
Created personas and journey maps to reflect real behavioural patterns.
Found that mood, context, and emotional state strongly influence music selection.
Identified opportunity for content-based recommendation loops using news + music.
👥 Personas
Maya, 23
University student and aspiring DJ. Loves discovering new artists, keeps up with music news, and often feels that mainstream apps don’t “get” her mood or interests.
USER FLOW AND EMOTION MAP:
Discovering new artists, keeps up with music news, and often feels that mainstream apps don’t “get” her mood or interests.
KEY DESIGN DECISIONS
Mood-based playlist curation: Letting users choose music based on feelings rather than genres, improving emotional alignment with the MRS (Music Recommendation System).
Artist “Stories” for deeper discovery: Artists can upload story-style content, giving listeners a more human, behind-the-scenes connection.
Track article engagement: Every article a user reads influences their music suggestions.
Future-ready integration: Structure designed to include podcasts and artist media in future releases.
Accessibility-first thinking: Features like converting audio or podcast content into text or PDFs for inclusive access.
VISUAL DIRECTION
Dark, neon-accented UI to evoke a futuristic, immersive mood
Minimal iconography to keep focus on content and navigation
Simplified UX hierarchy across Home, Mood, and News tabs
Designed in Figma with clean user flow and emotional accessibility in mind
OUTCOME
Delivered high-fidelity mobile screens
Built a flow where content and listening behaviour inform the MRS
Created a UX case that highlights strategy, emotion-based AI, and inclusivity
Developed a UI that aligns with a neon-brutalist yet clean aesthetic.
TAKEAWAYS
Design is not just visuals, it’s emotion, behaviour, and systems
Powerful features can feel simple when driven by user empathy
Music platforms can (and should) do more for artists and listeners alike.
What’s Next
Currently refining the UI based on feedback and testing new ways users might interact with the News tab (e.g. swipeable “Stories” for genres or artists). Kaos stands as a foundation piece in my portfolio, representing not only my design aesthetic but also my approach to user-centred, emotionally intelligent product design.
Designed with Passion
© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by Nahom Studio.