Today I analyzed the Apple Music history of a long-term friend known for her exquisite taste in music. My goal was to completely abandon traditional dashboards and build something experimental, creative, and dark, matching the vibe of her favorite tracks.
Inspired by her preference for electronic, ambient, metal, and punk, I went for a look that resembles an abstract, mysterious LP cover. Instead of serving a full analysis on a silver platter, I wanted users to explore and get lost in the data, much like letting go and being present in the moment at a concert or club.
There Is Logic Behind the Chaos
- The LP Aesthetic: The dark background and circular layout are a direct nod to vinyl covers.
- The 24-Hour Clock: The scatter inside the circle looks random, but it follows a structure. The circle represents a 24-hour clock with 00:00 at the top and 12:00 at the bottom, making her nightly downtime instantly visible.
- Deliberate Mystery: I intentionally built in some slowness. For example: the colors are color-coded by genres, but there is no legend, forcing users to figure out the code as they go.
Current Features & Happy Accidents
I originally wanted to create a second, outer circle following a 365-day calendar logic, where clicking a daily dot would highlight that day's music. Due to time constraints, I had to pivot for now. Instead, I placed four specific "events" in the top right corner representing special milestones like trips to other cities. You can already click these today to dynamically highlight the relevant music within the main circle.
Interestingly, a mathematical accident in my radius logic caused a row of dots to line up perfectly along the border. While they are just songs right now and not calendar days, it created the exact visual look I was aiming for.
What’s Next
Since this project is so personal, I still have plenty of ideas. I will definitely give the full calendar circle another try. I also want to enhance the existing events by adding audio previews on hover, allowing users to hear the exact music from that specific moment in time and truly relive the mood.
You can check out the interactive version here.