Tunou

Tunou is an app curates events happening near you by analyzing the mood of your own Spotify playlists. Whether you're in the mood for moody R&B or chaotic dance pop, Tunou helps you find scenes that actually match your energy. It’s not just about what’s going on — it’s about what feels right for you.

Timeline

4 weeks, Spring 2025

Team

Josh Greenburg

Rachel Huang

Ann Mulrew

Steven Xiao

Patrick Zhou

Tools

Figma

Role

UI Designer

Project Context
Many people often struggle to coordinate spontaneous nights out that match the vibe they’re craving. Without a shared sense of mood, location, or music, their plans quickly fall apart — leading to scattered decisions, mismatched expectations, and wasted time. So how might we help friend groups align on the vibe, location, and music of a night out — so their evenings feel less like a flop and more like a movie?

01 Design Problem

USER PERSONA

Let me introduce you to Tony. He’s the friend who naturally takes on the role of planner - the culturally engaged, city-living individual who’s always seeking to turn an ordinary night into something memorable. You’ll often find him juggling multiple tabs, trying to anticipate the group’s mood and avoid selecting another underwhelming spot.

COMPETITOR RESEARCH

These are Tony’s go-to apps for finding local events. They work in some ways, but each has its shortcomings... .

DICE is solid for niche music genres and has a smooth checkout process, but it mainly features events at larger, well-known venues.

None of these platforms truly support real-time, vibe-based discovery!!!

Yelp offers crowdsourced recommendations, but it’s mostly centered around food and tends to prioritize popularity over vibe.

Eventbrite is useful for ticketing and event hosting, which is helpful for venues, but Tony still has to dig through long lists to find something that feels right

And as for mapping apps, Tony only turns to them when he’s out of ideas. They serve a purpose, but they aren’t built to inspire.

These platforms offer some utility, but they fall short in meeting Tony’s deeper needs. His frustrations can be summed up in three key concerns:

Lack of vibe-based (personalized) filtering

Most apps prioritize popularity, ratings, or categories like food or genre, but they don’t help Tony find something that feels right for the moment or group mood.

Too much manual searching

Tony spends too much time scrolling through endless lists, tabs, and irrelevant results. It’s overwhelming and inefficient.

Limited to known venue formats

Many apps highlight bigger, mainstream venues or scheduled events, missing out on smaller, more spontaneous experiences that match Tony’s curiosity and local taste.

Tony is always...

Tony’s problem isn’t just finding something to do. It’s the anxiety of choosing the wrong thing. He feels the pressure of aligning everyone's energy, yet all the apps out there only further contribute to the anxiety and the noise. He wants something that understands the moment. Because going out should feel intuitive, not like a project.

02 Solution

INTRO TO TUNOU

Understanding Tony’s frustrations made it clear that what’s missing isn’t just another event app — it’s a smarter, more intuitive way to discover nights out that actually match his vibe. That’s where Tunou comes in. Designed with users like Tony in mind, Tunou reimagines event discovery as a personalized, vibe-driven experience that starts with the music you already love.

The tool to effortless cultural connection.

Welcome to...

"to know (where to go)"

WHAT IS TUNOU?

EMOTIONAL VALUES

It is a vibe-first event discovery platform. It reads your mood, your taste, even your music , and then curates where to go, and when to go. It’s effortless, intuitive, and deeply personal because we’re not just for events. We’re for moments. So when you use Tunou, you'll feel...

HOW IT WORKS

Tunou can only unlock unforgettable nights if Tony takes the first step. And that starts with tuning in — to his mood, his friends, and the city around him. All he has to do is a few simple things:

Check your vibe.

Trust your energy.

Enjoy your night.

VIBE CHECK

When you open the app, you’ll either connect your music — like Spotify or Apple Music — or answer a few quick questions about your vibe. Tunou uses your playlists to understand your mood, almost like a friend who just gets it. You can even blend multiple playlists to create the perfect vibe for the night.

NOTE: All screens shown here are designed by me.

NOTE: All screens shown here are designed by me.

EVENT DETAILS

Once you find the perfect event for tonight, just tap on it to dive into the details. You’ll see everything you need - the time, the exact address, real photos from past visitors, and the lineup of who’s performing. Each listing shows the full price up front plus entry info and vibe tags to help you get a feel for the scene. And when you’re ready, your event gets saved as a sleek digital ticket, complete with your own scannable Tunou Pass, ready for the night ahead.

NOTE: The left screen was designed by me. The right screen is designed by my teammate.

BLEND

Tunou makes going out with friends (even when everyone has their own music taste) feel easy and exciting. With our Blend feature, you can merge everyone's vibe into one shared experience. Tunou makes sure everyone’s preferences are part of the plan. You’ll be able to share plans, RSVP as a group, and even discover new people nearby who match your energy and your vibe. It’s collaborative, it’s effortless, and it makes every night out feel a little more connected.

NOTE: These screens are designed by my teammate.

COMMUNITIES

Users can explore where like-minded groups are headed, making it easy to discover new plans and meet new people naturally. Discovery feels social without ever feeling cliquey or forced. It’s all about finding your people — and your next great night out — at your own pace.

NOTE: This screen was designed by my teammate.

USER PROFILE

After the night’s over, you’ll earn digital badges from the venues you visit that you can collect, share, and even use to unlock perks.  You’ll also have your list of friends right in the app, where you can check their current vibe and see what they’re planning next.

NOTE: This screen was designed in collaboration with my teammate.

03 Brand Details

BRAND ATTRIBUTES

We developed four brand attributes to guide how Tunou shows up in the world. Tunou is for the curious, the spontaneous, the connected, and the whimsical. We surface hidden gems for those who crave more than what’s trending, help you choose your night’s start with ease, and turn plans into shared moments. With a touch of magic, Tunou makes discovery feel playful, personal, and full of possibility.

IMPLEMENTATION

We’ve mapped out a four-phase rollout strategy to grow Tunou intentionally — starting small, learning fast, and scaling with purpose.

Phase 1 focuses on launching our MVP in Chicago. We’ll begin with a tightly curated list of bars, lounges, and small venues, offering vibe-matched event discovery and ticketing. By keeping things focused, we can build trust and generate early revenue through ticket fees.
Phase 2 introduces social features that make nights out more shared and personal. We’ll launch tools like group vibe blending, cultural discovery badges, and taste-based communities. This is where Tunou starts to feel like a shared experience, not just a search engine.
Phase 3 is about expanding to new cities. After proving the model in Chicago, we’ll roll out to places like New York, Austin, and LA. Along the way, we’ll partner with indie venues, nightlife brands, breweries, and lifestyle companies to grow Tunou’s presence authentically.
Phase 4 unlocks monetization at scale. We’ll introduce premium features such as promoted listings, insights dashboards for venues, and optional event boosts — all while keeping the heart of the platform rooted in community.

ECOSYSTEM

As Tunou grows, we envision three interconnected ecosystems that extend the experience beyond just nightlife — creating a full-circle vibe-driven lifestyle.

MONETIZATION

Here’s how Tunou makes money, starting with accessibility and growing through trust and added value. We begin by offering free tools to help small venues and creators join the platform. These include the Tunou events calendar, the basic vibe music link feature, and RSVP insights that help bars and lounges connect with the right crowd. Once we’ve built that relationship, we introduce paid features like ticketing and premium upgrades for venues. These include priority listings, event boosts within the app, and access to data insights that help venues grow their audience.

With Tunou, Tony feels confident. The place fits, the vibe clicks, the night flows.

04 Reflections

Reflecting on this four-week project, I think we made strong progress in shaping Tunou’s identity, but there’s still so much more we’d love to explore and refine.

What Went Well

We developed a cohesive branding scheme that felt modern and closely aligned with our brand attributes. The visual identity came together in a way that felt intentional and true to Tunou’s personality.

What Needs Work

Due to the short timeline and other overlapping assignments, we didn’t have much time to explore Tunou beyond the app interface and branding. With more time, we would have conducted additional interviews to validate the problem space and held user testing sessions to refine the app experience.

What's Next

With more user input, we’d revise our first iteration of the interface to ensure it’s not only functional and legible but also continues to reflect Tunou’s vibe in a thoughtful and beautiful way.

DSGN 474 Branding Design; taught by Rick Hoobler