OurBlues – A Road Trip Through Sound
OurBlues is a project sponsored by Deeplocal to explore creative technology and experience design. Tasked with designing a self-contained product that enhances personal spaces where Gen Z can connect with their emotions through music, the team created a “window to your music”—a device that visually transforms in response to a user’s unique music taste. Using LED screens and installation beside bed, the product simulates a real window, displaying dynamic landscapes that shift with each song’s tone and energy. OurBlues was praised for its ability to create a deeply personal, emotional experience through technology and design. Led the technical development, implementing real-time music-driven scene transitions, layered depth management, and interactive display techniques in Unity.
Role: Lead Developer , Creative Technologist
Time: 2024.1 | 4 months Team: 6 Members
Platform: PC Tool: Unity, Spotify Web API
Design & Concept
The design process for OurBlues was driven by a deep exploration of nostalgia, emotion, and the personal connection Gen Z has with music. Studies show that “Sad” is now the most searched word on Spotify for Gen Z, reflecting how music is deeply tied to their emotional well-being. With bedrooms as sacred spaces for self-reflection, our goal was to elevate these personal environments, crafting a self-contained product that transforms a space based on the vibes of their music.
Inspired by the sensation of gazing out of a car window, we explored how passing landscapes could reflect emotion, leading to a countryside aesthetic—open fields, sparse trees, and fleeting roadside moments that evoke longing and introspection. But sadness is not just stillness; it can also be restless, contemplative, and ever-changing. To capture this, we introduced a nighttime city scene, where neon-lit buildings flash by, reacting dynamically to the music’s intensity. Windows pulse with light, cars speed through the streets, and distant skyscrapers shift in response to the song’s energy, creating a mesmerizing, immersive experience.
From these ideas, we built Blue View—“a window to your music”—designed to be installed in bedrooms as a personal portal into sound and emotion. Using Spotify Web API data, real-time music analysis, and procedural visuals, OurBlues doesn’t just display landscapes—it celebrates sadness, transforms space, and turns music into a deeply personal, visual journey.
My Responsibilities
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Integrated Spotify Web API to fetch track section data and analyze loudness levels, dynamically determining scene transitions and hero asset appearances based on music intensity.
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Mapped loudness data to visual changes, triggering city scenes for high-loudness sections, lake scenes for low-loudness sections, and hero assets at significant loudness shifts.
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Developed a parameterization system in Unity to precisely control scene sequencing and asset behaviors based on real-time music analysis.
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Built a nighttime city scene using post-processing, procedural building placement, and dynamic lighting, creating flashing windows and fast-moving cars for a realistic urban effect.
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Implemented a passing-by effect for cityscapes and adjusted lighting, contrast, and movement to enhance depth and realism.
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Adjusted background buildings to react to audio frequency, collaborating with designers to balance lighting, movement, and environmental depth.
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Implemented parallax effects, tempo synchronization, and frequency analysis, ensuring fluid movement and depth in procedurally generated environments.
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Designed interactive hero assets, such as cable cars pulsing to the beat and mountains morphing based on frequency data, enhancing visual-musical synergy.
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Optimized scene composition with a layered system (foreground, midground, background) for seamless motion and storytelling.
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Utilized shaders and post-processing effects to refine lighting, atmospheric transitions, and color dynamics, enhancing immersion.
Impact & Reception
User Reactions:
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"Feels sad and nostalgic."
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"Made me recall some memories."
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"Felt like I’m on a long journey."
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"Enclosed space felt safe."
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One teenage participant was moved to tears, sharing that the experience reminded them of parting with a friend.
Client Feedback:
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Deeplocal praised the project’s execution, depth, and ability to evoke emotions through technology and design.
Playtesting Results:
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High engagement, with users describing the experience as relaxing, immersive, and emotionally resonant.
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Validated the intended emotional impact, reinforcing Blue View as a personal, music-driven space for reflection and nostalgia.