BioMe

BioMe was inspired by the idea that emotions are often invisible and difficult to articulate, even though they shape so much of our daily experiences. Many people struggle to describe how they feel or communicate their emotional and social energy to others. At the same time, existing mood trackers can feel overly clinical, data-driven, or judgmental, focusing too much on productivity or “positive” emotions.

I wanted to explore a softer and more human-centered approach. The metaphor of a garden felt natural because emotions, like plants, are varied, cyclical, and constantly changing. Gardens also allow for beauty in diversity: different flowers can coexist without implying that some are better than others. This inspired the idea of translating moods into flowers that grow over time, creating a visual emotional landscape.

I was also interested in the concept of social energy, or the “social battery,” which people frequently reference but rarely have a clear way to communicate. BioMe explores what it might look like if emotional states and social capacity were more visible and shareable within trusted social groups.

Through this project, I learned a lot about designing for emotional experiences rather than purely functional tasks. When designing something that deals with emotions, small details in language, visuals, and interaction design become very important. For example, I had to think carefully about how the interface could avoid making users feel judged for negative emotions.

I also learned the value of metaphor in interface design. By using flowers and gardens instead of charts or statistics, the experience becomes more intuitive and reflective. The garden metaphor helped transform what could be a stressful tracking activity into something calming and creative.

Another key takeaway was understanding how speculative design can explore new “senses” or forms of perception. BioMe doesn’t invent new emotions, but it proposes a new way of perceiving them, making emotional states and social energy visible in ways that currently aren’t possible in everyday interactions.

Built With

• figma