Before I open Figma or Notion, I usually open Spotify. Making playlists is something I’ve done for years not just as a background task, but as part of how I think. For me, it’s not that different from designing a product or mapping a user journey. In both cases, I’m curating an experience.

At some point, I realized I approach playlists the same way I approach design:
intentionally, emotionally, and with mad respect for flow.

Every good playlist starts with a question: What’s the vibe? Who’s this for? What moment is it meant to hold?

That’s design 101. Whether it’s a mobile app or a moody driving playlist, it all starts with understanding the user. Are they sprinting toward a deadline? Cooking at 2 a.m.? Mourning a breakup in slow motion? The answer shapes every choice that follows.

Just like in design research, empathy is the foundation.

Every playlist needs contrast slow to fast, loud to soft, heavy to light. Too much of the same thing, and people tune out. The same rule applies in design. You need visual and emotional variation to keep users engaged. Still, it has to feel cohesive.

Good design, like a good playlist, is invisible when it’s working.
You don’t think about it, you just feel it.