USING ANIMATED MOOD PICTURES IN MUSIC RECOMMENDATION - Information Visualisation: Techniques, Usability and Evaluation - page 200

C HAPTER E LEVEN
U SING A NIMATED M OOD P ICTURES
IN M USIC R ECOMMENDATION
A RTO L EHTINIEMI AND J UKKA H OLM
Abstract
This chapter examines the idea of using animated mood pictures within the
context of music recommendation. In the implemented prototype, the user
interacts with a collection of pictures to receive new music
recommendations from associated genres. The prototype was evaluated by
40 Finnish participants. After the first use of the prototype, the concept of
selecting music based on mood pictures was found to be very good by
85% of the participants. In longer-term use, the prototype lacked important
features such as the ability to personalize picture and music associations.
Despite this, 60% of participants were interested in using the prototype to
complement their other music player applications. This indicates that
mood pictures are a promising way to access music collections and to
explore new music.
Introduction
Music is a ubiquitous part of our daily lives. Music consumption can range
from active listening of one's favourite artist to the unconscious exposure
to background music in various contexts, such as a busy shopping mall or
a public transport system. Ways to select music vary greatly; the process
can be highly focused (e.g., searching for a certain track from an online
catalogue); fun exploration without a clear goal in mind; or just checking
out new recommendations from a friend. Music can be listened to alone or
in a social context, and it can be used for many different purposes,
including relaxation, increasing motivation for a sports exercise, and mood
enhancement.