Moodonutel

Moodonutel is a fictional concept used in discussions of affective visualization and speculative design. It denotes a circular, donut-shaped interface that encodes human mood states as colors, gradients, and motion patterns. In theory, a moodonutel donut represents emotional valence and arousal on a continuous wheel, with the central void suggesting baseline calm and the outer ring indicating peak activation.

In design discussions, moodonutels are used as metaphorical prototypes rather than products. They are described as interactive panels or projected visuals that reflect live or recorded sensor data, such as heart rate, skin conductance, or voice prosody. The donut’s color map shifts from cool hues to warm ones as mood shifts, while rotation, slice size, or pulsation conveys temporal change. The concept emphasizes intuitive, aesthetic comprehension of affective data rather than precise measurement.

Usage and purpose of moodonutel include exploring how people perceive and interpret mood information and provoking reflection on emotional data in daily life. They appear in art installations, theoretical papers on affective computing, and speculative design projects to critique or illuminate data visualization practices.

Origins and naming: the term moodonutel appears in late-2010s design discourse as a playful portmanteau of mood and donut, highlighting circular, data-driven visualization metaphors. Its repeated mention in academic and artistic contexts has kept it as a niche concept for discussing how mood data might be represented visually.

Criticism and limitations: reviewers caution that simplified circular visualizations may obscure the complexity of emotional experience and risk misinterpretation. Privacy, consent, and potential manipulation of mood data when displayed are also common concerns in discussions of the concept.