How NetEase Cloud Music’s 19th Studio Turns User Psychology into Viral Creative Campaigns

When people hear about "viral" and "testing", NetEase Cloud Music often comes to mind. Although "tests" and "friend impressions" were popular a few years ago, recent formats like the "Personality Color Test", "Moyu Calculator" and "Philosophy Test" have reignited discussions and brought psychological concepts into the mainstream.

The 19th Creative Studio, led by co‑founders Xiao Qiang (Planning Lead) and Che Qian (Design Lead), explains how they continuously innovate these formats.

User Is the Gene of Creativity

Xiao Qiang: Rather than calling our work "tests" or "creative H5", we label it "personality interpretation" and "praise‑making". The experience of creating viral projects stems from long‑term observation of user behavior, which is embedded in NetEase Cloud Music’s DNA.

Che Qian: That gene is the user themselves. Our brand revolves around the music community, and putting users first is a core principle.

We aim to make every NetEase Cloud Music user feel "warm" and "understood". For example, the "Annual Listening Report" has run for five years and has become an annual ritual between us and our users.

Designing with Experience Thinking

Che Qian: Traditional marketing focuses on visual impact, but we add "experience thinking" to create multidimensional experiences. In the "Personality Color Test", questions progress from natural sounds like rain to abstract consciousness, guiding users to intuitive, emotional responses.

Designers act like directors, layering atmosphere to lead users into the scenario.

Our inspiration comes from everyday observations—fashion windows, kinetic exhibitions, or other art forms—allowing us to fuse diverse visual languages into fresh interactive experiences.

Rapid Prototyping and Agile Execution

When the news about a company penalising "moyu" (slacking) surfaced, we quickly launched the "Moyu Calculator" in just one and a half days, reaching the sixth spot on Weibo hot search.

The development process involved:

Night‑time brainstorming and feasibility checks.

Synchronised output of planning, visual, interaction, and data plans to give developers ample implementation time.

Rapid iteration on rules and visual effects, culminating in a launch that sparked massive user discussion.

Key success factors we identified were:

All team members giving their all.

Extensive experience from past projects.

Deep understanding of users.

Decisive leadership willing to make bold calls.

Balancing Brand Collaboration and Self‑Propagation

In collaborations like the NetEase Cloud Music‑Alipay "Birthday Fortune" project, our strength lies in delivering extreme innovation while respecting the partner’s goals. Mutual recognition and shared objectives lead to win‑win outcomes.

We constantly seek "never‑seen‑before" concepts, whether in form or theme, driven by the joy of creating immersive interactive spaces that users love to share.

Overall, the 19th studio treats each project as a dialogue with users, iterating based on feedback, and turning creative ideas into viral cultural moments.