Discover Global Sounds with Connected Earth: A Figma InnovationDiscover Global Sounds with Connected Earth: A Figma Innovation
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Super happy to share my entry for the Figma Makeathon 😊 Connected Earth. Language separates us. Sound connects us. https://www.connected.earth Connected Earth started with a simple observation: despite being more connected than ever, many of us feel increasingly disconnected from each other, our surroundings, and the places we live. Most platforms ask us to compete for attention. More followers. More likes. More visibility. More noise. I wanted to explore the opposite. Connected Earth is a living archive of sounds contributed by people around the world. A quiet place where someone can capture a moment from their corner of the planet and share it with someone they’ve never met. The sound of rain in Scotland. A train arriving in Tokyo. Waves breaking in Australia. Bikes whizzing past in park in Amsterdam. Children playing on a street somewhere you’ll probably never visit. None of these moments need translating. They’re immediately human. Every recording becomes part of a growing global collection that can be explored individually or experienced through Earth Radio, a continuously evolving stream shaped entirely by community contributions. The more people contribute, the richer and more diverse the experience becomes. Alongside the archive, Connected Earth includes Ambient Radio for creating evolving soundscapes from community recordings where sounds are stretched, overlayed, reversed, and can have user effects applied. We also have Resonance Tables for discovering related sounds and places, and Resonance Chains that allow recordings to be connected (chained) together into journeys spanning countries, cultures, and time zones. Together they transform individual moments into something larger than a collection of uploads. Rather than likes, Connected Earth uses Resonations. Small acknowledgements that a sound resonated with someone else. No user account, No follower counts. No popularity contests. No pressure to perform. Just people sharing moments. For those looking for calm, Ambient Mode transforms community recordings into evolving soundscapes that can be used for focus, reflection, relaxation, or simply feeling connected to somewhere else in the world. The result is less of a social network and more of a shared listening experience. The project was designed and built using Figma’s evolving ecosystem, including Figma Agents (Conversation & Moods), Make, AI-assisted (ChatGPT > validation) workflows, and iterative prototyping. What began as a conversation with design tools quickly became an exploration of how technology might help us feel a little more connected to one another. Connected Earth is fully desktop and mobile compatible, allowing people to contribute, discover, listen, and explore wherever they happen to be. In a world increasingly driven by content, Connected Earth is an experiment in presence. A reminder that while we may speak different languages, we often experience the same rain, the same wind, the same birdsong, and the same quiet. And perhaps that matters more than we think.
Marwan's avatar
I LOVE the design!! such a cool idea and well implemented! The way the globe rotates to show where the recording was from is honestly genius! Love how the UI look like it's a physical device as well!
Nice to hear! Yeah the globe also grows. Every new recording is geo-positioned on the globe. Then the algo will changed the leading cards around it 😊
Link to social post that is a long thread explaining some of the process, tools, and general directions I took. https://x.com/mrblackstudio/status/2067560575903596576?s=20
I want to add the project to the Figma community, but it asks me to disconnect the Supabase integration. I can’t do that as it needs the integration to work.
Anyone know a workaround?
Anyone have an idea?
Sam's avatar
Graymade logo
Love it! Great concept that brings people together in a way we don't normally experience.
Thanks! Yeah. We’re so used to being asked to perform, which can be beneficial to some but also detrimental to others. Here you can contribute, not for vanity metrics, but for self appreciation. But mostly you can listen, be present, and discover other worldly noise.
Josh's avatar
Inspiring to see how we're all so connected!
Thanks Josh. I also find it sociologically interesting. Also, how sound is tied to so much nostalgia and feeling.
Anton's avatar
Great project, Lee. The idea of gathering sounds from all over the world is really cool, and the quality of visuals is absolutely next level ❤️
Aw thanks man! Although I’m not 100% happy with the art direction, it’s the best I could’ve done with the one and credits. What’s interesting visually is that the gradients are all unique to each sound. It will forever evolve and more so as it grows, the logo and sound wave...
Erin's avatar
Contra logo
This is such a cool idea
Thanks Erin. Hopefully hear your corner of the world 🫶
Nikas's avatar
geisleris logo
Mr.Black is the GOAT!
Haha — thanks Nikas 🫶
Tommy's avatar
UX Tools logo
Incredible work Lee! Absolutely inspired by your use of other media in your work, and the interactions!!!
Thanks for your support. Much appreciated 🫶
Dorian's avatar
Animara Studios logo
Amazing project, Lee! It's great to see a project that has something to do with humanity and silence. Congratulations!
Two important topics in today’s landscape. Appreciate you 🫶
Alex's avatar
Thrilled to see this project live and public! Such a beautiful idea behind it. Good luck!
Thanks Alex. Appreciate your words 🫶
Roy's avatar
I love the concept. I searched for the Philippines and found filtered coffee. The journey play is a nice mix. Rainy Piccadilly Circus and London traffic hit home.
Haha yes. Also had a friend record the Scottish national anthem during the World Cup game. So much nostalgia 🫶
Dylan's avatar
Contra logo
This is absolutely wild!
Wild good? Wild West? 🫶
I wanna hear your city. Go record something 😊
Godwin's avatar
This is sooo good
Thanks Godwin 🫶
Ben's avatar
Contra logo
excellent work and concept as always
Thanks Ben 🫶
Vitrea Studio logo
love it Lee, good luck!
Thanks 🫶
Rob's avatar
Well done my friend 👏
Thanks Rob 🫶
Haseeb's avatar
The idea, the execution - beautiful!
I keep coming back to it every few days to listen to new sounds uploaded!
Amazing! Keep coming. It’s always evolving. Also keep posting your earth sounds!
Koonj's avatar
cool concept and design.
Thanks Koonj 🫶
Deepa's avatar
Great Idea
Thanks Deepa 🫶
Andrew's avatar
Enormos logo
Quality work Lee. did you record the sounds?
I did some. But most are from others worldwide. Even you can record. Just tap the record button. Would love to hear your side of the world 🫶
Andrew's avatar
Enormos logo
I will upload one soon someone just ruined my last bird of the evening recording. The project makes me think of a photo album of sounds. It's a really cool idea.
How dare they interrupt earths beautiful sound moment. Just so you know you can also trim your sounds before upload. Just for those very moments.
MANSOOR's avatar
This is an incredible concept. Love it Mr Lee.
Thanks Mansoor. Always appreciate your thoughts 🫶
Ahmad's avatar
really nice idea
Thanks Ahmad. Would love to hear your earth sounds 🫶
A few technical details for those interested in how Connected Earth was built:
Built using Figma Make, Figma Agents, AI-assisted workflows, iterative prototyping, and custom development.
Global sound archive with geolocation-based sound contributions.
Real-time audio recording and...
Ian's avatar
Beautiful work, Lee! What a brilliant and inspiring idea as well - in a moment where what separates us seems to be the signal that gets the most juice - this is a great reminder that we're all a lot closer together in sound and spirit, then we might otherwise consider. Thanks...
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