PROBLEM

Users find that looking for movies to watch is a tedious process, added with planning movie-watching events with friends and family, the process can be off-putting.

SOLUTION

Design an app that allows users to effortlessly find a movie to watch and simplify the movie searching process.

BACKGROUND

Most people can agree that going to the cinemas and watching a movie is an enjoyable pastime. It's a way to connect and a fun topic of conversation between people. While going to the cinemas is a fun motive, the prep process (finding a movie) can be seen as somewhat of a hassle. This led me to explore:

How might we improve the process of finding a movie to watch for users?

PROJECT PROCESS

I adopted a 5 step design process.

EMPATHISE

UNDERSTANDING THE USER

It was important to start by conducting user interviews with 5 participants, asking questions about their experience when it came to finding a movie before the cinemas.  The interviews were semi-structured and all the questions were open-ended, just to make sure people could think out loud and share more details. I made sure the participants were regular movie watchers and took down thorough notes.

During the interviews, it was interesting to find out that most of the participants mostly enjoyed streaming movies online, in the comfort of their own homes with friends or family and alone. I also noted that cinema outings were more frequently a family event and there were glaring frustrations when it came to agreeing on a movie to watch.

Pain Points:

DEFINE

PERSONAS

To better define the problem I was trying to solve, I developed two primary personas demonstrating our target users.

Problem statement 1

Simran is an A-level student who needs a way to save time when searching for a nighttime movie because she is tired from a long day revising and really wants to escape.

Problem statement 2

Brad is a busy father who needs a way to find good movies to watch with his family so that he can stay connected and bond with his growing kids.

USER JOURNEY MAP

I wanted to visualise the journey a user would go on when picking a movie. This revealed opportunities for improvements

Opportunities for improvement:

IDEATE

For this project, I wanted to test out new forms of ideation to really develop some out the box ideas. I found a random word generator to generate 5 random words and then ideated from each one, linking ideas back to the main problem. This form of ideation was used to get my creative juices flowing, focusing on quantity and diversity. I wrote down everything that came to my mind, without judgement. I then highlighted any impressive solutions and interesting ideas.

The Unique Value Proposition - A feature that shows all the online streaming platforms the movie is showing on and all the cinemas nearby.

COMPETITIVE RESEARCH

I continued with a competitive audit of trailer apps currently on the market. I found 4 apps to audit: Movies, Trailers, Movie Trailers, IMDB

I analysed both indirect and direct competitors, looking at their general information, unique value propositions and overall UI; interaction, visual design and content.​ I found inspired areas and improvement areas.

Opportunity areas for Bonds:

1. Playlist and recommend feature

2. A share feature or direct message feature

3. Negative spaces so options don't appear overwhelming

DESIGN

PAPER WIREFRAMES

To start my design process, I implemented good ideas from my brainstorming, sketches and most importantly key insights from user interviews as requested or desired from users, into paper wireframes. They were rough but presented interesting ideas for the layout. After a lot of iterations, I picked out a paper wireframe I could start building on and scanned it into Figma.

WIREFLOW

After creating a digital wireframe, it was important to look over what was necessary, an unwanted distraction and what areas needed improvements. I also spent important time focused on the preliminary flow before moving onto the UI.

TEST

ITERATION

After developing my lo - fi wireframes into a working prototype I conducted a moderated usability test with 6 participants. I planned questions where they had to complete a number of tasks. As this was my first prototype there were a few bugs I had direct participants pass and fix in between users. Through their feedback and thorough observations, I was able to garner enough feedback for effective iterations.

Usability Tests

The final product & soutions

GOING FORWARD

This was my first-ever UX project (Hooray)! 🎉. More than the actual output, however- I’m immensely grateful to have been through an entire UX process so I can see what it’s actually like. On that note, a few things I’ve learned:

1. Iterate as much as you can. Initially, I thought I had to stick with my first original set of ideas (p&p wireframes) and when I started creating mock-ups and disliked the layout, even after the modifications of the usability test insights, I struggled with allowing myself to completely disregard the first design. Moving forward I want to allow myself the freedom to change my mind as long as user needs are still at the centre of my designs.

2. Be insight- not process-driven. Even after weeks of research + development, my first version of the app was still limited and I have since found many areas for improvement. I think I had a scarcity mindset that was afraid of developing unrealistic ideas, ultimately losing sight of the goal of the app, however, going forward I aim to entertain even the most ridiculous ideas because they may have the potential to assist users in even unconventional ways.

3. You didn’t fail- you just found 100 ways that didn’t work. From noticing mistakes in my UI to uncovering more foundational UX problems in my app, I’m thankful for feedback from my peers and my mentor. I pushed to have the app representing my current capabilities and I’m excited to see my progression as I design and hone my focus on what is truly best for the user.