Duration: Mar-Apr 2022
FilmHouse
Helping movie goes reserve their favorite theatre seats
Project Overview
The Problem
Busy and working adults lack time to stand in-line to book movie ticket physically.
The Goal
Design an app that allows users to easily reserve their favorite movie theatre seats.
The Product
FilmHouse is a cinema located in the suburbs of a metropolitan area. FilmHouse strives to deliver the ultimate seat reservation experience. FilmHouse targets a variety of customers from busy workers to families who want an easy and fast way of reserving theatre seats in advance experience.
Project duration
January 2022 to March 2022
My Role
UX designer leading the app from conception to delivery
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iterating on designs, determining information architecture, and responsive design.
Understanding the user
I conducted an interview and created empathy maps to understand the users I’m designing for and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was working adults who don’t have time to stand in line to go through movie ticket booking processes physically. Research also revealed that busy working adults were not the only ones, whose problems was to be addressed. Other user problems that the app address include user reservation of favorite seat.
Pain Point
1. Time
Working adults are too busy to wait in line for physical ticket ordering
2. Seat selection
Some platforms for reserving movie theatre seats do not allow users to choose seat of choice
3. Accessibility
Platforms for reserving movie theatre seats are not equipped with assistive technologies
Personas and Problem statement
Starting off, I took a user-centered design approach that proved to be quite effective in my design efforts. I conducted an interview and created empathy maps to understand the users I’m designing for and their needs. I discovered that many target users prefer to use online apartment finding as the perfect alternative to the usual physical method, as it is very stressful for working adults to manage that.
Abigael
Abigael is a busy chief operating officer who needs a faster way to reserve their favorite movie theatre seats because she wants to develop a healthy movie watching lifestyle.
David
David is an undergraduate and an administrative assistant who needs an easier way to reserve theatre seats because he doesn't like waiting in line.
User Journey Map
Mapping Abigael’s user journey revealed how helpful it would be for users to have access to a dedicated FilmHouse app.
Starting the design
Paper Wireframes
Taking the time to draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well-suited to address user pain points. For the home screen I prioritized quick movie booking
Digital Wireframes
As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from the user research.
Multiple Booking was a key user need to address in the designs in addition to equipping the app to work with assistive technologies.
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.
Round 1 findings
1. Homepage
Users need an intuitive way to preview movies while on the homepage
2. Search bar
Users need a search bar while for easy navigation on the app
3. Booking
Users need more information that will improve booking experience
Round 2 findings
1. One tap booking
Users needed a one tap booking from the search bar. An alternative user flow was needed.
2. Trailer genre
The trailer page didn’t have genre section which Users could use to filter trailers
Usability study findings
Refining the design
Mockups
Early designs had longer movie tabs which did not have a movie preview. I also revised the design so users can easily have access to all movies based on their categories. I basically did a total overhaul of the homepage design to deliver a better experience.
The second usability study revealed that some users still wanted an even shorter way to book a movie on the app. To streamline this flow, I made the search bar intuitive by adding a book button to the search results to create alternative but shorter user flow.
Before usability studies
After usability studies
Before usability studies
After usability studies
Accessibility considerations
1. Icons
Used Icons to help make navigation easier.
2. Imagery
Used detailed imagery for in all pages where actions are needed to help all users better understand the designs.
3. Contrast
Used good color contrast and clear Call To Action buttons for easier use under low lighting
Refined designs
High fidelity prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype presented cleaner user flows for reserving a theatre seat. It also met user needs for a detailed booking page and a search bar on each page for easy navigation
Going forward
Takeaways
Impact
The app makes users feel like FilmHouse really puts them front and center.
One quote from peer feedback:
“The app made it so easy to book my movie ticket on the go!. I would definitely use this app everytime I’m i want to catch a quick movie.”
What I learned
While designing the FilmHouse app, I learned that the first ideas for the app are only the beginning of the process. Usability studies and peer feedback influenced each iteration of the app’s designs.
Next steps
1. Usability study
Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively addressed.
2. Research
Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need.