In A World…
PROJECT SUMMARY
Whether you enjoy going to the movies as an escape from the daily-grind or making a night of it with pre-dinner and post-cocktails, organizing a movie night with friends can see all the drama, tragedy, and comedy as any epic tale.
Amid busier schedules, escalating ticket prices, and the ever increasing use of technology to organize and facilitate gatherings, along with my agile teammates, Mary Rizaldo, Diego Mas González, and Ricardo Ortiz, we aimed to uncover a solution to help modern movie goers better coordinate their outings together.
OVERVIEW
To create a passion project from concept to completion and present to unknown stakeholders. MoviePal is an iOS application aimed at connecting friends to coordinate movie outings.
SCOPE
2 Week Sprint
TEAM
Andy Morris Mary Rizaldo Ricardo Ortiz Diego Mas González
ROLE
Researcher, Copywriter, Interaction Designer, Content Strategist
METHODS USED
User Interviews, Competitive and Comparative Analysis, Feature Prioritization, Usability Testing, Contextual Inquiry, Affinity Mapping, Surveys, Persona, Journey Mapping, Sketching, Wireframes, Design Studio & Rapid Prototyping
EXPLORING THE PROBLEM SPACE
How might we bring the theater experience home and provide home audiences with films currently showing in theaters in a legal and accessible way?
We first began this epic with the assumption that people were going to the movies less often than they had 15–20 years ago. We also assumed that with the assortment of new technologies, like internet streaming services and pirating content through torrents, people were more apt to stay at home to watch their favorite films instead of heading to the latest release in theaters.
NARROWING THE PROBLEM AREA
attending a movie as a shared social experience
Considering the legal constraints of movie-studios and the possibility of killing off a declining movie-house industry, we’d eventually come to realize we could not move forward with our initial assumptions. We also concluded that the perceived problem space was actually two separate spaces. Instead, we decided to focus on bringing people together and to help them coordinate an outing rather than keep folks at home.
REVISED PROBLEM STATEMENT
Audiences like going to the movies because it is an event that brings friends and family together as a shared experience. However, planning a night out with several people requires a lot of coordination and planning.
How might we help movie goers better coordinate their outing together?
We believe that by creating a mobile-hybrid application — for people who plan movies as an event — users will achieve a more succinct night out with friends and family.
INDUSTRY RESEARCH
Competitive | Comparative Matrix
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We found that our top competitors, iMessage & Facebook, and top comparators, Fandango & AMC, did not have much crossover and that our niche existed to solve for a single platform where movie goers could simultaneously:
Access theater and film listings
Communicate and coordinate together
USER RESEARCH
GOALS
Identify Audience Habits: What entices them to see a film in theater and what factors exist when coordinating a night out with friends or family?
Interviewees considered movie theater attendance as a socially-connected experience - while no competitor offered in-app social or social-web event communication or coordination
Insights
2 Screener Surveys
2 Rounds of Interviews
14 Interviewees, 3 Males, 4 Females, 25-30 years old
5 out of 7 Movie goers likely hang-out together before and/or after seeing a film in theater
6 out of 7 Movie goers purchase tickets via mobile applications before going to the movies
71% use a Mobile Browser/Mobile Application to search listings and/or purchase movie tickets
53% use Fandango
PERSONA DEVELOPMENT
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Aimie is a young professional working in New York City. Growing up on Long Island, she and her family would often come into the city to grab dinner and catch a movie.
Now, as an adult, she continues the tradition with friends, but often finds it difficult to get everyone on the same page when choosing a theater and movie time, not to mention which movie to see.
FEATURE PRIORITIZATION
discovery
Dashboard: Similar to a user profile, the dashboard is the main starting point to creating an event, viewing past events, recommendations, and a users social connections
Movie Search: Search currently showing films and upcoming films
Theater Finder: Locate a theater of your choice or continue with nearby locations
Social
Invites: Most critical to MoviePal, is the power for users to invite others to a film directly within the application
Social Integration (Contact Lists): Syncing of contacts, either from OAUTH connected social application, like Facebook, or phone for invitees
Chat Messaging: Allows users to communicate directly within the app. without having to use or have open multiple channels like iMessage, Facebook, and Fandango at once
Voting System: This system democratizes the what, where, and when, when planning a movie night amongst several users
WIREFRAMES
creating an event | selecting + voting on a movie
Hi-Fidelity Prototype
PARTNERSHIP
As MoviePal seeks to solve the social, communication, and coordination problem-space within group attendance, we believe that a Fandango-MoviePal partnership would best serve the modern movie goer population.
As a top-rated platform, used by millions, Fandango currently serves this population of movie goers with listings and ticketing capabilities - however, the platform lacks the social, communication, and coordination features MoviePal offers.
This partnership would provide those already using Fandango with the capacity to not only purchase their tickets, but plan and participate in a way that no other platform is currently doing.
53% use Fandango to search for movie listings
71% use mobile to find movie information
41% use Mobile Websites for choosing seats
88% use credit/debit cards for ticket purchases
NEXT STEPS
Iterate and continuing testing of HiFidelity prototype
Research and develop additional user personas/use cases
Explore in-app concessions purchasing
Consider alternative partnerships based on further research
Research current user payment habits and frequently used [financial] services
Iterate on chat-messaging feature
Validate voting system and the extent of user interest in democratization of the overall platform