Ballot Movies

What if you can choose movies Played in cinema?

Streaming is convenient, drawing people away from theaters. As a result, most of the seats in movie theaters are empty. Consequently the movie industry is in $4B debt in the US (based on secondary research). So the question became...

✦ Problem

How might we help cinemas to bring audiences back to movie theatre so that movie lovers can enjoy the immersive experience?

✦ Solution

Pick your flick by voting

If enough people vote for the same show as you, the show will be screened. Otherwise there is no screening. This way the movies are screened based on real user demand rather than expected/projected demand.

Role : End-to-end Product Designer
Type : UX Master's thesis project
Duration : 8 Months
Tools: Figma, Miro, Trello

90% user satisfaction from focus group study results
Solution to $4B debt
247M projected users in the US alone

✦ sneak peek

Swipe to vote

User gets 5 vote at all times. Tickets are distributed only when the show is confirmed.

But why do we need a movie voting application to bring users back to cinema theatre?

Keep scrolling to find out

🎬 🍿 📽️

✦ Process

End-to-end roadmap using double diamond method

✦ Research data

Users say streaming is more convenient than cinema. Why?

Surveys

Streaming offers "on demand viewing". Cinema doesn't. 64 users from 5 countries says - I used google forms to collect opinions from a large sample size to keep the data as unbiased as possible.

User Interviews

12 user across the world was asked on their preferences of cinema and streaming services and why. Screener survey was used to select for interviews. 6M, 6F, student/working, 18-35 Y/O

7 Insights were discovered using affinity mapping and clustering

✦ Reseach findings - 2 main theme

Anticipation +++

I found that my users were more likely to watch movie in cinema, If they could watch ...

Movie of their choice
Movie with their friends.

Think about it. Cinema has always been more than just a cinema. It is a day out, it is a change in scenery. It is something to talk about for both you and your friends. Hence, it becomes a cult experience. With both these aspects combined, the users' anticipation elevates, and then all the other problems like cost, traffic, and inconvenience fade away. This is a unique edge only cinema has compared to streaming.

✦ User Journey map of a movie-goer

The journey starts with high expectations. However, when a user starts searching for a good movie, that initial excitement begins to fade. To make matters worse, when they share a potential choice with friends, no one is interested because the film just isn't that great. Eventually, they give up the effort of going to the cinema altogether and settle for streaming at home, a total compromise.

Now the user's goal is defined: they want to see the movie of their choice in theaters. However, this is where the core problem unveils.

✦ Bridging the gap between demand and supply

The business limitation

Just wait 4 months!

It takes cinema theatre 4 months or more to acquire copyright for a user requested content.

The workaround

Theater space is now available for rent

User lease the space in cinema, brings their own movie and host the show. This way copyright laws become flexible.

The user who lease space in cinema becomes the movie host

They bring their own cinema, the theatre thus becomes just a venue for the screening. This is the only way to find a Product market Fit solution - But still why vote? Then the show is based on real user demand than the projected demand.

✦ Bridging the gap between demand and supply

A day in the life of Cinephile Steve

✦ User Flow

Decision making of movie-goer, movie host and the cinema theatre

✦ Early sketches

✦ Style guide

✦ Final design

✦ Usability testing

6 Participants tested voting, inviting friends, and hosting

93% success

Most of the users succeeded in all the tasks

93% easiness

Due to difficulty in learning how voting works

86% Confidence

As a result of lack of easiness

✦ Iterations based on usability testing data

Making it clear that user is voting and not buying instant tickets

✦ UX for movie Theatre - B2B

When the host submits a request, the cinema approves it; only after that will the movie be available for the general public to vote on.

✦ KPI - Net Promoter score

✦ Validating market engagement

Let's Test Drive The App For A Week

Assumption : At least 70% Users at least will like to choose the movie via voting

Assumption Success

90% Users loved voting for movies!

I hosted a movie night on campus and asked students to vote for their favorite choice via a survey. I also asked them about their satisfaction level with the movie selection process via voting. 9/10 users loved it!. A medical student named Rachel sais - "It is democracy in cinema".

Assumption: At least 10% users at least will like to host a movie

Assumption Success

50% users can't wait to host

8 users participated in the screening. Out of all of them, 4 said they are willing to host another movie night on campus, and they cannot wait to host a movie!

Assumption: At least 50% users will be satisfied by the mystery movie content

Assumption fail

48% users stayed back from start to finish.

To test out the worst-case scenario, I hosted “The Dark Knight" on Thomas Jefferson University campus. Since everyone had already seen it, the dissatisfaction levels should be high. As expected, users left after some time as the show wasn't exclusive enough for them. But in an exit feedback form, someone said... "Rather than hosting mystery stuff, ask people what they want, may be though voting?" This made my day.

Some pictures from the live study of mystery movies.

Assumption : At least 30% theatre will upload their availability

Assumption Success

30% did upload, but not through the right channels.

I reached out to 15 theaters in Philly, sending them a simple Excel file to fill out their private screening availability for the next two weeks. It was meant to take just 5 minutes to complete and return. Instead of getting back the templates, I received specific quotes for dates and times. So, it was almost a success!

✦ Pricing

Cost, subscriptions, and more

$90k

Cost of development

12-18 months

Break even point

$0 for the user

Free to use, 3 % transaction fee only

$799 for cinema/month

For customer support and maintenance. Free for the first month

✦ Growth Strategy

Lease space for any events

Live events, conferences, game nights and more

Launch in India first

Cheap, low risk, high impact.

Movie+consumables

Incorporate pre-show food ordering

✦ Learnings

Takeaways

Any app with a new feature requires the extreme simplicity. It takes out the barrier of entry to an extend.

Cinemas are trying subscriptions and themed nights, but it’s failing because the user is not picking the movie!

Next Steps

I plan to retest the focus group with newer mystery movies, like an early show release, to see if satisfaction changes.

I’m consulting a copyright attorney to validate legal aspects at the request of a potential investor.

Next up ...

Payment Integration

SweatNow

B2B2C Fitness