MoviePalace
MoviePalace is a theater chain based at the center of Rome. Because MoviePalace wants its customers to live the buying experience in a better way, his team has created an app where users can buy movie tickets wherever they are.
The Problem
People get frustrated while waiting in long lines and what happens is that when it's finally their turn to buy movie tickets, there are no seats available.
The Goal
The goal is to give our customers the possibility to buy tickets wherever they are. It would make the process more enjoyable and would provide certainty about seat availability.
My role
UX Designer leading the MoviePalace app
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, creating personas and journey maps, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Project duration
October 2021 to November 2021
Understanding the user
I started conducting interviews with people who would find this type of app helpful in their everyday life. I interviewed people my age and elders to see if there were different needs and suggestions.
Pain Points
1
Young people get frustrated when there are no seats available. It also happens that the ones free are not placed well.
2
Elders might have problems waiting in long lines.
3
Some elders don’t like being in a crowded room, especially after the spread of Coronavirus.
I noticed that people my age prefer to use this kind of app to see in advance how many seats are free and where they are placed. Elders find online payments more useful and comfortable.
Personas
![Google UX Design Certificate - Persona [Template].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3ca09d_5d067f1953f149988092838f81b60597~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_600,h_337,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Google%20UX%20Design%20Certificate%20-%20Persona%20%5BTemplate%5D.png)
Linda is a retired woman who needs an app in which she can buy movie tickets and have information about peak times, since a knee problem prevents her from waiting in line and, because of COVID, doesn't like to sit in crowded rooms.
Giuseppe is an actor who needs an app where he can check how many seats are available and where they are placed, since it happens that, after staying in a long line, there are no seats available, which is frustrating for him.
![Google UX Design Certificate - Persona [Template] (1).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3ca09d_6671f47cae6042b897806ca148ebe01e~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_600,h_337,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Google%20UX%20Design%20Certificate%20-%20Persona%20%5BTemplate%5D%20(1).png)
User journey map of both Linda and Giuseppe
![Google UX Design Certificate - User Journey Map [Linda & Giuseppe] (1).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3ca09d_659c7e7ee696471a92c63802ce00f668~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_600,h_340,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Google%20UX%20Design%20Certificate%20-%20User%20Journey%20Map%20%5BLinda%20%26%20Giuseppe%5D%20(1).png)
Starting the design
Before designing paper wireframes I followed other steps so that I can have a clearer view of how the flow of the app and the wireframes need to be.
Competitive audit
User flow
Big picture storyboard
Close-up storyboard
These three buttons help the user decide which theater to go to or what film to watch. The third button shows your purchased tickets.
Now it's finally time to draw!!
Paper wireframes
 |
|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Digital wireframes
I added these avatar icons to help the user understand how crowded generally is the hall during that time.
Low-fidelity prototype
Click on the image to test the prototype yourself
.png)
Usability study: findings
1
2
3
4
5
6
The Sign up/Log In button needs to be more intuitive
Users didn’t know that scrolling down was an option
CTA buttons need to be more recognizable
The payment needs to be more intuitive
Some texts are difficult to read
There is no possibility to send the purchased tickets via email
Refining the design
After making some improvements with the help of the usability studies, I converted the digital wireframes into mockups.
Mockups
High-fidelity prototype
Click on the image to test the prototype yourself
.png)
Updating the design (2023)
After gaining experience by working as a UX Designer, I decided to improve the interface of the mobile app.
Mockups
High-fidelity prototype
Click on the image to test the prototype yourself
Going forward
Impact
The users now have a better experience while buying tickets. This is certified through our user studies. All of them have said to prefer this paying method instead of purchasing tickets at the theater.
What I learned
I have learned that my point of view wasn't always the best choice. User studies and iteration are the best steps to see if your app is ready or needs improvements.
Next Step
My next step would be to publish the work and periodically check the user reviews to see if there is something that the clients are frustrated with.