PROBLEM
In everyday life, I've faced the problem of making an unsuccessful or lengthy choice when choosing a TV series or movie to watch. Starting to analyze, I realized that many people face this problem, so I decided to try to solve this problem by creating an app.
SOLUTION
An app that helps users find movies and TV shows based on their preferences, keep up with new releases on streaming platforms, and track content they have watched and want to watch.
DESIGN PROCESS
My design process was based on the double diamond. This framework was very useful in guiding me through a structured and iterative approach to app design.
SECONDARY RESEARCH
When I realized the common problem, I started reading forums where people share their experiences on this issue. I identified the main insights on this issue:
It takes an average of 20 minutes to choose a movie.
When a person has a watchlist, it takes less time to make a decision.
The decision depends on the mood, the genre, or the actor(s) in the movie or series.
If it takes too long to make a decision, people give up and go to YouTube.
It is important that the movie or series has a high rating on IMBd.
It is very difficult to create lists on IMBd because people do not understand the principle of creating them.
USER INTERVIEWS
I conducted 5 interviews with people who regularly face the problem of searching for movies or TV shows over a long period of time to gain a deeper understanding of the attitudes, behaviors, and motivations of potential users of the app. Here are some quotes from interviews:
“I'm often looking for something new to watch. It's usually after a busy day and in the evening so I don't want to spend a lot of time choosing what's interesting to watch.”
“I save the movies and TV shows I want to watch in notes on my phone, but it's not very convenient. It would be better if there was some kind of system where I could both discover something new to watch and save the movie or TV show for later watching.”
“I usually watch movies or TV shows recommended by friends or bloggers. These recommendations often match my preferences and mood.”
“One of the challenges I face is the overwhelming amount of content available across different streaming platforms. Sometimes it's time-consuming to browse through different streaming services to find the content I want to watch.”
“Sometimes I waste time looking for a new TV show and forget that a new episode of the show I'm watching has been released.”
“When I find an interesting movie, I want to see the rating, description, cast, and reviews. This will reduce my decision making time.”
COMPETITORS ANALYSIS
I analyzed the most popular apps that allow people to discover new movies and TV series and highlighted the pros that can be added to our product and the cons that should be avoided.
USER PERSONA
Based on secondary research and user interviews I have identified who needs this app. These are the people who don't have time to look for new movies or TV shows, and who always forget what they want to watch.
Emily
Age: 32 y.o
Education: Doctor of Medicine
Hometown: Newport, Rhode Island
Family: Single, lives alone
Occupation: Doctor
Background
Emily accomplished doctor with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. She leads a demanding and hectic life, often working long hours at the hospital, attending medical conferences, and conducting research. Due to her busy schedule, Emily finds it challenging to balance work and personal life, leaving little time for leisure activities.
Pain Points
She doesn't have a lot of time to search for movies or TV shows that match her preferences.
Sometimes she wants to recommend a movie to her colleagues or friends but forgets its name.
One of the factors in choosing a movie or TV show is reviews, but when there are no reviews, it's hard to make a decision.
Goals
Want don't waste time searching for a movie or TV series during leisure time
Want to quickly find and save movies and TV shows that have been recommended to her
Want to not forget the released episode of the TV show she is watching
JOB STORIES
Then I created job stories to understand and empathize with users' needs, motivations, and goals. This will help us create features that users really want.
When I finish watching a movie or TV show I want to be able to rate it and leave a review so I can share my thoughts with other users
When I can't remember which episode I finished watching I want to remember that episode so I can avoid wasting time trying to remember what I watched
When I watch a movie or an episode of a TV series I want to note that I watched it so I can remember that I watched it
When I search for something to watch I want to see recommendations based on my viewing history, preferences, and ratings so I can be sure the choice is right for me
When I come across a recommendation that interests me I want to the option to save it to my watchlist so I can easily find and remember the content I want to watch in the future, keeping my entertainment options organized
When I see a movie or TV show recommendation I want to see detailed information about the proposed movie or TV show, including a brief description of the plot, cast, and user ratings so I can make an informed decision about whether or not to watch it
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
The Information Architecture was created to organize the app’s content and features in logical and user-friendly way
WIREFRAMES
I created wireframes and tested them with users through usability testing. This helped me prioritize features for potential app.
STYLE GUIDE
The project's style guide was created to maintain consistency in design aspects, including typography, colors, and UI elements, across the application.
UI DESIGN
Then I created interface design according style guide
Onboarding
After the first launch the app suggest the user to authorize and select favorite genres.
Home
On the home screen, there is a section that shows the series the user is watching, so they can quickly recall where they stopped, and also sections where the user can find out which movies or TV series are trending and which ones are more suitable for them based on their viewing history.
Search
Search tab created to quickly find specific movies / TV shows. The screen includes recent searches by user and browsing by genre to find content according to mood.
Movies / Shows tabs
These tabs allow users to discover new movies and TV shows and include sections such as: Top movies/shows for you, Trending now, Upcoming, and Friends' watchlist.
Profile
Movies and shows details
INTERACTIVE PROTOTYPE
Then I prototype the screens of the app so I get an interactive prototype of ReelVibe.
