I love seeing movies and wanted to create a project to help others enjoy them too. I saw the need for an app for purchasing movie tickets that would make the process fun and simple with easy to use features.
The problem
Movie ticket apps can be hard to use, confusing, and lacking in accessibility features. Users are busy and don't want the purchase process to hinder their ability to purchase tickets and enjoy going to the movies. From a business perspective if purchasing tickets is too difficult, users are likely to give up and their potential sale will be lost.
The solution
Make a ticket purchase app that is simple to navigate and accessible, with a focus on features that help users find what they want. When finding and purchasing movie tickets is easy, it should result in more successful purchases, which will benefit the business in the long run.
I reached the solution by:
Understanding the users' feelings and needs
Identifying opportunities to help users through research
Generating ideas to solve user problems
Testing designs with real users and changing what didn't work
Understanding users' feelings and needs
Through user research
I did user research to understand users' feelings, wants, and roadblocks while buying movie tickets. I found that users are excited about seeing movies, but find apps often make buying tickets more difficult.
Users are constrained by time, choice, cost, and accessibility.
Say hello to Ben
Users like Ben, my persona to represent users, are busy with their professional and family life, but want to fit seeing a rating-appropriate movie with their family into their schedule. They want the app to facilitate their purchase so they can focus on having fun.
Identifying opportunities through research
With Ben's user journey and flow
I focused on understanding how Ben's interactions with the app inform their needs. Search and filter options will help Ben find what they want easily, while fewer, more linear steps will simplify Ben's purchase process, and information for review will help Ben know if their selections are correct.
Through a competitive audit
I also completed a competitive audit of similar companies' products to find areas where my app could help users like Ben. I found that other apps lacked accessibility features and an overall experience that is available without an account/sign in, so I focused on adding these elements.
Generating ideas to solve user problems
By sketching paper wireframes
Ben will need features in the app that will help it fit into their life - by sketching I began to envision what the app will look like and what screens they'll see when they open it.
By supporting user interactions
By providing suggested movies, a search, and filters, Ben can find a film that suits their needs with minimal steps. Since the app will support swapping showtimes while on the seating map, Ben can select the showing that will accommodate seating their whole family. A review order view makes the purchase process brief.
Filtering options allow Ben to select a movie based on rating, genre, pricing, or accessibility technologies. Ben may want to purchase add-ons like popcorn and drinks to enjoy while watching the movie, so they should be able to buy these at the same time as tickets. By scanning tickets in the app with a QR code at the theater Ben can have time to go pick up add-ons then get into the show room on time.
Testing designs with real users
With usability studies
I ran two usability studies to discover if my designs worked for real users. I found that in reducing the number of steps to purchase tickets, I had unintentionally made the purchase process unclear.
To fix this, I broke the review order screen into three more purposeful steps - add-on selection, payment, and order review.
Users then wanted more information on the review order view, and more options for editing their order, so I added these.
Finally, users weren't sure what symbols and colors on the seating chart meant, so I added a seating map key that can be opened by hitting a question mark symbol. This key uses symbols and textures to indicate meaning for colorblind accessibility.
A look at the designs
The design evolved from the original plan, through two rounds of usability studies, into a version that fits users needs and provides features that will improve their experience.
One accessibility consideration I included in the app is the use of both symbols and texture to indicate seat selection status. Using color on its own to indicate meaning has poor accessibility, so this distinction was important. I tested the color scheme I came up with (which is inspired by the moviegoing experience) for contrast, to ensure it meets Web Contrast Accessibility Guidelines. Another accessibility consideration I made is the inclusion of notations of available accessibility technologies for each movie, and filter options to select movies based on these technologies.
Measuring success
I would measure the success of this product by counting the number of ticket sales and the user drop-off rate, compared to before the app's release. If the app has been successful in making ticket purchases easier, ticket sales should increase and the drop-off rate should decrease.
Implementation
As a developer, I think this app would not be hard implement; however ensuring seat status is kept up to date would be essential, to ensure users cannot accidentally purchase a seat that has become unavailable.
Going forward
Takeaways
Next steps
Review the app for areas where any accessibility considerations may be missing, and make those areas more accessible.
Conduct a third usability study to test the current iteration of the app and check for any areas that still need improvement.
Incorporate feedback from the next usability study and from a System Usability Scale that users respond to as part of that study.
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