TOMMY MA


 2023
SNACKFLIX Curriculum
Vitae (CV)


SnackFlix 
CASE PROJECT | DEC 2023
TEAM: TOMMY MA
ROLE: UX RESEARCH / UX DESIGN / SKETCHING / PROTOTYPING / VISUAL DESIGN / COPYWRITING
SnackFlix reinvigorates the traditional process of ordering snacks at local cinemas. It's not just about convenience; it's about enhancing the entire local cinema experience, ensuring that everyone has their favorite snacks ready and waiting for them, thereby contributing to a more enjoyable and inclusive movie-watching environment.



BRIEF
 Identify a core business problem and create a unique brand experience
 

SUMMARY Our application aims to foster a beneficial partnership between local cinemas and their food and beverage vendors and redefine their long-term relationships with their customers. We identified an innovation gap in the industry, leading to the development of an improved, consumer-centric snack-buying experience that frees users from worry.



BUSINESS PROBLEMLocal cinemas often face the challenge of offering limited snack options, typically restricted to popcorn, candy, and soda, without any healthy alternatives. This limitation not only restricts customer choices but also affects their overall experience. Additionally, many local cinemas lack in-house digital platforms, hindering their ability to connect with customers effectively. As a result, customers are unable to book tickets on the go or preorder snacks in advance, leading to decreased operational efficiency and convenience. These shortcomings fail to meet the diverse preferences of customers and impact the efficiency of cinema operations.
 “When I give my 14-year-old son some cash so he can have something to eat at the movies, I know that whatever he gets at the concession stand is going to be the most unhealthful thing he eats all month.”
— Patrick Goldstein, American former film critic and columnist, Los Angeles Times (2016)



DESIGN OPPORTUNITY
We have designed an application that functions as an integrative extension tool, aimed at enhancing the overall experience for customers at local cinemas. This tool allows customers to preorder their snacks, thereby increasing efficiency and sales for local cinemas. With this boost in efficiency and sales for both the cinemas and their respective food vendors, the application will foster an environment that accommodates a wider variety of selections, including healthier alternatives.



POTENTIAL CLIENTELEThe Cinematheque, founded in 1972, is a film institute and media education center, focusing on the art and history of Canadian and international cinema and the impact of screen-based media. It offers a year-round program of curated film exhibitions, showcasing both classic and contemporary films. Additionally, The Cinematheque features a comprehensive Film Reference Library and a West Coast Film Archive, which includes around 2,000 Canadian films, emphasizing significant British Columbian works.

The Cinematheque currently has a few local food vendors which include: Daniel Chocolates, Karameller candy, and The Lemon Square.




PRECEDENT STUDY: 
ATOM TICKETS Atom Tickets is an online platform where users can conveniently purchase movie tickets from participating theaters, find showtimes, read reviews, and watch trailers. It even enables users to invite friends to the theater and allows them to pre-order snacks at certain locations, enhancing the movie-going experience.

Like Atom Tickets, SnackFlix can adopt similar unique value propositions:
1. Theater Choices
Works with several movie theater companies in North America. 2. Advanced Booking
Users can book movie tickets and food in adavance.
3. Integrated Rewards Program
UIntegration with reward programs such as Landmark Extras.

“Concessions have always been a part of the movie experience, and now Atom has made a feature within the app where the full movie experience can easily be achieved with just a few taps, and the customer can bypass the lines at the theater. We believe it will lead to greater concessions sales.”
— Ameesh Paleja, Chief Engineer Officer, Atom Tickets (2016)



UNDERSTANDING THE USER
/ USER PAIN POINTS We identified that our primary user group consists of young adults residing in major west coast cities, characterized by their frequent movie-going habits. These individuals are not only health-conscious but also maintain a commendable work-life balance and exercise regularly. Reflective of their conscientious lifestyle, they meticulously check the nutritional information of every product they purchase, highlighting their acute awareness and concern for what they consume.
1. Time
Long queues at the snack counter often result in people being late to their movie.
2. Selection
Local cinemas typically do not provide many options, especially healthier snack alternatives.



EXPERIENCE OBJECTIVES

1. Reduce Queue Times
By reducing overall wait times, users can spend less time worrying about arriving early to order their snacks and more time roaming their local cinemas, watching the trailers, and arriving on-time to watch their movie. 2. Enhance Selections
Since overall queue times are reduced, local cinemas can focus on creating better food options and increasing their selections. Food vendors currently collaborating with these cinemas can also gain more exposure and have an avenue to better prepare for all incoming customers.



WHY MOBILE? “Digital ticket sales are increasing, with e-ticketing growing by 18.7% in 2018, making up 21.3% of the market. More than 70% of online ticket sales are now via mobile, highlighting the preference for the immediacy and convenience of mobile apps.”
 — Grand View Research (2022)

“Mobile ticketing applications can also be used by sports, event, and music concert organizers to drive ticket sales, as well as to offer customers the convenience of booking tickets from a remote location or from the comfort of their home without the need to be physically present in a queue at a ticket outlet or having to pay in cash.” 
— Persistence Market Research (2022)



EXPERIENCE MAPPING
We identified a concise list of current issues that could compromise the movie-going experience at local cinemas if not addressed. It lay the foundation for a journey map, which helped us to:
Focus on key touchpoints to resolve existing frictions
Develop an infomation architecture map for where the SnackFlix app would fit seamlessly







DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION From Wireframes to High-Fidelity
Our process benefited mostly from rapidly prototyping low-fidelity clickthroughs to determining user flows.

To access our full project, CLICK HERE



PAPER WIREFRAMES

We quickly captured various ideas through sketches, allowing for flexibility without committing to a specific design layout. While creating these sketches, we marked elements that were the most user-friendly, ensuring a focus on usability in each design iteration. All of the sketches are archieved here.





DIGITAL WIREFRAMES
We transferred the paper wireframes to digital wireframes via Figma.  





PROTOTYPES

Low-Fidelity Prototype

Following extensive efforts to connect the dots, it took some time for us to become comfortable with the foundation we established. We had to "just do it" and validate our findings through prototyping and testing. This process enabled us to acquire a general understanding of the application's feel.




KEY TOUCHPOINTS
TOUCHPOINT 1  - DISCOVERYPush Notifications + Match Ticket  to Prepare Order

Users are notified in advance to order their snacks before their movie showing. They must then link their movie ticket with the app, so food vendors are notified ahead of time and can prepare orders accordingly.



TOUCHPOINT 2 - ASSURANCE Categorized Choices + Health-Conscious Options

Users are presented with all the options that food vendors in local cinemas offer. The options are categorized for easy navigation. Additionally, a "Health-Conscious" category has been provided, allowing users to easily find healthier alternatives.


TOUCHPOINT 3 - ENGAGEMENTPre-order with Saved Payment Information

Users can pay in advance and choose the saved payment option that works best for them.


TOUCHPOINT 4 - POST-ENGAGEMENTMobile Order Kiosk Integration

Users can skip the long queue and be fast-tracked to the mobile order kiosk, where they can pick up their orders by providing their order number.


TOUCHPOINT 5 - POST-MOVIE SYNDROMELoyalty Program Integration

Users now have an incentive to remain loyal patrons of their local cinema through a loyalty program that allows them to earn and redeem points by ordering through the app.



FIGMA COMPONENT LIBRARY
The component library was created to ensure a consistent design language across the application. It was designed alongside the application, allowing for changes throughout the design process. Only after completing the application did the component library become finalized. 

To access our Figma component library, CLICK HERE



USING FIGMA VARIABLES
 To ensure that we don’t design too many variants for a simple drop-down menu, we learned how to use Figma’s new variable feature.



1. Create Local Variables

We created multiple strings and colors to set up our local variables. 


2. Create Components

We created components and their variants, including the selection list and the drop-down menu. Afterward, we applied our local variables to the text layers, allowing us to change the text at any time by renaming the variables.


3. Create Prototypes

We linked everything together and applied the variables to the components, including hover states and both collapsed and expanded drop-down menus. This ensures that when an item is selected from the drop-down, it is replaced by the user's selection."


To access the completed variable feature as shown above, CLICK HERE




TAKEAWAYS, LEARNINGS
 Building a Strong Case
This was primarily the backbone of our project. It helped us prioritize focus aspects, determine scope, and drive design decisions.


UX as a Business Strategy
Largely described as user-centric considerations when designing, UX serves not only form and function, but when harnessed fully can create value for brands and transform businesses.


“More” Doesn't Always Mean “Accurate”
Knowing what to do with substantial amounts of research can be disorienting. As we pieced together insight after insight, it took considerable time to become confident in the foundation we established. Ultimately, we adopted a "just do it" approach, validating our findings through prototyping and testing.


Using Variables to Build Drop-Down Menus
We aimed to save time during prototyping, and one method we used was incorporating variables to create drop-down menus. This approach enabled us to quickly change texts and avoided the need for repeatedly creating variants.



FUTURE IMPLEMENTATIONS;
SAME PLATFORM, DIFFERENT USES Sport Complexes and Stadiums
Sports centers and stadiums, such as BC Place and Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, typically offer concessions to their patrons but do not have a dedicated mobile application for facilitating these transactions. Our application can be easily integrated to serve as their solution, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Performance Art Venues
Venues such as the Orpheum or the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver often offer concessions for their patrons but lack any in-house mobile applications for this purpose. Our application can be seamlessly integrated as their go-to solution to enhance customer satisfaction.




REFERENCES
 https://www.boxofficepro.com/inside-atom-interview-atom-tickets-ceo-ameesh-paleja/

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/online-movie-ticketing-services-market

https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/24-frames/story/2012-06-13/movie-theater-junk-food-is-it-a-menace-to-society

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/mobile-ticketing-market.asp