The application aims to foster a beneficial partnership between independent, community-rooted 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.

Independent cinemas typically offer a small, static range of snacks—popcorn, candy, soda—with few (if any) health-conscious or locally inspired alternatives. This limited variety not only restricts customer choice, but can undercut the thoughtful, curated experience these cinemas are known for.

While major chains evolve with mobile apps and e-commerce infrastructure, many independent cinemas lack the resources to modernize. Without tools to preorder snacks or streamline ticketing, customers are left waiting in lines—and cinemas miss opportunities for efficiency and revenue.


“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)

SnackFlix is a mobile-first application designed to modernize the snack experience at independent cinemas—without compromising their identity.

By allowing customers to preorder snacks ahead of time, SnackFlix reduces wait times, increases operational efficiency, and enables local vendors to prepare with confidence. With support for healthier alternatives and dynamic menus, cinemas can offer more thoughtful options to reflect their curated programming.

But beyond convenience, SnackFlix also introduces a built-in loyalty program that rewards repeat customers for engaging with the app—transforming one-time ticket buyers into long-term supporters. With every purchase tracked and every interaction captured, independent cinemas finally gain the data and digital tools to compete with larger chains—on their own terms.

The 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.

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

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:


“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)

“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)

I identified a concise list of current issues that could compromise the movie-going experience at local cinemas if not addressed. It lays the foundation for a journey map, which helped me to:

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

The initial sketches were later translated into digital wireframes, allowing me to refine the layout, structure, and  usability. 

To move from sketches to structure, we built a low-fidelity prototype to test how our ideas translated into flow and function. Rather than overanalyze, we committed to quick iterations—validating assumptions, identifying friction points, and gaining early insight into how the app might feel in users’ hands.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

I created multiple strings and colors to set up local variables. 

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

I 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.