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CGV: Designed to Improve Movie Experience for Groups


Product Design

PATENTS
kr 10-2020-0116624

DESIGN RIGHTS
kr 30-1112895
kr 30-1106098


DURATION
Sep 2019 - Jan 2020 (5 mos.)

ROLE
Team Leader, User Research, Concept Ideation, UX/UI Design, Branding

TEAM
Ilhee Park, Minchul Kim, Donggi Lee

This project is a collaborative project with CGV, the biggest cinema company in South Korea.

For this project, I led a design team to improve the group movie experience while working directly with the cinematic company CGV. I constructed research methods, ideated, visualized, and contributed to/oversaw UI/UX design, communication design, video editing, and art direction for the entire project. Our research included field trips, interviews, focus groups, and prototype testing with 23 participants. 




About the Company


CGV Cinemas, part of South Korea's CJ Group, is the largest multiplex cinema chain in South Korea, with branches in China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Turkey, Vietnam, and the United States. Known for its advanced technology, CGV offers top-notch projection, sound quality, and immersive settings to its audiences.




Goal

Create a cinema app that makes scheduling movies with friends easier, encourages group choices, and maximize user engagement both before and after the cinema experience.







Key Idea

A new cinema service that improves movie experiences for groups. It allows users to select a movie effectively and have lasting memories even after the movie ends. It works as such: the creator of the group is the “Host” and the people that he or she adds are the “Guests”.








01. Select a Movie Effectively in a Group 


Host selects 5 movies that the host wants to watch, and even chooses specific times. After that, guests can respond with a very simple interaction – Swiping.








02. Have Lasting Memories Even After the Movie Ends in a Private Group Review



After watching the movie, the group can share their feedback right after the movie via app.
 







Problem Space


For Users

01. Struggle to choose a movie as a group


This is usually due to multiple reasons, such as scheduling conflicts, different interests in genre, and people who have already watched a certain movie.



For Business

02. Cinema App's After-Movie Engagement Challenge


After the movie ends, user engagement decreases, creating a challenge for cinema apps. CGV aims to boost post-movie engagement, meeting user needs for a platform that enhances their experience beyond the theater, fostering lasting connections via the app.












Base Research
Survey

Period: Sep 8, 2019 - Sep 10, 2019
62 responses

SURVEY QUESTIONS
1  Which platform do you prefer when you watch a movie? The cinema or Netflix/YouTube?

2  (If the answer is ‘Cinema’) Why do you prefer cinema?

3  Even though you prefer cinema to watch a movie, what is the weakest point of the cinema?

4  Any comments about either the cinema or Netflix/YouTube?







RESULTS
  • People prefer cinemas for the big screen, excellent sound, and unique atmosphere.
  • Scheduling conflicts are a major drawback as movie showtimes are fixed.
  • Coordinating everyone's availability to attend together is challenging.
  • Enhancing time management can improve the overall movie-going experience.











Research 1
Task Analysis & Interview


Date: Sep 28, 2019
13 interviewees

We wanted to see if people choose movies based on their schedules and whether they're willing to adjust their plans when watching a movie with friends or alone.










RESULTS
  • People are generally willing to adjust their personal schedules to accommodate movie showtimes.
  • They are more inclined to change their plans when going with friends compared to going to the cinema alone.
  • This suggests that the experience of going to the movie theater with friends holds more significance than the movie itself.
  • People are willing to endure inconvenience to coordinate group movie outings, emphasizing the importance of the shared experience.
  • This high willingness to change schedules stems from the need to align both movie schedules and their friends' availability.

Personal Schedule Change










Research 2
Group Interview


13 participants
Oct 12, 2019 - Oct 14, 2019

we inquired about users' experiences with movie apps after finishing a film, as well as their desired features for such apps




RESULTS
  • Users commonly do not use cinema apps after the movie ends because they don't see a good reason to do so.
  • Movie fans, in particular, expressed a strong desire to keep a record of the movies they've watched since they often forget due to watching so many.
  • Many users enjoy talking about movies with friends after watching them and remembering the movie experience
  • But there is currently no dedicated platform to save or share these movie memories.











Research 3
Prototype Testing with Users


Users can make their movie decisions with the simple interaction of, ‘swiping cards’. The interaction of making decisions with swiping was inspired by the dating app ‘Tinder’.


RESULT
Users want to see all the options on one screen rather than one option per screen





Information Architecture







Final Design

01. Select a Movie Effectively in a Group



STEP 1
CREATE A GROUP

The Host creates a group and selects a cinema that the group wants to go.






STEP 2
SELECT 5 MOVIES

After the group is created, the Host selects 5 movies that the host wants to watch, and even chooses specific times. The list would be sent out as a link to the group.


 





STEP 3
SWIPE TO SAY “YES” OR “NO”

Guests can respond with a very simple interaction – swiping. When looking at the film options, they can also see the information about the film such as the cast members, descriptions, and the trailer.





 





STEP 4
BEST OPTIONS & BOOKING 

It finds the best option for the entire group and presents it so that the group can collectively agree on a film together.

  

















02. Have Lasting Memories Even After the Movie Ends in a Private Group Review


STEP 5
PRIVATE GROUP REVIEW

Users can choose to either speak or type comments in a private group, making it easy and efficient to remember and express their thoughts.







Benefit

01.  Simplified Movie Selection


It eliminates group indecision, making choosing movies with friends quick and stress-free, and ensuring everyone's preferences count and enhancing the cinema experience's start.



02. Extended Movie Experience


By preserving the impact of the movie, users can relive and cherish memorable moments, promoting lasting connections with the content.



03. Enhanced User Engagement on the App 


This fosters deeper engagement, not only simplifies group movie selection, but also boosts post-movie interactions.










Wireframe