Golden Village App Redesign

Design Critique Case Study

Synopsis

Enhancing the Golden Village App’s UX through immersive design, the approach tackles cluttered interfaces and unclear icons, creating a visually cohesive, user-friendly experience. The big idea revolves around intuitive user flows, refined color schemes, and optimized layouts, ensuring seamless, gratifying interactions — from movie exploration to transactions. This modernizes the app, aligning with cinema operator standards and amplifying movie excitement. This approach merges design expertise and user-centered thinking, transforming the app into a contemporary, captivating platform.

About Golden Village

Founded in 1992 Golden Village (GV) is Singapore’s premier cinema chain, known for its commitment to delivering an exceptional movie experience. With advanced technology, comfortable seating, and a diverse film selection, GV offers something for every moviegoer.

Duration: 1 Month
Role: UI/UX Designer

Value Proposition:

• Movie Listings and Showtimes
• Seat Selection
• Ticket Booking and Purchase
• Promotions and Discounts

Audience Demographic

Demographics

With a nearly equal gender split of 54.87% male and 45.13% female, the target audience will focus on 25 to 34-year-old age group.

User Reviews

User Review

User reviews indicate several areas of concern with the app, including unreliable checkout processes, laggy performance, login issues, and a cluttered layout. Users find the home screen overly busy and the app’s overall design confusing, with too many steps required for basic tasks. Additionally, they note that the dining menu is too small and difficult to navigate effectively. These feedback points highlight the need for improvements in usability, performance, and overall user experience to address user frustrations and enhance satisfaction with the app

Immersion

Homepage

1. Search and menu buttons lack visibility
2. Poor spacing throughout the interface
3. Movie posters are small and some names are hard to read
4. Lack of movie categorization and names
5. No preview indicator to prompt users to scroll down

Movie Details Page

1. The YouTube logo disrupts the color scheme
2. Ghost buttons lack clear calls to action
3. Low color contrast affects text readability

Seat Selection Page

1. Unable to switch to other dates
2. Seats are challenging to tap and select
3. Legend should be displayed
4. Empty space at the bottom could be utilized more effectively

Problem Identified

In summary, the issues identified encompass several key areas affecting the overall user experience.

Firstly, disruptions in user flow are evident, primarily stemming from challenges in navigation, which are exacerbated during checkout processes.

Secondly, the color scheme employed throughout the app appears outdated and lacks vibrancy, contributing to a dull visual aesthetic.
Lastly, there are shortcomings in the utilization of typography to establish a clear visual hierarchy, leading to potential confusion for users when navigating through the interface.

Addressing these issues is essential to improving the usability and appeal of the app for users.

Customer Journey Map

Journey Mapping

Insight

Insight

After analyzing the user journey, I’ve identified key issues in:

• Step 2 — reveals an interruption in the browsing experience as users encounter an ad, prompting them to press ‘Skip ad’ to proceed.
• Step 3—users resort to zooming in and out on the screen to enhance the selection and tapping of seats, indicating usability challenges related to seat size.
• Step 5 — presents an opportunity to improve user efficiency in finding movies by enhancing navigation or search functionality within the app.

Opportunities

Problem Statement

Problem Statement

To address this issue, my objective is to revamp the overall visual design of the app interface. By implementing enhancements such as refining spacing between elements, optimizing color choices for better contrast and readability, and establishing a more intuitive visual hierarchy, we aim to improve the usability and user experience of the GV app. Through these design improvements, we seek to create a more visually cohesive and user-friendly interface that facilitates effortless navigation and enhances overall user satisfaction.

User Flow

In the new proposed user flow, I aim to enhance the user experience by removing unnecessary pages and prompts. By eliminating the “already a member,” “advertisement,” “setup account,” and “do you have an account” pages, I streamline the journey for users. This approach reduces friction in the onboarding process, allowing users to access the app’s features and content more quickly and seamlessly. Removing these pages not only simplifies the user flow but also enhances user satisfaction by minimizing interruptions and distractions. Ultimately, my focus is on creating a smoother and more intuitive experience for users as they navigate the app.

Brand Positioning

Golden Village (GV) is a premier cinema chain that has established itself as a leading destination for exceptional movie experiences. With a rich history spanning over several decades, GV has become synonymous with top-notch film screenings, state-of-the-art technology, and a commitment to customer satisfaction.

Against Other Cinemas

Comparison Chart

Design Considerations

Design Considerations:

1. Sleek & Modern Design: Align visual elements with the brand’s position, incorporating sleek and modern design elements to reflect GV’s cutting-edge technology and contemporary aesthetic.
2. User-Friendly Features: Prioritize intuitive navigation and user-friendly features to provide an effortless and enjoyable experience for app users. Focus on streamlining processes and minimizing friction points to enhance usability.
3. Sophisticated Cinematic Palette: Utilize a color palette that exudes sophistication and captures the excitement of the cinema experience. Incorporate rich, vibrant hues and elegant tones to evoke the atmosphere of the big screen while maintaining a polished and refined aesthetic.

Brand Identity: New App Logo

Brand Identity

This new brand’s visual identity will apply across all platforms, ensuring a cohesive and consistent design image that reflects GV brand’s essence and strengthens its recognition.

Prototype

Low to High Fidelity

Wireframe

Starting from wireframe concepts, the design process progresses through iterative stages towards high-fidelity prototypes. Each iteration involves refining the layout, adding visual elements, and enhancing functionality based on user feedback and usability testing. By continually iterating and testing with users, the design evolves to meet their needs, preferences, and expectations.

Iteration 1

Design Iteration 1A: Home

Design Iteration 1A

1. Carousel Banner Height Reduction — Decreasing the height of the carousel banner to optimize screen space and improve content visibility.
2. Included Cinema and Filter Sorting Feature & Tabs — Adding cinema and filter sorting features, along with tabs, to enhance usability and navigation options for users.
3. Improved Movie Name Tiles Visibility & Added Ratings — Enhancing the visibility of movie name tiles and adding ratings to provide users with more information about each film.
4. Persistent Bottom Navigation Bar Removal — Eliminating the persistent bottom navigation bar to declutter the interface and create a cleaner user experience.

Design Iteration 1B: Home

Design Iteration 1B

1. Improve visibility on navigation and added share button — Enhancing navigation clarity and adding a share button for easy sharing of movie details or cinema experiences.
2. Removal of tabs — Simplifying the interface by removing cluttered or confusing tabs, reducing cognitive load for users.
3. Change button style — Updating button styles for consistency and alignment with the app’s visual design language, improving user interaction.
4. Added movie details and popcorn review — Incorporating movie details and a popcorn review feature to provide comprehensive information and enhance user engagement.

Design Iteration 1C: Food Details

Design Iteration 1C

1. Suprise Me Function - Added for users who enjoy spontaneity or have trouble deciding. It offers a random selection of items, adding excitement to the cinema experience without decision-making stress.

Usability Testing

User Testing

Conducted usability testing with 5 targeted users:

1. Sarah — Movie 2 times a month
2. Benjamin — Movie 4 times a month
3. Dominic— Movie 1 time a week
4. Xavier — Movie once every two months
5. Weijie — Movie 3 times a month

This iterative process allows for the observation and analysis of their interactions with the prototype, aiming to gather valuable insights into its usability, functionality, and overall user experience. By closely observing their behavior, collecting feedback, and identifying pain points or areas of confusion, we can iteratively refine the prototype to better meet user needs and preferences.

Users Feedback & Key Insights

Based on the 14 insights gathered from user feedback, I will focus on addressing 10 of them to improve the product’s usability and user experience. These key insights will guide the iterative design process, ensuring that the most impactful issues are effectively resolved to enhance user satisfaction and engagement with the product.

Iteration 2

Design Iteration 2A: Movie Timing Availability

1. Enhance user experience by indicating movie timing availability through color-coded indicators.

Design Iteration 2A

Design Iteration 2B: Enhanced Seat Selection Numbering

1. Enhance user experience through improved seat numbering for streamlined seat selection.

Design Iteration 2B

Final Design

Home Page

Movie Details

Seat Selections

Figma Design Prototype

Product Video Demo

Conculsion

My focus on rectifying the deficiencies in spacing and color scheme within the GV app interface design is vital for transforming the user experience. By strategically improving the visual hierarchy and refining the overall design aesthetics, I aim to facilitate smoother and more intuitive navigation for users across all stages of their journey within the app.

These enhancements hold the promise of not only eliminating frustrations associated with poor layout and color choices but also instilling a sense of confidence and ease among users as they interact with the app. Through this concerted effort to elevate the design, I anticipate a marked increase in user engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty, ultimately positioning the GV app as a premier destination for movie enthusiasts seeking a seamless and enjoyable movie booking experience.