Exploring opportunities to optimize online ticket-buying for groups of moviegoers.
Going to the cinemas has long been a social activity, friends seeing a long-awaited movie, couples going on their first date, parents watching with their kids, and so much more. Safe to say, going to the movies can be a memorable group experience.
More recently, cinemas adopted a digital ticketing system that carries several benefits. Audiences can skip the line at the counter, purchase tickets anytime and anywhere, and view movie details in advance.
Cineplex Entertainment, Canada's leading cinema chain, use their website as a digital ticketing platform.
However, the digital ticketing experience is not immune to issues that make it harder for users to purchase tickets. To identify them, research should be conducted. The most pressing issues can be investigated further to recommend further action. Additionally, understanding user behavior can help us to make a simple experience greater. So, our first question becomes
How might we discover the behaviors and issues of Cineplex website users to enhance the experience of buying tickets for groups?
How might we discover the behaviors and pain points of Cineplex users to enhance the experience of buying tickets in a group setting?
This project is being reworked.
Check back in later or scroll to see what's in store!
To start, six research questions addressing specific aspects of the ticket-buying experience were established. By the investigation's end, a holistic understanding of the problem space will be gained.
To meet the study's purposes , 2 usability testers were recruited and screened
Based on the above directives, a test schedule with timings was developed. The researcher will follow it loosely as changes are to be expected during the actual test.
10 Minutes
10 Minutes
Ask the participants open-ended questions to understand the context that shape their future behaviors and opinions.
3 Scenarios / 10 Minutes
Provide participants with a task scenario and have them understand the objective with verbal confirmation that they understand. Three task scenarios are available and given out in the prescribed order.
3 Tests / 30 Minutes
Participants perform the task scenarios on the Cineplex website and are encouraged to think aloud. Participants are not expected to complete payment.
3 Interviews / 15 Minutes
Ask open-ended questions geared to each task scenario, to reveal:
10 minutes
Discuss:
The test environment aims to closely simulate buying tickets with a group to create data closest to real-world conditions. To suit the participants availabilities, in-person and remote options were devised.
Use their own laptop and record their screen with the native screen recording software (mouse must be visible).
Be exposed to background noise of frequent text messages to mimic group discussions
Be allowed to look at phone notifications to simulate distractions from group members.
Remote
Screen, video, and audio material will be shared by the participant and recorded by the moderator in the Zoom environment.
The participant will be asked to play the background noise on their end.
In-Person
Video and audio material will be recorded by the moderator with equipment of their choice.
The moderator will play the background noise using their phone.
A more detailed account into all of the above can be found in the test plan accessible below.
The gathered quantitative and qualitative data will work hand-in-hand to support claims of error, success, and recommendation.
consisted of measured time for tasks and countable instances of digital screens/errors. Charts were used to visually identify outstanding patterns.
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included body language, emotions, direct quotes, etc. These were analyzed for themes and associated with a positive or negative quality, and the screen associated with them.
Filter Screen
"I'm searching for a way to filter out the family friendly movies ... Doesn't seem to have it"
Sign In Screen
"Wait, did it work? ... there were no notifications telling me whether it was successful or not."
The research findings were evaluated against the success criteria established in the test plan as well as an issue severity scale.
Success
Failed
Out of 9 issues, the 3 most severe can be seen below:
#1
Error Messages
lack clarity and direction, not showing up at times.
Level 4 - Unusable
#2
Movie Filters
are not reflective of movie-specific information such as showtimes and film rating.
Level 3 - Severe
#3
Pop up Blockers
prevent users from getting sign in notifications.
Level 3 - Severe
Using the gathered data, the six research questions established at the start can be answered, as seen below.
Based on the findings, several suggestions can be made. Suggestions are driven by research and some were proposed by the participants. Below are some suggestions tackling the 3 most severe issues.
#1
Error Messages
Users can receive suggestions on how to arrange their seats based on the error they received.
#2
Movie Filters
Adding filters for genre, time, and location to make browsing more efficient.
#3
Pop up Blockers
A warning message that pop ups with important procedures and informations will not be viewable unless the user turns off their pop up blocker.
Some of the most valuable insights came from the discussions that happened while the participant wrote in their questionnaires.
A larger team would have been helpful as I struggled to moderate the test, take notes, and keep track of the time all at once.
The task scenario I prepared was invalid on the day of as the movie became unavailable. I was able to pivot but it can be easily avoided in the future.
Communicating with the stakeholder would help to further align the research effort towards their business goals.
