MOViE MOViE Cinema Experience
This is a project I worked on for a class that partnered with MOViE MOViE to improve their cinema experience through designing participatory activities. MOViE MOViE is the first art-house-style cinema in Mainland China.
My design is a smart gumball machine that displays other people's movie recommendations after you recommend a movie and dispenses surprise rewards.
Role
Experience Designer
Tasks
Participatory Design
Product Design
Timeline
Feb 2023 - Mar 2024
6 Weeks
Design Focus
The presence of a game machine at a cinema naturally attracts people to check it out. This design overturns the traditional perception of movie cinemas that it's only for movie watching.
It helps bring the local community together through movie recommendations. If placed near the connected pathway of MOViE MOViE and Kubrick Bookstore, it will help people learn that these two places are interconnected.
Outdoor view of MOViE MOViE.
View of the lobby featuring embedded self-service kiosks and cafe with seats. Photo by Yui Zhang
Lobby elevator wall made from various metal panels. Photo by Yui Zhang
After observing the cinema space and people's interactions during screening events...
I discovered two problems that hinder the immersive experience at MOViE MOViE.
1.
No activity at cinema if arrived early
2.
Connected pathway between cinema and bookstore is hidden
Emphasizing with
Target User
I noticed that MOViE MOViE customers are generally adults in pairs who are either couples or ladies in pairs around the age of 25 to 35 years old.
To better visualize the customers' emotional journey, I used observations I found at the cinema to create a journey map for Amy, a 25-year-old female who goes to see a movie with her friend at MOViE MOViE.
People are less likely to come to the cinema early because they know there's nothing else to do at the cinema.
People don’t want to participate in DIY activities after screening because they can already predict the results. They want to leave the cinema after their movie.
Thinking about what kind of activities will make customers willing to afford their time...
How might we create unpredictable activities to enhance the cinema experience during the pre-screening waiting time?
Rapid Ideation
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Settled Idea: Movie Recommendations Between Strangers
I observed that people arrive at the cinema in different moods, where some may be tired from work and want to watch something that makes them happy. Therefore, the movie recommendations prompt can be based on movies recommended to watch when in different moods.
Testing the
MVP
I prepared two bags with rolled paper and one iPad used as a spinning wheel to draw gifts after participation.
One draw bag contains the movie recommendations written by participants and the other draw bag contains empty paper that asks users to recommend a movie based on a specified mood(happy, sad, lonely, lost).
The prompt asking for the recommendation was too open-ended, leaving people a hard time thinking of a movie name on the spot. Having two separate drawing bags was also confusing to understand.
People took photos of the recommendations. This shows that they are interested in movie recommendations by strangers.
Strength:
Flaws:
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Iterated Idea: Digital Gumball Machine that Recommends Movies
Learning from the participatory design principle that "activities without a facilitator make people feel more comfortable participating whenever they like," I looked into automated dispenser machines that don't need the host to give verbal instructions.
Sustainability
Digital Ball
Traditional capsule vending machines dispense plastic balls every time. It is important to account for sustainability practices and the cinema's overall sustainable concept.
Digital Database
Recyclable Material
Design Concept
✏️
The new design incorporates NFC technology that detects the data of people's movie recommendations when a ball is blown to the top of the machine. The screen will display the handwritten name of the previous participant. The participant is asked to handwrite the movie name with a smart pen to maintain the organic interaction. The machine resets weekly and lucky participants will receive a surprise ball with various rewards.
🎨
The new four moods the movie recommendation addresses are happiness, sadness, fear, and anger(the four most common ones). Each mood represents a different color in the machine, making it easier to differentiate.
🎬
Adding a movie catalog to the touchscreen solve the frustration that people can't think of movie names immediately from memory.
Proposed Location
This gumball machine will be placed between the intersection of the bookstore and the cinema so traffic will be directed to the bookstore when they are approaching the gum ball machine.
Key Takeaway
Through this design challenge, I learned how to take insights from a minimum-viable product and use the findings to support my prototype iterations. I also learned how to create effective participatory designs that solve business problems.
If allowed to extend the project, I would create a mockup and gather user feedback on whether this machine will cause any frustrations for the user. I also want to implement a digital system where people can collect the answers they received in their account page.