Project Type
Academic / Individual
Role
Researcher, UX / UI Designer
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Canva, Trello
Duration
10 Weeks
Overview
Design Challenge
As a Movie and TV buff, I'm constantly captivated by the stunning visuals and diverse locations showcased on screen. Having always wanted to visit these cinematic landscapes, it got me wondering on where I could find these locations, and if others movie enthusiasts felt the same? Is it possible to find these exact filming locations and what is the easiest way to find such information?
The Problem
Movie & TV show fans tend to have a hard time finding relevant information regarding to where they could travel to for film tourism due to specific location information not being easy to find.
Although some sites do provide some information, it tends to not be structured or verified to particular scenes, making it much harder and time consuming for user’s to find where they want to travel to.
Design Process
Discover
Secondary Research
What does the Research show?
I started this project by looking into some of the reasons of why people are interested in Film Tourism, and ways of which they tend to go about finding the locations they want to visit. I looked into quantitative research articles that highlighted some of the issues people were experiencing to better understand the problem.
People travelled to destinations due to Movie or TV influence.
Said their main goal was to have an immersive experience when visiting locations.
of Millennials have said that they travelled because they were influenced by a Movie or TV show
Said a Movie or TV location was the main reason for selecting a holiday destination.
User Interviews
Exploring Current Experiences
To gain user insights, I conducted in-person and online interviews with 5 participants that had an interest in both media and travelling. These sessions explored their current information-seeking process, including the pain points they experience and opportunities for improvement.
Participant Criteria
Interview Style: In-person & Online
Age: Millennials (25-35)
Occupation: Various, ideally within digital Tech industries
Interests: Participants will need to have an interest in Media & Travelling
Affinity Mapping
Analyzing the Results
To make sense of the informative qualitative data gathered from the interviews, I decided to create an affinity map of the responses. This mapping process provided a visual and structured way to analyze the interview data, transforming a collection of individual voices into a clear understanding of user needs. These insights will be instrumental in shaping the development of a more user-centric information discovery experience.
I sorted their responses into 3 categories: Pain Points, Motivations & Behaviors.
Paint Points
“I had to search across multiple sites as certain location information was not specific enough, making it a very time consuming process.”
“I often had to rely on other user’s posting the specific locations I needed rather than the sites I was using having proper listings.”
“The information was hard to verify if they were correct, due to majority being user inputs”
Motivations
“I want to know the feeling of being immersed within that environment in order to better connect with the characters I portray.”
“As a fan of cosplaying, I want to visit various locations where my favourite characters have been in.”
“I would like to travel to places I’ve seen in documentaries. Its very interesting learning about the history of the environments”
Behaviors
“Its always nice to watch films with family or friends so that we can have discussions and express our opinions afterwards.”
“I often enjoy watching movies and tv shows as its a very calming and relaxing pastime.”
“I like to share my experiences and travels with friends, so that we can discuss our thoughts on it”
Key Learnings and Insights
Transforming the Results into Actionable Insights
Analyzing the affinity map results yielded valuable insights into user pain points. These insights illuminated key areas within the current experience that required improvements. By focusing on these crucial aspects, I can develop targeted solutions that directly address user frustrations and ultimately enhance their overall experience.
Online Travel
Information
A key finding from the results was the difficulty participants faced in verifying information and its accessibility. Many reported frustration with needing to consult multiple sources, leading to a time-consuming and inefficient process.
Scene
Engagement
Many participants expressed a desire to go beyond simply visiting a location and truly feel transported into the world they saw on screen. This immersive engagement was particularly important when traveling with others, as it fostered a sense of shared adventure and created lasting memories.
Social
Interaction
The participants revealed a strong desire to digitally share their experiences with like-minded individuals and friends. This suggests a deep interest in fostering a sense of community and connection around shared passions.
“How might we help millennial Film & TV fan’s get better information and location preferences about their favourite Movies & TV shows in order for them to explore, recreate and immerse themselves their favourite scenes?”
The Solution
To create an app aimed to assist people in finding the locations of their favourite Movie & TV shows easily and efficiently.
It will be designed to provide an interactive and immersive experience for the users in order to feel like they are a part of the scenes through AR features.
Integrated community feature to allow them to share and connect with others who have similar interests so they can build a community of like minded individuals.
Define
User Persona
Who is this Product for?
To ensure the app resonates with real users, I developed a detailed user persona. This persona, Daisy, embodies the target audience and their key characteristics. By empathizing with Daisy's needs, wants, and movie-loving personality, I can design an experience that truly caters to her interests and keeps her engaged.
Experience Map
Analyzing Daisy’s Current Experience
To truly understand the journey of a film tourism enthusiast, I decided to create an experience map. This visual tool helped me identify key touchpoints, potential frustrations, and opportunities for improvement throughout the personas experience.
The experience map serves as a roadmap for crafting a film tourism solution that addresses users needs and fosters a truly enriching journey for movie and travel enthusiasts. This allowed me to design a solution that goes beyond simply providing locations, but creates a comprehensive and engaging user experience.
Competitor Analysis
What are Daisy’s current options?
To identify potential solutions for the created persona, I explored the existing options for finding filming locations. While the specific niche of my product initially presented a challenge in locating direct competitors, I did find some apps and websites that shared the core goal of providing information about filming locations for movies and TV shows.
The analysis revealed several key shortcomings. Firstly, a significant portion of location information lacked verification, often relying heavily on user-generated content. Secondly, a surprising number of competitors lacked direct integration with map applications, hindering users' ability to seamlessly navigate to their desired filming locations.
IMDB is the go-to website/app about finding information about movies/shows. Includes various information such as ratings, cast, locations and much more.
Pros:
Available in app and website format with an extensive library of film/show listings.
Easily navigate between film locations, cast & crew information, user reviews and more.
Cons:
inconsistencies or errors in the information provided, as IMDb relies partially on user-generated content meaning its not verified.
Does not provide map links to the location listings shown due to being user-generated input.
The Virgin Media Movie Mapper is a website with an interactive map showcasing the locations of various filming locations in the UK.
Pros:
Provides an interactive map showcasing where certain movies were filmed at.
Location information is accurate, and provides various scene locations.
Cons:
Film listing database is very limited and are only shown in the UK.
Hard to know if listings are verified
No official app. UI is inconsistent across mobile and web viewing format.
User Stories
What do Users want?
By combining the user journey insights from the experience map with the competitor analysis, it was now possible to define the persona’s needs with an improved focus. I created up to more than 30+ user stories to get a better insight into what the needs and wants of the user’s for the app. Below are some of the examples of user stories created and what benefits/features they would like to have during their experiences:
Develop
Task Flows
How would Daisy use the App?
Understanding the target user is just the first step in creating an engaging product. With Daisy, the movie-loving persona, firmly in mind, I translated her needs and desires into user flows that seamlessly guides her through the app. These flows are built upon the foundation of user stories, which capture the specific actions and functionalities Daisy expects to find within the app. This consists of 3 stages including of creating a personalized account (preliminary), searching for a movie location they want to travel to (primary), and engaging with the environment when they arrive to the chosen location (secondary).
Preliminary Task Flow
Creating a personalized account
Primary Task Flow
Searching and traveling to a filmed location
Secondary Task Flow
Engaging with the environment
Ideate
Sketching my Thoughts & Ideas
Now it was time to begin the concept sketches, but to ensure these ideas take flight in the right direction, a user-centric approach is essential. In this case, Daisy (persona), served as my guide during the ideation phase. By keeping Daisy's needs and desires at the forefront, I translated the user stories and her current experience journey into a visual language through concept sketches. These sketches explored the main design solutions that were addressed from previous research and insights into 3 key components:
A product that is intuitive and easy to navigate
Create a way to immerse the user within the location they visit
The information is verified, accurate, and able to navigate the user to the location
Wireframes
Turning Ideas into Reality
Once the main chosen sketches were selected, it was now possible to start producing the digital wireframes to get a better idea of how the app will actually function as well as the visual aspect. This will give the opportunity to test the features during the usability testing stage. I used a range of sources, such as Mobbin and Dribble, to get inspiration for various screen layouts in order to stay updated with the latest design trends to avoid any confusion for the users throughout the flow of the product.
User Testing
Optimizing the User Experience
I conducted several usability tests using Mid and Hi-fidelity designs, assigning users up to 5 tasks to explore app features and pinpoint areas for improvement. This iterative process revealed that while users generally understood the flow, certain sections caused confusion.
What was learnt?
From the feedback it showed users grasped the app’s overall structure, yet some areas required clearer navigation. I used a Design Prioritization Matrix after each testing round to identify and focus on these key issues, leading to improvements in layout, font styles, and color palettes for better accessibility. Below are some of the main design changes that were improved upon from the usability tests:
Version 1
Usability Issues: 17
Prioritized Solutions: 14
Version 2
Usability Issues: 13
Prioritized Solutions: 9
Version 3
Usability Issues: 10
Prioritized Solutions: 8
What do Users want to see on the Homepage?
Evolving the Map Screen
Sketch
Mid-Fi
Initial designs featuring past location images created more confusion than inspiration. Based on user feedback, I shifted to a streamlined homepage that centers around a dynamic map view displaying nearby locations with integrated filters for type and distance. The recommendations section was redesigned with a horizontal scroll inspired by media apps, featuring preview thumbnails and clear call-to-action buttons, enabling users to quickly identify and explore destinations while reducing cognitive overload.
Final Design
Hi-Fi
Sketch
Final Design
Mid-Fi
The original list-based map view proved unintuitive, so I redesigned it to mimic familiar interfaces like Google Maps, enhancing usability significantly. Additional improvements include optimized icon sizes, a simplified colour scheme for better contrast, and filter options that let users sort locations by category, popularity, or proximity. Verification icons were introduced, based on community approvals, to build trust and help users easily identify legitimate sites, while improved zoom and pan functions further enhance navigation.
Making Connections & Building a Community
Final Design
Hi-Fi
Hi-Fi
Mid-Fi
The initial ‘Community’ section, displayed as basic card-style tiles, lacked engagement and clarity. I rebranded this area as ‘Connect’ and enhanced it by highlighting user interests, trending events, and local gatherings to foster interaction. New features include dynamic content displays, user profile previews, and engaging call-to-action buttons for friend requests. Additionally, the messaging system was revised to require friend acceptance before communication, ensuring a safer and more vibrant social experience.
Design Systems
Unified Design Systems
I used Google's Material Design icon library to create a consistent visual style across the product. Its comprehensive, principle-based icons promote user familiarity and a seamless experience.
Typography
Maintaining a consistent and clear text format was crucial for the app's usability. I implemented a well-defined type hierarchy with a font selection that embodies the app's personality. This ensures users can navigate the app with ease while immersing themselves in its engaging atmosphere.
Spacing & Guidelines
Strategic spacing enhances visual hierarchy and readability by transforming empty space into a powerful design tool. Thoughtful margins and white space create an intuitive interface that improves content accessibility and user engagement.
Deliver
Brand Identity
Bringing the Brand to Life
My goal was to establish a playful and engaging brand aesthetic that aligns with the user experience. To achieve this, a comprehensive design exploration was undertaken. This involved creating a moodboard and researching a wide range of UX/UI designs for inspiration.
I carefully selected a colour palette that evokes the desired emotional tone of the product. However, ensuring inclusivity was very important aspect. I meticulously tested the chosen colours for contrast accessibility to guarantee a seamless experience for users with colour blindness.
Creating the Icon
I aimed to create a visual metaphor that captures the essence of the user experience: immersing yourself in familiar locations through media. This concept is reflected in the icon design, which cleverly combines a film shutter with a location pin. Additionally, the icon utilizes the app's primary color palette to ensure brand consistency across all touchpoints.
Brand Name
I embarked on a comprehensive naming exploration, seeking a title that resonated with the user journey. Ideally, the name would evoke a sense of recognition, drawing inspiration from familiar locations users might have encountered in media. This led me to pick "Scene-It", a name that sparks curiosity and subtly hints at the app's focus on re-engaging within familiar places.
With a clear direction established, I could then delve into exploring design styles that would complement the chosen name. I decided to chose the font style ‘Lady Ice 3D’, as the 3D effect reflected the cinematic visuals. The expanded length style of the lettering also reminisced of a navigation line to a destination on map screens.
Verified Filming Locations
Explore an intuitive map packed with easy-to-find filming locations for your favourite media.
Providing reliable and verified filmed scene information and locations
Conveniently navigate to your chosen locations with the user-friendly navigation tools
Explore various exciting media-themed events happening around you!
Immersive Cinematic Experience
Interactive AR features allows users to engage and be immersed within the environments
Effortlessly recreate and re-enact your favourite scenes, along with playable video overlays of scenes filmed within the locations
Share your experiences seamlessly with your connections and inspire others for unforgettable movie-themed adventures
A Connected Community
Connect with fellow media enthusiasts and build lasting friendships! Share your passion for movies and discover new favorites together
Debate plot twists, analyze characters, and share your unique perspectives through the in-app messaging service
Prototype
Unveiling the Digital Innovation
Multi-Platform
Adding Market Value to the Product
Combining high-quality visuals, interactive elements, and clear explanations, a marketing website offered potential user’s an immersive experience that demonstrated the app's capabilities in a real-world context.
The website went beyond simply presenting features. It leveraged captivating imagery and storytelling to paint a picture of how the app can enhance the travel experience, fostering a desire to explore and connect with a community of like-minded adventurers.
Conclusion
Showcasing Scene-It
I was thrilled to be able to showcase my product during a Demo Day. Many users actively engaged with the app, experiencing its features firsthand. Their enthusiastic response was truly gratifying. Many commented on the app's unique approach, something they hadn't encountered before.
This positive feedback, along with explaining my design process to potential stakeholders, cemented the app's potential to revolutionize how people experience Film Tourism.
Next Steps
Considerations for Further Exploration
Enhanced AR Experience: Further refine the AR features by introducing additional interactive elements, with planned usability testing to ensure a seamless and engaging exploration experience.
Layout & Content Refinement: Optimize app screen layouts and content organization based on user feedback from further testing, making information easier to locate and follow.
Stronger Community Connectivity: Revamp the community section to foster more meaningful user interactions, enhancing the social aspect of the app through improved connectivity features.
Gamification & Progression: Introduce a gamification tracker that rewards users for visiting locations, with iterative testing to fine-tune engagement and motivation.
Branding & UX Improvements: Elevate the app’s branding to align more closely with the film tourism theme, ensuring that visual identity and overall user experience are consistently refined through ongoing research and testing.
Learning Progress
What did I Learn from this Project?
Empathizing & Understanding the Users
Initially, I aimed to create something innovative from my perspective, but I soon realized the importance of prioritizing the user's needs. Understanding user behavior and preferences became central, steering the design towards solutions that truly benefit the end user.
This project was a unique learning journey, blending challenges with successes that broadened my design perspective. I discovered that every misstep offers valuable insights, while every triumph reinforces essential skills, equipping me with a well-rounded experience for future endeavors.
Learning from the Feedback
Feedback at various stages proved crucial. Although some usability insights were initially unclear, further discussions helped me understand and integrate the suggestions, ultimately refining the product flow and ensuring a more cohesive experience.
”Done is better than Perfect”
I embraced the principle that a finished, functional product is more valuable than a perfect but unfinished one. This mindset taught me to prioritize delivery under time constraints and view each project as an evolving work that can continually improve with stakeholder input.