COP3 - First Crit

A few of us decided to have a crit tomorrow, so I thought I would prepare some questions for it, and create something to show. I also have a tutorial tomorrow, so would be beneficial to create some wireframes for that and think of some questions too.

Questions
What could I call the 'maybe' list?
What icons could I use for maybe? I think that would be better than the words
What other info would you like to see on the results?
Do you think I should include key themes on the results?
What should I add to the filter?
Do you think I should keep the mood/preferences separate?

Wireframes
I created some quick wireframes just to show my idea visually. It is easy for me to say it is an app with a filter/film results, but other people may not have the same vision/understand it like me so I thought these would be helpful to get better feedback. There are no means the final wireframes, just something to show for the crit tomorrow.

I created a couple ideas for the mood and filter firstly.

And then an idea of how the results page might look and the content that would be shown.

I also created a maybe list

Tutorial Questions
Do I need different names for the chapters?
What is the images/list of illustrations?
Do I only separate the quotes when they are 3 lines long?


Crit Feedback

• People would like to be able to search by director
• They would like to see the trailer
• Maybe List is fine as it is
• Could use a tick or thumbs up as the maybe icon
• Really liked the idea

COP3 - Sketches

Here are the sketches and thoughts I did for the app and website.

COP3 - App Name

The app will be called Flick. This is ambiguous, as it represents a slang term for movies, and also the flicking motion a user does when swiping - the gesture ubiquitous with this app. It is a casual term, which represents the app which is based on decision making for now, and how the user easily flicks through the different films presented to them.


Movie synonyms showing flick:

COP3 - Visual Research

I looked at apps that use the card swiping interface or other UI features that would be appropriate.

Tinder

This is the most well known app to use the card swiping interface. It is a dating app, which shows the user an image and they can swipe (or click) yes or no.

I like the simple use of iconography as buttons here as it maximises the use of space. Thinking of what interactions could go on the results are 'no' 'maybe' and 'favourite'.

I like this clean interface and I think the colour hierarchy makes it clear where to look and shows different functionality such as buttons, headings, where to click etc.

Comparing the use of text over photography with text over a white background shows how much more readable using a white background is in my opinion. Selecting certain bits of info could be a good idea to feature over an image such as no and maybe.

In my mind this is similar to how my app would look because I feel I would have a similar layout with the tabs - although mine wouldn't be tabs, just bits of info about the film. I know I already want to use an image heavy layout at the top as well.

I also like how this uses line seperaters to show different segments of information as it is clean and easy to digest. Using a mixture of type, iconography and photography makes it fresh and varied.

This app uses iconography as well as a small description to show its meaning. I don't know whether this is good user experience, as surely an icon is supposed to represent words yet this explains the icon. However, it also clears and confusion for the user as icons can be ambiguous. This is something I will need to consider because I want to include icons on the results about key themes in the film - such as wedding, death, tears etc.

Instead of using icons, this app uses words to express someones interests. This might be a clearer way to display the info - but not as fun!

This app also utilises a filter by mood, using icons and words for the user to select multiple options at a time. This layout allows there to be a lot of options on one page.

I like how a lot of iconography is used here, and it seems that is actually really popular to have text accompany the icon. The different background opacities create hierarchy and make it easy for the user to see where to look.

Weotta is another app which uses the card swiping interface. It finds events and things to do in different cities based on people's interests. Here the user can see a snippet of what the previous and next card have on them.

Swell is another app which uses a card swiping interface, which is adapted to finding a podcast. 

COP3 - Synthesis Rationale/Final Idea

Idea Overview
I have decided to create an app that suggests films based on a users preferences and mood. Users will be able to select options from a filter such as genre, mood and cast and then be presented with a selection of films that fill this criteria in a card format. Users can then swipe left and right for 'no' or to compile a 'maybe' list. They can then view this list and narrow it further, save favourites and pick one to watch.


Synthesis
I feel that this supports a lot of the points mentioned in my essay about what makes an effective app, such as:

Card Swiping Interface
I can apply this to my app, as it is good for helping users to create quick decisions based on a short term goal and happiness. In the sources that I looked at discussing this interface, they all suggested that this can be applied to a variety of tasks such as eating at a restaurant or looking for a movie. After researching what people would like in an app, what I would find beneficial and what already exists, I feel this is an ideal app to create.

Swiping Gestures
This is a popular gesture that users like in an app. Although this would already be implemented with the card interface, it can also be incorporated in other places. For example, when the user is viewing the 'maybe' list, they could swipe on films to delete them from the list to narrow it down further or to select that's the one they're going to watch.

Personalised
By having the filter, users can view a range of films that suit their mood there and then. More ways to create tailored results could be from the small data that is collected from the users choices and if they sign in with Facebook it could see their interests. For example, if they posted a status about Disney, it would show Disney films they may be interested in.

Offer Something Different
Users cannot filter films like this on paper, because they won't have the database of films that the app would have and it would be a very time consuming process. They might not know the film they are looking for even exists yet. It is also better than using a computer because their phone will be closer to them and quicker to access, as well as having the card swiping interface. This is successful because the user can quickly use their thumbs to navigate the app, whereas this wouldn't be possible with a computer.

Efficiency
The app would be very efficient due to the ability for a user to just use their thumbs to navigate through the interface and app. This saves time for the user and is more ideal if they are on the move - for example wanting to choose a movie on a bus before they get home.

Track Usage
Although when discussing this within my essay it has usually been in the format of charts (my fitness pal, sleep better), this app can still track usage by showing a user their watch history, films they said 'maybe' to, and even data such as % of romance films chosen to watch etc.

iOS
It will be designed for Apple, since this is one of the two leading app providers. I decided to focus on Apple over Android because as discussed in my essay, it is easier to develop for due to them only having 6-8 devices, whereas Android has over 12,000. This causes fragmentation, so by releasing for Apple first, then Android later, there is more time to test the app.

Filter
The filter would be a big part of making the app personalised to the user. Users will use this to refine their film search.

Users could filter by:
Date - i.e. only search for films released after 2002
Rating - i.e. only search for films above a rating of 60%
Mood - i.e. search for 'feel good films' or a 'tearjerker'
Genre - i.e. search for romance with/or comedy
Duration - i.e. don't show films which are longer than 3 hours
Cast - i.e. only show films which have Ryan Gosling in

Different moods - I'm in the mood for..
Being scared
Feeling good
A tearjerker
Singing and dancing
Animation
Being inspired
A history lesson
A true story


Option:
Once a user has chosen a film they want to watch, they can swipe/select this to let the app know they've watched it. They then have the option to show/hide films they have already watched in the results.

Screens
Log in/sign up
Filter/Preferences
Results
Maybe list
Favourites
Navigation

COP3 - Survey

Since I have decided to create an app that suggests movies based on a users preference or mood, I created a survey to see if people would use it and if it fits in with my essay theme of an everyday task.

These are the questions that I asked:

1.What do you use to decide on which film to watch?

IMDB

Service like Netflix

Internet

Recommendation

DVD Cover

Other (please specify)

2. What are the deciding factors for you when choosing what film to watch?

Rating

Genre

Cast

Recommendation

Release Date

DVD Case

Duration

Other (please specify)

3. Would you rather see an image of a DVD cover or a scene from a movie when choosing one to watch?

Movie Scene

DVD Case

4. How often do you watch films?

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Yearly

Never

5. What platform do you watch films on?

Service like Netflix

Online

DVD

Television Channels (e.g. Sky Movies)

Other (please specify)

6. What's your favourite film(s)?

7. What is your favourite film genre?

Action

Comedy

Thriller

Biography

Fantasy

Romance

Biography

Drama

Horror

Musical

Sci-Fi

Western

War

Other (please specify)

8. Would you use an app that suggests films based on your preferences and mood?

Yes

No

COP3 - Practical Ideas

Since my argument in my dissertation is in support that lifestyle apps do improve daily tasks, I knew that I wanted to create an app that does this.
The only problem is that there isn't just one app for everything, but multiple apps for the same thing so it is hard to think of an original idea.

Essay Points
When thinking of an app, I want it to fit in with the arguments I made throughout the essay saying what makes a successful or effective app.

The main points were:

• Efficiency
• Offer something different (that paper or computer cannot do)
• Track progress/usage
• Swiping
• Card swiping interface
• Personalised

I think it should fit in with most, if not all of these, although that could be difficult.

Initial Thoughts
I have thought of a few ideas for this, which have either been discarded because one already exists or because I didn't find them interesting

• Travel insurance comparison
• Bus timetable
• Find recipes based on food you have in
• Leeds/City events app
• Fitness progress pictures/measurements app
• Train tickets comparison

Card swiping interface

• Choose a movie
• Create a workout
• Choose a restaurant
• Insurance
• Online shopping
• Find a service - hairdressers, plumber, PT etc
• Choose an activity - museums, theatre, events etc

Bus Timetable App

I very nearly did a bus timetable app, as although there is an existing one, it isn't very good and doesn't have all of the features I would want to include. It had very bad reviews, and I knew that I could do it better. It fit all of the criteria, but then I discovered that there was another bus app. Which did do all of the features I wanted to include. I discarded this because I didn't want to just recreate a better looking app which had all the same features as another one, it would feel like copying.

Card Swiping Interface

I thought of quite a few ideas for this as I thought this was a really positive point that was made in the essay. It is ideal for making quick decisions, which fits in with the daily aspect of the question, and can be adapted to a range of tasks. It's efficient as the user only needs to use their thumb, and swiping is the biggest gesture it uses. It's also personalised to the user as they can use filters to show different preferences and the small data which is collected when they swipe can be used to create more tailored results.

Choose a Movie

So, I decided to adapt this idea to the card interface. Speaking to family and friends, we all find it difficult to choose a film easily as there is so much choice, and it can be hard to view options. My mum said that it was too hard to look on Netflix because she has to click on each film to see their bio when she would prefer to see it at a glance. Two of the sources I mentioned in my essay also noted that the layout of Netflix isn't very decision friendly, so there is a niche in the market. Although I am not redesigning Netflix, I want to create an app that allows users to find a movie to watch with whatever preferences they want and mood they are in. It will have a big filter so that they can be as specific or vague as they like.