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This project aims to expand Facets' membership base with the development of new tools and services. Our team developed an iPad companion app to supplement at home movie viewing experience.

Project Team: Angelica Espinosa, Annie Nguyen, Cameron Reynolds-Flatt, Chia-ling Yu
Client Team: Milos Stehlik, Elizabeth Edwards
Faculty Advisor: Tom MacTavish

Key Role: research, main concept sketching, storyboarding, app interface prototyping, analyze market potential and develop pricing strategy

Approach: conducted on-site observations and several ethnographic interviews with Facets' stakeholders. Analyzed findings, identified strengths, pain points and service gaps in Facets' current service. Developed user journey map, target persona, and business strategy.

The team used experience map to analyze findings and generate insights in each stage.

As a class, we identified user spaces and characterized current Facets members on two axis. From the Deep Dive (film buffs/experts) to Dabbler (novices), and Self-Motivated (individual/private) to Socially Motivated (peer/group).

Our team focuses on target user on the upper left quadrant. We identified this user as patron of the film, who sees the film as a way to understand the world, connect with other culture and as an art form that deserves respect.

Baby boomer with technology trend research.

From our interviews with current subscriber and trends research, we developed a persona for our target user. 

Oscar: a 55 year-old tech savvy baby boomer
• enjoys social and cultural documentaries
• prefers to watch movies in the comfort of his own home
• does not feel completely satisfied with Netflix's offerings.

The team used the experience map to identify pain points that Oscar may encounter in his movie viewing journey. 

The team developed 4 initial concepts, We then decided to combined and prototype the Online Learning Platform and Movie Companion concept as an iPad app.

The team generated a list of ideas for concept features and created paper wireframes to prototype with the client and user.

Storyboard sketch and short script for concept video

When user login to the companion app, home page displays user history infographics and recommended cultural packaged based on recent movies viewed and user's interests.

Cultural package feed relevant cultural information such as architecture, festival/events, or history in the form of documentary, video clips, news, online links, or courses offered by Facets.

Viewer can use the app to access general information, technical details, music soundtracks, and extra features while watching the movie, and can take notes and save specific information within the movie timeline.

After the movie, the app jumps to cultural package suggestion page to recommend areas of interest. One can easily add information to queue for different users, and create your own category to organize the queue.

User can also use the app to register and access Facets' online courses.

In addition, the app functions as an online learning tool to interact with instructor and other students in real-time.

Through market research, the team identified market potential for U.S. and Chicago with the baby boomer demographic making more than $70K annually and approaching retirement. About 35% of Facets' members fit into baby boomer category.

Based on current business model, this app will be available only to premium subscribers. We calculated that Facets will need more than 1,084 premium members in year one to breakeven.