// Mobile App
UX Case Study · Mobile AppUGLI: the movie app that learns what you'll love
UGLI, alias "U Gonna Love It", studies a movie-lover's likes and dislikes and recommends the films they're very likely to love - free of fake and paid reviews.
What UGLI Does
The movie world is flooded with fake and paid reviews, so people get pushed toward films they won't enjoy. UGLI flips that - it understands each user's taste, mood, language, and viewing company, then recommends movies they'll actually love. I led the research, personas, information architecture, wireframes, and the visual and brand design.
The Problem
The movie industry is flooded with fake and paid reviews, so people don't get honest recommendations and end up forced to watch films they're not going to like - wasting time and money.
The Goal
A mobile app designed to genuinely understand its users - their taste, mood, and context - and recommend the movies they would actually love.
Discovery
The Objective
Investigate the truth behind fake reviews, and build a platform that understands the user well enough to recommend movies they'll love keeping film-lovers away from biased personal recommendations and paid reviews before they ever spend time or money.
Assumptions we set out to test
- Too many fake and paid reviews across social media and other channels.
- No proper recommendation of movies based on the individual user.
- Real wastage of time and money on films people don't enjoy.
- No recommendation based on the user's mood or preferred genres.
Understanding the User
Empathize
Inside the head of a frustrated film-lover
Says
- "I want to watch movies I like."
- "I don't want to read paid reviews."
- "I don't want to waste my time & money."
- "I don't have time reading reviews."
Thinks
- Which movie should I see?
- Will that movie suit my mood?
- When will the paid reviews stop?
- Where is the nearest theatre?
Feels
- Cheated
- Frustrated
- Anger
- Happy when a film finally lands
Does
- Searches in Google
- Asks friends and colleagues
- Checks in on Facebook
- Just goes for the movie anyway
Two people UGLI is built for
Pamila Domy
Priorities
Wants to watch movies that suit her taste. The reviews flowing through social media and groups are misleading - she's fallen into that trap several times.
Pain points
Too many paid reviews pushing her toward movies that aren't right for her, and too much fan-fighting noise.
Kichu Thomas
Priorities
Barely uses social media, so he'd love genuine reviews about new releases. Doesn't want to spend time on worthless movies chosen just for their stars.
Pain points
There's no proper app or medium for genuine reviews, and too many friend suggestions that aren't his interest at all.
The Solution
Recommendations That Respect Personal Taste
UGLI provides suggestions based on the user's mood, preferred language, and movie partner. The initial recommendations are the latest movies running in theatres, and it also surfaces films available on TV and streaming services.
Unlike the traditional strategy of grouping "like-minded" users with algorithms, UGLI uses a sophisticated bucket system to capture the nuances of personal choice loving one action movie by a star doesn't mean two people share the same taste. The design is kept deliberately simple: users discover movies without pressing through multiple menus or hopping across screens, with a global search to reach any film instantly.
Key Interactions
How It Learns What You'll Love
Pick Your Language
Choose your industry - Hollywood, Bollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood - so recommendations start in the right place.
Tell Us 5 Movies You Love
A quick taste signal: name five films you love, and UGLI tells you the next one you'll love.
Movies to Suit Your Mood
Filter by how you feel - Happy, Loved, Sad - not just by genre.
Watch as a Team
Tune picks for who you're watching with - Couple, Friends, or Family.
One Movie, One Language
Switch the recommendation language on the fly - English, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil.
Review, Reject & Global Search
Refine the engine by reviewing or rejecting picks, and jump to any film with global search.
How about a coffee over a call?
Designed and developed with love. Happy to walk through the research and design decisions any time.
me@abin.me