Blog Post #3: Defining Target User
- Interaction Design
- Apr 8, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 9, 2023
April 2023 | Pho Vu & Jaeni Park
šØāš©āš§āš¦ Demographics
We have defined the demographics below, which consists of usersā age, gender, location, and other essential characteristics.
Age: 18-60 years old
Gender: Male and female
Location: South Korea
Income level: Varies, from dependent to highly independent
šš»āāļø Behaviors
Own a smartphone and have a stable internet connection
Prefer using mobile apps over websites for purchasing cinema tickets
May face language barriers when buying cinema tickets online
Enjoy watching movies as a form of entertainment
May have a favorite genre or a favorite actor or director
May enjoy discussing movies with friends and family
Value convenience and efficiency in all aspects of their lives
May be price-sensitive and interested in promotions and discounts
š Pain points
Lack of representation: Users canāt help feeling increasingly underrepresented and/or marginalized in a homogeneous society like Korea, especially when assistant apps like cinema ticket-purchasing platforms neither cater to their demographics data nor synthesize its data for universal usage.
Unresponsive customer support: When mistakes occur in a transaction stage or any other stage, customers may feel unsupported due to constantly busy lines or insufficient help from the customer support features of the app.
Difficulties with navigation: Sometimes, having too many features present on one page can have a side effect. Users struggle with telling which button is for which function, thereby experiencing a disruption in their experience.
š„ŗ Needs
Easy-to-use and intuitive mobile app interface
Personalized recommendations for movies and showtimes
Options to choose preferred language for the app
Accessible and inclusive design for users
Secure and trustworthy payment system
Notifications and reminders for upcoming movies and showtimes
Discounts and promotions for loyal and active users
š Wants
User-friendly interface
More customizable options
Responsive customer support
šÆ Target users
Users are segmented into several distinct groups below:
Busy workers: The app can be particularly useful for users with busy office life who may not have the time to wait in long queues for cinema tickets and want to have their recreational activities, including watching movies, planned out in advance. Therefore,
Students: Students are among the largest potential target audiences for our app, as they are likely to be comfortable with technology and enjoy watching movies after long and stressful hours of studying at school.
Foreigners: Language barrier is probably the biggest challenge for non-Korean speakers. By adding new languages other than Korean, the app can raise the confidence of this group of users in buying tickets and enjoying cinema service in South Korea without relying on their Korean connections.
Older users (Above 40s): As we set our main goal as reducing miscommunications in our new movie ticket app, we believe that our users within the older age range can be ideal testers and allow us to gain valuable insights into what to keep and what to scrap regarding a convenient platform.
Users interested in promotions and discounts: Because current ticket purchasing websites are unable to provide discounts to buyers, our app can be more appealing by providing users with promotions and discounts, which may be appealing to people who are looking to save extra money.
Movie lovers: We are referring to those who are passionate about movies, they may have a favorite genre or a favorite actor or director. They may also be interested in the technical aspects of filmmaking such as cinematography, special effects, or sound design. Movie-goers can enjoy watching movies alone or with friends or family, and may even participate in film discussions or reviews.
By working on pre-definition factors such as characteristics and behaviors, we can accurately define our target users. As a result, we can create a marketing strategy and user interface that aligns with their needs and preferences.
š Exploratory Interview
Exploratory interviews are an important research tool used to gather information about users and their needs. By conducting informal interviews with users, we gain insights that we wouldn't be able to gather through other methods. In this case, our team walked around the Yonsei International Songdo Campus and randomly interviewed students to get to know them better. This allowed us to get a better understanding of their daily routines, challenges, and experiences. The information we gathered during these exploratory interviews can be used to guide our research and design decisions as we work to create solutions that meet the needs of our users.
ā” Here is a list of questions that we asked:
What is your name?
What is your occupation?
What is your class year?
Do you watch movie at the cinema? If yes, how often do you go to the cinema?
Who do you go with?
How do you book your tickets?
Why do you book ticket that way?
If you book tickets through website, what are some pros and cons of using website?
What are pros and cons of using an app to book ticket?
How do we encourage more users to download our new cinema ticket-purchasing app?
RESULTS: Data collected is organized into a table below.
Interviewee | Response |
Seun Kim | A sophomore, who watches cinema two to three times per year, shares that she often buys movie tickets through Megabox website. She first searches for movie titles on the Naver search engine. The results will show her dates and locations where the chosen movie is shown. She doesnāt download the Megabox app because she thinks downloading the app is a hassle and memory-consuming activity. One thing she suggests that can encourage audiences like her to download the app is that it must offer additional discounts and vouchers, which are not yet offered on the brandās website. |
Young Moon | A 58-year-old woman who watches movies once every other month shares her first impression with CGV app during the video call on April 8, 2023. Interviewer asked her to download the app and recorded her reaction. Some of her comments regarding the interface include: busy main page, tiny letters, unattractive movie recommendation, invisible log-in menu. She adds that itās not an old-user friendly app and she is planning to book the ticket onsite instead. |
šØ Personas
Based on the pain points and behaviors of our target users as well as data collected from our informal exploratory interview, whave created three personas that represent different user segments. Hopefully, they will help us to better understand our users' need and create a product that will offer great value to them.
Persona 1: Hee-ju Lim (A movie die-hard)
Bio: Hee-ju Lim is a 21-year-old single woman who resides in Busan. She is currently studying for her degree in the arts while working part-time. On weekends, she enjoys going to the cinema with her friends or going alone. With more than 300 followers on her Naver Blog, she shares her movie reviews and other movie-related experiences. She is a VIP customer on all three major cinema platform apps, including CGV, Lotte Cinema, and MegaBox.Goals and Motivations (Behaviors):
Enjoys trying new things and exploring different forms of entertainment
Values social connections and experiences over material possessions
Enjoys keeping a well-organized record of the movies she watches
Pain points:
Struggles to find affordable entertainment options that fit her budget
Wants to meet new people but isn't always sure where to go or how to connect with others
Needs to balance her schoolwork and job with her desire to have fun and explore new things
Organizing her movie journal from three different apps is a challenging task
How cine.zip can help:
By offering promotions and discounts, especially for the active users, cine.zip can help Suji find affordable movie options that fit her budget.
By offering a wide selection of movies and showtimes, cine.zip can help Su-ji find movies that fit her schedule and interests.
By connecting Su-ji with other cine.zip users through social media or in-app features, cine.zip can help Su-ji make new friends and expand her social circle.
By offering a movie journal tab within the app, cine.zip can help Suji record her experience at the theater.
Persona 2: Mi-seon Park (An older user)
Bio: Mi-seon is a 62-year-old retired woman who lives with her husband in Seoul. As she has plenty of free time, she is likely to be looking for activities to fill her day. Whether it's reading, socializing with friends, or pursuing hobbies, our persona is someone who values their free time.Goals and Motivations (Behaviors):
Mi-seon desires to participate in her friend group's discussion regarding recently released movies
Desires the simplest and the most intuitive navigation
Demands for recommendation of movies and movie theater
Pain points:
Mi-seon is not familiar with mobile purchasing system (afraid her bank account gets hacked)
Struggles to spot the movies she likes to watch due to frequent disruptions such as pop-ups, small font sizes, and excessive use of colors, etc
How cine.zip can help:
By offering personalized recommendations based on a Mi-seonās preferences, cinezip can help her save time finding the movie she likes to watch.
Make sure the app is accessible for users with disabilities, such as by providing voice commands or support for screen readers.
Allow users to adjust the font size and display settings to their preference.
Persona 3: Brian Wong (A foreign/expat resident)
Bio: Brian is a 35-year-old male from Singapore who is currently living in Seoul for work. He is married to a Singaporean and has one child. He works in a high-pressure position at Coupang, a South Korean e-commerce company.Goals and Motivations (Behaviors):
Wants to spend quality time with his family, but also needs to balance his work responsibilities
Has difficulties booking movie tickets on the app because he doesnāt speak Korean
Values convenience and efficiency in all aspects of his life
Enjoys watching movies as a way to unwind and escape from stress
Interested in finding ways to save time and money
Pain points:
Struggles to find time to wait in long lines at the cinema to buy tickets
Often misses out on popular or desired movies because he canāt get tickets in time
Needs to find a way to balance his desire to spend time with his family with his work responsibilities
How cine.zip can help:
By allowing Brian to buy movie tickets on his smartphone, cine.zip saves him time and eliminates the need to wait in long lines.
By offering promotions and discounts, cine.zip can help Brian save money on movie tickets.
By offering a wide selection of movies and showtimes, cine.zip can help Brian find movies that fit his schedule and interest.
š Sources:
Haran, R. (2016, September 14). The Advanced Guide to Medium Marketing. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-mission/the-advanced-guide-to-medium-marketing-7f1cc3eaecf4
Pelzel, K. (2021, December 13). The Definitive Guide to Determining a Target Audience. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/upskilling/the-definitive-guide-to-determining-a-target-audience-f2daa97b9ca3
Zote, J. (2023, February 1). How to define and reach your target audience on social media. Sprout Social. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/target-audience/
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