AMC Theatres is one of the biggest movie theater chains in the U.S. cinema industry. The AMC Theatres iOS app is an online service platform that allows users to search for showtimes for movies and special events and buy tickets, food, and drinks online in advance. This app streamlines the process for users before watching a movie.
Home Page
The first screen of the AMC Theatres app presents “Now Playing” movies in a 2-column grid layout. It provides users with intuitive feedback by clearly indicating the selected tab’s active state using a blue highlight and underline. When a user clicks a desired movie, the theaters and showtimes are naturally displayed. Selecting a showtime seamlessly leads to the seat selection screen, effectively reducing the gulf of execution required to achieve the user’s goal at the behavioral level. Additionally, the membership scan icon serves as a clear signifier, allowing members to use their benefits immediately.
Select Seat Page & Payment Page
The zoom icon in the upper right corner serves as a signifier that leverages knowledge in the world, guiding users to enlarge the seating chart. When zoomed in, the screen displays a natural mapping between the digital seat layout and physical seats, allowing users to intuitively identify their positions. Furthermore, the countdown timer provides real-time feedback on booking progress while acting as a logical constraint that forces users to complete their transaction within a limited time frame.
Select Ticket Page
Upon selecting three seats on the previous page and moving to this screen, a forcing function is applied to the ‘Continue’ button. Access to the next step is restricted until price types (by age group) are designated for all three selected seats. Users check the remaining required ticket count via a signifier on the screen and complete their pricing selections.
Purchasing R-Rated Tickets
Currently, anyone can complete a purchase for R-rated tickets without any restrictions. Although text notices are provided leading up to checkout, these merely act as signifiers for age warnings and fail to act as a forcing function that actively prevents inappropriate user actions. To resolve this issue, introducing a forcing function linked with Photo ID verification or pre-registered profile information is necessary. This would effectively restrict non-eligible purchases based on age requirements.
Food/Drink Ordering Page
In the guest state, selecting a theater acts as a mandatory logical constraint to prevent ordering food/drinks from the wrong venue, thereby narrowing the gulf of execution. Conversely, for logged-in members, the app sets their favorite theater by default, automatically enabling the ‘Continue’ button and bypassing this constraint. As a result, users perceive the affordance to tap the button immediately, leading to a slip where orders are placed at incorrect theaters due to habitual clicking. I have personally experienced this issue as well.
Conclusion
The AMC Theatres ticket purchasing interface effectively utilizes behavioral levels of design, along with feedback, signifier, constraint, and mapping, to minimize the gulf of execution and help users form a correct mental model. Overall, it proves to be an effective Interface Model that allows users to purchase tickets without major difficulties.