IMDb Redesign
Project Type
Website Design
Medium
Adobe XD
Role
Two-Person Project
Year
Winter 2024
This group project was an exercise in reimagining an existing website. The process involved understanding the structure of the website, finding areas for improvement, and redesigning the user interface. IMDb is a complex information-rich website, and the goal was to provide a cleaner and faster experience for users. The project mainly focused on the layout and functionality of the computer.
The Task
Redesign an existing interface.
The Problem
IMDb (Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online including cast, production crew and personal biographies, plot summaries, trivia, ratings, and fan and critical reviews.
In this two-person project, we decided to reenvision IMDb because we felt the website content was still relevant but lost due to the poor overall user experience. As people passionate about movies and TV shows, we wanted to enhance the movie researching experience.
The use of IMDb has drastically decreased over the past few years. Users feel it is outdated and confusing. We need to redesign the platform to look up to date with the times so that it is still relevant to use. Our solution should deliver a way to increase customer traffic/use.
Over time, user expectations evolve, and design trends change. Redesigning IMDb could be a proactive measure to enhance the user experience, making it more intuitive, engaging, and enjoyable.
How Might We Questions
1. How might we assure IMDb customers that the website is up to date/still relevant?
2. How might we affirm that the website communicates information that is clear to all the users?
3. How might we differentiate IMDb’s platform from its competitors?
Activities Performed
In this group project, we created sketches, site maps, conducted interviews, surveys, competitive analyses, user personas, user testing, typography, and lo-fi prototypes hi-fi prototypes.
Ideation/Process
First, we created a site map of the key user flows we felt IMDb should highlight.
We then conducted competitive analyses for two similar companies: Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd.
After several interviews and surveys, we compiled the results and found two main user groups: occasional users and new users. From this, we made two user personas.
From here, we workshopped our problems and new ideas and began prototyping.
Results
The final outcome of this project was a redesigned IMDb interface that prioritizes clarity, speed, and user engagement. By analyzing the website’s existing structure and identifying pain points, we reimagined the layout to create a more intuitive and visually appealing experience. Our redesign focused on improving navigation, modernizing the interface, and enhancing usability while preserving IMDb’s vast database of film and television content. Through this process, we aimed to revitalize IMDb’s relevance by addressing outdated design elements and optimizing user interactions. The result was a cleaner, more efficient platform that better serves movie and TV enthusiasts, encouraging greater user engagement and retention.
