Designing Flicks NZ Mobile App throught Strategy, UX, and Development.

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Flicks is New Zealand’s leading movie and streaming guide, offering cinema listings, streaming recommendations, and editorial content across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

With over 1.5 million users per month, Flicks had successfully established itself as the go-to platform for discovering movies and TV shows.

As mobile usage continued to grow, Flicks identified a major opportunity, to create a dedicated mobile-first experience that enhanced usability while maintaining the fast, intuitive feel of its website. The goal was to design an iOS and Android app that would:

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• Replicate and enhance the core features of the website, making it native to mobile.

• Consolidate cinema listings and streaming services into a seamless, searchable experience.
• Provide users with personalised recommendations, allowing them to build watchlists, set reminders, and book tickets easily.

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Approach

As Lead UX Designer and Pre-Sales Strategist, I was responsible for pitching the concept, creating the presentation materials, and working closely with Flicks to shape the MVP.

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This involved:

• Developing the product strategy, defining feature sets, user journeys, and API requirements.
• Scoping the design timeline and estimates, ensuring the project stayed within budget and realistic development timelines.
• Leading UX/UI design, working with another designer from Flicks to ensure alignment with their internal design team.
• Architecting key MVP components, deciding what data would be pulled from APIs and structuring flexible UI components for personalization.
• Collaborating with iOS and Android teams, ensuring best practices for mobile performance and usability.
• On-site client engagement, providing hands-on guidance, iterative feedback, and workshops to ensure alignment between design, development, and business goals.

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Given the tight budget and short turnaround, I explored multiple design directions to find the best approach while ensuring scalability and efficiency. Additionally, I took a hands-on role in content creation, producing marketing assets, case studies, and promotional materials to support the product’s launch.

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Following launch:

• User engagement increased by 500% compared to the website.
• Time spent on the app grew by 300%, indicating deeper interaction with the platform.
• Users returned to the app 20x more frequently than website visitors.
• The app experienced a 70% month-on-month growth rate.

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What I Did

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• Pitched and secured the project, leading the pre-sales strategy and proposal development.
• Scoped and estimated the project, ensuring designs aligned with realistic development efforts.
• Led UX/UI design, working with Flicks’ internal team to create an intuitive, engaging interface.
• Developed API-driven design components, ensuring data from over 500 cinemas and 30 streaming services was displayed seamlessly.
• Worked closely with front-end teams, ensuring best practices for both iOS and Android development.
• Supported project management efforts, including ticket reviews, stakeholder management, and feedback iteration.
• Created case studies, articles, and promotional content, positioning the app for industry recognition.

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"Accedo met the challenges of our complex project head-on. With its support, we met our goal of developing an application that replicates and enhances the features of the Flicks website. The app provides our users with a faster, slicker experience – and we're seeing that with significantly increased engagement across both the iOS and Android apps."

Paul Scantlebury, Founder and CEO, Flicks

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The Result

The Flicks iOS and Android app successfully launched in April 2022, delivering a fast, seamless movie discovery experience. The app’s clean and intuitive design, combined with rich features like personalised watchlists, Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and location-based cinema listings, significantly improved user engagement.

The success of the project was recognised with a Bronze Award at The Best Design Awards, solidifying its impact as a best-in-class mobile experience.

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