UGLI — the movie app that learns what you'll love

The challenge

The problem & the goal

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 & what we assumed going in

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.

Empathy map

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

User personas

Two people UGLI is built for

Pamila Domy

Age 28 · Home maker

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

Age 36 · Software Engineer

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.

UGLI the movie app that learns what you'll love