🏅 This project is a finalist at the 2025 UX Laurier Designathon!
Unscene is a cross-platform experience that brings audiences closer to the filmmaking process. By offering curated discussions, behind-the-scenes content, and interactive storytelling, Unscene rekindles the communal spirit of film appreciation.
CONTEXT
A creative prompt with endless possibilities
During UX Laurier's annual designathon, I partnered with a fellow designer to tackle a vague prompt. With such an open-ended challenge, we explored various creative industries before settling on film: a medium we felt deeply resonated with the topic.
THE PROBLEM
Movies spark millions of conversations every day: in living rooms, group chats, review sections. People debate plot holes, analyze themes, share how a scene made them feel. But these conversations happen everywhere except where filmmakers can hear them.
The disconnect isn't just a missed opportunity for conversation—it's a fundamental gap in how we experience art. We saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between creators and audiences.
USER RESEARCH
We conducted research through personal experiences in the film and media space and identified several barriers to audience engagement:
By visualizing their emotions, we were able to surface key gaps that Unscene aims to solve.
Our empathy map revealed that this disconnect does not stem from a lack of interest but from a failure in infrastructure. This insight shifted the direction of our product; Unscene is not focused on delivering more content, it is about creating pathways that support interpretation and appreciation.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
These platforms treat film as a finished product to be analyzed, rather than a creative process. The emphasis on consumption leaves audiences disconnected from creator decisions, challenges, and inspirations that shape the films they love.
IDEATION
We drafted out a user flow chart to visualize how users will navigate through our product.
WIREFRAMES
Multi-modal engagement methods that cater to user preferences
Since film appreciation happens across various contexts, we introduced features that accommodate different styles of engagement (Watch, Listen, Chat, and Read). This flexibility allows users to browse Unscene in both dedicated exploration time and casual discovery moments.
FINAL DESIGN
Optimized for all devices
Experience seamless content switching with mobile-first design that maintains your progress across all four engagement modes.
Consider All Stakeholders
Understanding how creators and other stakeholders will adopt and support the product is essential. Ignoring any group can lead to friction and harm the overall user experience and platform stability.
Validate The Market Opportunity
Even though the product resonated with my partner and I, we needed solid research to prove that a larger market existed. Market validation ensures that you’re building something others truly need.
