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Revi: Personalized Movie Recommendations from Friends

Overview

Revi is a unique movie recommendation platform designed to provide personalized suggestions based on recommendations from friends. Unlike traditional algorithm-driven platforms, Revi emphasizes human-curated recommendations, fostering a more social and trustworthy way to discover movies. The app was developed using Flutter to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience.

the problem

Finding the right movie to watch can be overwhelming due to the vast number of choices available on streaming platforms. Common challenges include:

Impersonal Algorithmic Suggestions

Generic recommendations that don’t align with personal tastes.

Decision Fatigue

Too many options lead to difficulty in choosing.

Lack of Trusted Opinions

Users prefer recommendations from people they know rather than AI-generated suggestions.

Research & Discovery

Before designing Revi, I conducted extensive research involving:

  • User Interviews: Conducted multiple interviews with movie enthusiasts and casual viewers.

  • Competitive Analysis: Studied existing recommendation platforms like Netflix, Letterboxd, and IMDb.

  • User Pain Points: Identified key frustrations, including difficulty finding relevant recommendations and lack of social engagement in movie discovery.

Key Insights:

  • 75% of users preferred recommendations from friends over AI-generated ones.

  • 68% felt overwhelmed by too many choices on streaming platforms.

  • 85% wanted an easy way to track and share movie suggestions with their social circles.

Strategy & Approach

To address these challenges, I focused on three key aspects:

Friend-Based Recommendations

Users receive movie suggestions from their trusted network.

Minimalist & Social UI

A clean, user-friendly interface designed for effortless sharing and discovery.

Watchlist & Review System

Users can save recommended movies and leave short reviews.

Design & development

Wireframing & Prototyping

  • Created low-fidelity wireframes in Figma to map user journeys.

  • Iterated based on user feedback before moving to high-fidelity prototypes.

User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX)

  • Simple & Clean UI: Prioritized ease of navigation and intuitive interactions.

  • Social Features: Integrated friend lists and comment sections to enhance engagement.

  • Dark & Light Modes: Customizable themes for better user experience.

Development with Flutter

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: Ensured smooth performance on both iOS and Android.

  • Firebase Integration: Enabled real-time data syncing for recommendations and watchlists.

  • User Authentication: Secure login with Google and email-based authentication.

Impact & Results

Revi successfully addressed key pain points in movie discovery:

More Personal Recommendations

80% of users reported higher satisfaction with friend-based suggestions.

Reduced Decision Fatigue

Users spent 50% less time choosing a movie.

Increased Engagement

Social sharing and discussions led to a 40% increase in user activity.

Key Learnings & Next Steps

What Worked Well?

  • Human-curated recommendations led to more relevant and enjoyable movie choices.

  • A simple and intuitive UI encouraged frequent usage.

Challenges Faced

  • Encouraging users to actively share recommendations.

  • Balancing privacy with social sharing features.

Future Enhancements

  • Expansion into TV show recommendations.

  • Enhanced social interaction features like group movie planning.

  • AI-assisted suggestions to complement friend recommendations.