ACT2
ACT2 is an app that allows screenwriters to reach out to producers and production companies in just one click.
Team
Individual
Duration
10 weeks
Role
UX/UI designer
Time
Fall 2022
Problem
Screenwriters don’t have accessible ways or tools to reach out to producers or production companies. This problem forces junior screenwriters to get discouraged and quit the industry they love.
Solution
ACT2 is a perfect solution to the problem. The app helps build essential connections between screenwriters and producers or/and production companies, which help screenwriters find jobs.
Competitive Landscape
Sadly, there is no similar app to ACT2. I had to create everything from scratch and didn’t have any references to use as an example.
I conducted interviews with my classmates (aspiring screenwriters) from
Toronto Film School
With the help of the interviews, I wanted to understand the following:
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Discover what the job-hunting process looked like for a recent graduate in order to confirm that there was a problem to begin with
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Find out which services my interviewees were using while looking for a job within the industry
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Lastly, I was curious what the job-hunting process looked like when the industry just started to enter the world in order to understand if there was a difference between the past job search process and now. I felt that it would help to form a better solution as I wanted to make the app a useful tool not only for young screenwriters but also for screenwriters who joined the industry a long time ago
Throughout the interviews, I also discovered it was crucial for my app to have:
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A Job Consultation service (where experienced screenwriters could help baby (junior) screenwriters to land their first job)
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A Mental Consultation service (so that while baby screenwriters would be going through times of their job-hunting process, they could get some emotional support)
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A possible collaboration with other talented people in the filmmaking industry
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A service of being a part of a reading group (where screenwriters could read each other's scripts and get valuable feedback)
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And lastly, a Job listing feature (where screenwriters could search and, in the future, land their first, second and even fourteenth job)
Spoiler: I decided to focus on a job searching process service for now as it was the most valuable feature for my users. In the future, I want to think of how I can extend ACT2 to make some room for the services I mentioned above.
I started to work on the Whiteboard, Empathy Map, and Persona so that I could have a better understanding of my interviewees' pain points
Empathy Map
What do interviewees think and feel?
What do interviewees hear?
What do interviewees see?
What do interviewees say and do?
What interviewees' pain points are?
What do interviewees want to gain?
Persona
As I didn’t have an existing example similar to my app, going through the steps like creating the User Stories, Site Map, and User Flows helped me identify what to include and what not to
User Stories
Baby screenwriters
Baby screenwriters' activities
Baby screenwriters' tasks
User stories release1
Release 2
Release 3
Site Map
User Flows
Design Process
After identifying my persona, I started thinking about how I could approach the task of solving a stated problem. And I started by sketching a potential solution.
While sketching, I discovered I needed two different interfaces within one application (one for screenwriters and another dedicated to producers/production companies).
Sketches for a user
(a screenwriter)
I also created a prototyped version out of my sketches so that it would be easier for my interviewees to understand how everything worked.
Sketches for a user
(a producer/production company)
I created the prototyped version out of the sketches for a user (producer/production company) as well.
The testing was very productive. I got some notes on how to figure out my upload-a-project flow. Additionally, every interviewee kept telling me that a job listing feature and hot news needed to be included.
After all the interviews I’ve conducted and the research I’ve done, I started to work on the Wireframe
As I mentioned before, I decided to do two different interfaces. Also, as my interviewees suggested, I included two pages with news and job listings. Along the way, I included a log-in/sign-up, upload/find-a-project, and check/send-messages/offers flows.
Wireframe for a user (a screenwriter)
Wireframe for a user
(a producer/production company)
Solving a riddle named Wireflows is where the fun part started (I had to figure out what came after what, and it was such a journey)
In order to get some inspiration for the upcoming steps, I created the Mood Board
While doing so, I was thinking about the words my interviewees said that the app was an odd solution and that the solution was something the old-fashioned filmmaking industry wasn’t really ready for. However, according to my interviewees (experienced screenwriters), I have a feeling that the changes are for the best! Additionally, based on the mood of my Mood Board, I created the Style Guide.
Mood Board
Style Guide
Working on High-Fidelity screens was challenging as well because I had to create a lot of additional screens almost for each flow so that it would be easier to get from point A to point B.
High-Fidelity Screens for a user (a screenwriter)
High-Fidelity Screens for a user (a producer/production company)
Some notes I had after the testing:
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After the first round of testing, I decided to include a tab bar (all of the participants suggested to do it as they said that without a tab bar, my app looked like an old-fashioned tool). Another reason for the tab bar appearance on ACT2 was that it took a lot of work to navigate throughout the app from one flow to another (there were lots of back buttons which were annoying to use)
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I also was concerned about my upload-a-project flow since all of the participants from my testing had a hard time figuring out how to use it
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Plus, I got some feedback on how I can inspire screenwriters. I decided to do it with the help of famous movie quotes
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Another feedback I had was that users had problems tapping buttons since they were thinner than they’d like. I solved that problem by making them slightly bigger so that it would be more comfortable for a user to tap
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And the last note was about creating a create-a-resume flow (so that when a screenwriter applies for a position, a producer/production company could look at a resume and portfolio before hiring a screenwriter)
In Order To Get My High-Fidelity Screens to the Point Where I Can Start Testing Them, I Decided to Prototype Them
Prototyped High-Fidelity Screens for a User (A Screenwriter)
Prototyped High-Fidelity Screens for a User (A Producer/Production Company)
Closing Thoughts
In the future, I hope to improve the uploading-a-project flow since I still believe it can be easier and faster for users to share their work. Also, I’m thinking about my color palette (I’m not totally satisfied with the colors I chose). I have a feeling that ACT2 will be going through a lot of changes in order to become an even more easily operated tool. However, for now, I’m so proud of what I’ve created :)
Possible Future for ACT2
In the future, my intentions are to show this project to Adam Till, who is a program director at Toronto Film School and my ex-comedy teacher 🙂 I hope together we can help screenwriters, as well as producers/production companies, find each other and hope these relationships would be beneficial for both sides.