Reelgrub

Role: UI/UX Design/ Visual Designer

Year: 2024

Overview

Movie theater concessions haven't changed much. Long lines, confusing menus, missed previews. ReelGrub started as a Google UX certification exercise and became something bigger -- a dark cinematic ticketing and food ordering app designed for people who actually love the movies.

A24 meets product design.

The Problem

Existing theater apps bolt food ordering onto ticket purchasing as an afterthought. The result is friction at every step -- inconsistent dark modes, cart navigation dead ends, customization options that don't match what you'd actually order at the counter. Three users, three different frustrations, one clear gap.

The Users

Three personas shaped the design:

April, 32 -- The enthusiast. Goes for the experience. Wants snack deals without the stress of being late.

Jess, 42 -- The weekly moviegoer. Too busy for long lines. Needs a clear menu before she gets to the front.

Margaret, 34 -- The busy mom. Just wants to order from her seat and not miss a minute.

A

April

32 · Animator · Atlanta

"I love the feeling of being in a movie theater. If there are any special deals for snacks, I'm definitely in!"

Goals

  • Enjoy the experience with her boyfriend without stress
  • Find snack deals easily before the movie starts

Frustrations

  • Being late to the theater
J

Jess

42 · Convention Chair

"Yes, especially when the movie is close. I do not like missing previews."

Goals

  • Stress-free snack experience during leisure time
  • Skip the line entirely

Frustrations

  • Menus that are hard to read from the back of the line
M

Margaret

34 · Marketing Coordinator · Mom of 3

"Refills delivered to your seat."

Goals

  • Order snacks without leaving her seat
  • Full immersion, no hassle

Frustrations

  • Long lines and crowded concession areas
  • No refill delivery option

The Research

A competitive audit of Cinemark, AMC, Regal, and HOYTS revealed the same problems everywhere -- white-label ordering bolted onto existing apps, broken cart navigation, no seat delivery, accessibility failures mid-checkout. None of them felt like they were built for people who love movies.

ReelGrub was designed to fix that.

Cinemark

Contactless Snacks

Dark ModePartial
Cart NavigationBroken
Seat DeliveryYes
CustomizationLimited
Standalone OrderNo
Ease of UsePoor

AMC

Atom Concessions

Dark ModeNo
Cart NavigationHidden
Seat DeliveryNo
CustomizationNone
Standalone OrderYes
Ease of UseFair

Regal

Atom White-label

Dark ModePartial
Cart NavigationClear
A woman and a man sitting on a couch in a dimly lit room, both looking at their smartphones. The woman is wearing a striped shirt and has curly hair, while the man has dreadlocks and glasses. A laptop is open in front of them.

The Design

Dark mode from the first screen. Gold accent system that communicates action without screaming. A flow that moves from browse to seat selection to food to checkout without forcing a detour. Pickup and delivery both supported. Ticket pricing with adult, child, and senior tiers clearly separated.

The visual system was built around one idea -- going to the movies should feel like an event, not a transaction.

The Work

Full end-to-end mobile UI across browse, movie selection, showtime and location picker, seat map, ticket pricing, food ordering, and checkout -- pickup and delivery states.