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A Digital Redesign for Sunset Drive-In

Making ticketing, navigation, and branding more accessible for a local business.

 

Project Overview

Team: 4 students (cross-discipline)

Role: UX/UI Designer & Research Analyst

Tools: Figma, Google Forms, Adobe Illustrator

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Sunset Drive-In, a well-loved local theater, operated entirely offline with no formal website, relying instead on a dated Facebook page and cash-only ticket sales. Through user-centered research and quality management frameworks like DMAIC and Lean Six Sigma, our team redesigned their digital presence from the ground up.

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The Problem: No Digital Experience for a Digital Audience

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Despite strong community recognition, Sunset Drive-In had no official website. Customers struggled to find current movie schedules, pay ahead, or even learn basic details about events.

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Our pre-project survey revealed:

  • Only 2.8% were satisfied with current payment methods

  • Less than 20% could easily find showtime info

  • 13.9% rated the branding and site identity as clear

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We defined our project around three key experience gaps:

  1. Access — No centralized place to learn about events or updates

  2. Navigation — Poor information hierarchy and structure

  3. Payment — No online checkout or reservation system

Our BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) was to increase satisfaction by 40% across these categories.

Research & Analysis

We applied Lean Six Sigma’s DMAIC methodology to break down the process and identify root causes:

  • Define: Visited the venue and applied Genchi Genbutsu — understanding the current user flow in context

  • Measure: Collected baseline satisfaction data through a pre-survey (n=40)

  • Analyze: Organized survey feedback into an Affinity Diagram and used Kano Analysis to rank feature importance

  • Improve: Designed and tested a new website experience

  • Control: Conducted a second round of VOC surveying to evaluate the redesign

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My Role

As the lead UX/UI designer, I was responsible for turning our insights into a responsive, accessible web experience:

  • Synthesized survey insights into design features

  • Designed and prototyped desktop + mobile versions of the site

  • Iterated on layout and visual design based on post-survey feedback

  • Used VOC results to directly inform content structure and interaction flow​

Prototyping & Design Decisions

Iteration 1: Building Structure

I began with wireframes focused on hierarchy. I made showtimes, ticket purchase, and swap meet info immediately accessible.

Early feedback: “Much easier to use, but still feels generic.”

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Iteration 2: Voice & Visuals

Based on feedback, I integrated more personality into the brand voice, refined CTAs, and added a Swap Meet page to support local events.

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Final Design Highlights:

  • Showtimes front and center on the homepage

  • Mobile-first ticketing flow for quick reservations

  • Retro-inspired visual language with modern layout for clarity

  • Accessible color contrast and large tap targets for all user types

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Web Screen Designs

home page

swap meet page

checkout page

about page

Mobile Screen Designs

Impact

Our post-design survey showed dramatic improvements in all key areas:

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Feedback emphasized ease of use, visual clarity, and an overall more “trustworthy” feel.

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Reflection

Designing for a real-world venue with no existing digital presence gave me a chance

to combine:

  • Lean process thinking with human-centered design

  • Visual problem-solving with data-backed iteration

  • Accessible systems thinking across web and mobile​

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If I had more time, I’d iterate further on the brand expression to better reflect the theater’s nostalgic charm something users clearly cared about.​

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