Portfolio ✦ Case Study
★ Featured Project

Book Show AI Smart
Movie Ticket
Pre-Booking

Eliminate booking stress during high-demand releases with AI-powered auto-booking and real-time seat selection.

Role
UI/UX Designer · Front-End Dev
Tools
Figma
Duration
4 Weeks
Type
End-to-End Design
CineAI Smart Booking Conceptual Visual
Overview

What is BookMyShow AI Smart Booking?

This project introduces an AI-powered pre-booking system that allows users to book tickets even before they go live. Users can set their preferences in advance, and the AI automatically books tickets at the right moment.

Why did I choose this?

For high-demand releases — especially movies featuring stars like Vijay or Ajith — tickets sell out within seconds of going live. Fans who desperately want to watch their favourite hero's first day first show are left with nothing, not even a second or third day slot for weeks. The current BookMyShow system forces every user to compete at the exact same second, and most lose.

Goal

"My goal is to make booking simple, smart, and stress-free for everyone."

User Survey
8 out of 10

Users surveyed said they have missed tickets due to high demand — this is why the problem exists.

Industry Research
1 in 3

Online ticket purchases fail during peak release windows due to payment and traffic issues.

Booking Urgency
60 seconds

Average time a high demand movie sells out after tickets go live — showing the urgency this feature solves.

User Validation

User Research

Research Method
To validate the problem, I conducted a survey with 22 real users aged 21–36, across diverse occupations including doctors, teachers, IT professionals, and AR callers. The goal was to understand real booking behaviour and pain points before designing any solution.
🎬 95.5%

Of respondents enjoy watching movies in their free time.

🏛️ 50%

Prefer watching in theatres for the experience and atmosphere.

📅 63.6%

Have faced issues while booking tickets on release day.

😔 68.2%

Have missed booking tickets for a movie they wanted to watch.

✅ 72.7%

Said they would use a pre-booking option if available.

💺 81.8%

Said seat selection is the most important pre-booking feature they want.

What Users Said

"It's just a server issue that I faced only on Vijay movies."

Survey Respondent

"Tickets not available within seconds after booking opens."

Survey Respondent

"It's hard to get movie tickets for big hero films by online booking."

Survey Respondent

"I won't get tickets on the release day."

Survey Respondent

"When selecting the option to get notification for movie booking, I have not received any notification via WhatsApp. Hence I missed many movies."

Survey Respondent
💡

Key Insight

Users are ready and willing to book early — but the system forces everyone to compete at the exact same second. Most lose. The solution is not faster fingers — it's smarter pre-booking.

Screen Evolution

Showing the design and feature improvements of the app.

AI Option Introduction

Adding the AI Smart Booking option into the app flow

BEFORE: OLD SCREEN
Before AI option
The original app did not have the AI Smart Booking option.
AFTER: REDESIGNED SCREEN
After AI option
The new design adds the AI assistant, making pre-booking easy and smooth.

Backup Time & Date Selection

Select backup date and time for better booking success.

BEFORE: OLD SCREEN
Before time slot
In current apps, users can choose only one date, time, and theatre.
AFTER: REDESIGNED SCREEN
After 2 time slots
In this users select multiple date and time options as backup to increase booking success.

Smart Preview

Transparency through detailed automation summaries.

BEFORE: OLD SCREEN
Before preview
Current preview screen showing movie details.
AFTER: REDESIGNED SCREEN
After AI preview
Clear summaries help users understand how the AI will book the ticket.

Auto-Payment

Users set up AutoPay in advance for smooth ticket booking.

BEFORE: OLD SCREEN
Before payment
Manual payment triggers often failed during high-traffic release windows.
AFTER: REDESIGNED SCREEN
After auto payment
Authorized auto-pay allows for millisecond execution once tickets go live.

Status Tracking

Real-time visibility into the hunting state.

BEFORE: OLD SCREEN
Before booked
Simple purchased state with no information on pending auto-requests.
AFTER: REDESIGNED SCREEN
After booked
Detailed status display shows the AI actively monitoring for seat availability.

Newly Added AI Screens

AI Guidelines

1. Smart Guidelines

Clear rules build trust. Users know exactly how the AI will book their tickets before starting.

Backup Seats

2. Backup Seats

If the first choice is sold out, the AI automatically tries for the user's secondary seat options.

Autopay Setup

3. Auto-Pay Setup

Pre-authorizing payments ensures the AI can secure the tickets instantly without payment delays.

AI Confirmation

4. Success Confirmation

A satisfying completion screen letting the user know the AI has safely started hunting.

EMPATHY MAP

👤 User: Movie Lover (High-demand ticket booking)

💭

Thinks

  • “I might miss the tickets”
  • “I need to act fast”
  • “The app might crash again”
  • “There should be an easier way”
💛

Feels

  • Anxious about tickets selling out
  • Excited for first-day show
  • Frustrated with app crashes
  • Stressed during booking time
🗣️

Says

  • “Tickets got sold out so fast!”
  • “This app is too slow”
  • “I couldn’t book in time”
  • “Booking tickets is so stressful”
⚡

Does

  • Refreshes the app repeatedly
  • Opens multiple booking platforms
  • Tries to book exactly when sales open
  • Checks availability frequently
💡
Key Discovery: Users are ready early, but the system does not support early booking.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

Evaluating what exists today to find the missing link.

App Pre-booking AI Automation Backup Slots Auto-Pay
BookMyShow ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Paytm Movies ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
District ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Apple/Google Wallet ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓
💡
The Gap: None of the existing platforms support AI-powered pre-booking or automated seat selection. This gap — where user demand is high but no solution exists — directly inspired this project.

USER PERSONAS

Understanding the needs, behaviors, and pain points of our target users.

🧑🏽

Rao, 27

Accounts Receivable Associate

💭 Thinks

  • Values the sensory theater experience highly.
  • Expects pre-booking and price transparency.
  • Feels he misses opening days due to demand.

💛 Feels

  • Stressed/anxious about fast sell-outs.
  • Interested in securing spots without panic.

🗣️ Says

  • Advocates for anti-scalping measures.
  • Wants verified booking and limits on bulk tickets.

⚡ Does

  • Uses movies to escape work stress.
  • Seeks theaters for favorite actors.
  • Watches late due to failed notifications.
👨🏻‍💻

Suriya

Test Engineer

💭 Thinks

  • Theater experience is irreplaceable for "hero" movies.
  • Expects clear pricing and timely reminders.
  • Values financial efficiency (discounts/offers).

💛 Feels

  • Hopeful about stress-free pre-booking.
  • Defeated by difficulty securing tickets.
  • Feels FOMO when notifications fail.

🗣️ Says

  • Advocates for verified-user booking.
  • Wants limits on bulk purchases to stop resellers.

⚡ Does

  • Uses movies as primary stress relief.
  • Balances OTT with theater visits.
  • Misses release days due to no timely alerts.

What I Decided to Solve

I introduced AI-powered smart booking feature to reduce the stress of high-demand ticket booking .This solution allows users to pre-select their preferred theatre, time, and seat category in advance .While still supporting real-time seat selection like a regular booking experience.

Design Decisions

Key architectural and experience choices made to balance user trust, speed, and safety in an automated pre-booking system.

Decision 1 Why minimum 2 backup slots?

One backup is not enough during high demand. Two slots give the AI better chances and give the user peace of mind.

Decision 2 Why an AI Guidelines screen?

Users handing over payment to automation need to know exactly what will happen. Trust first, then setup.

Decision 3 Why AutoPay gets its own screen?

Payment is the highest anxiety moment. It deserves dedicated space and clear language — not buried in a summary.

Decision 4 Why live status tracking after confirmation?

Silence after confirming creates doubt. Showing the AI actively monitoring makes users feel safe to walk away.

User Flow

Home
Movie
Event
Profile
🎬
Step 01 / Discover Upcoming Movies
▼
👉
Step 02 / Select Movie Selection
▼
✦
AI Integration AI — Smart Booking
▼
📅
Preferences Select Dates (Min. 2)
▼
🏛️
Preferences Theatre & Time Slots
▼
💺
Preferences No. of Seats
▼
⭐
Preferences Seat Category (P/S)
▼
👁️
Review Preview Selections
▼
💳
Payment Set Autopay
🎉
Success Confirmation
👤
Profile View Booking & Purchases
▼
🛡️
Tracking Pre-booking Status

Typography & Color

The aesthetic foundation of AI Smart Booking, focusing on high-contrast accessibility and cinematic tones.

Typography
Aa
Arial
Primary Sans
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Ensuring effortless readability and consistent cross-platform performance. Selected for its clean, neutral aesthetics that allow cinematic content to remain the focus.
Primary Color

Brand Primary

#DD354C
Secondary & Functional Colors
#EB4E63
#191818
#1FAD3D
#84D6FC

UI screens

Complete App Screens with Workflow

Screen 1
01
Discovery Feed
Screen 2
02
Coming Soon
Screen 3
03
AI Smart Booking
Screen 4
04
AI Guidelines
Screen 5
05
Availability
Screen 6
06
Preference Setup
Screen 7
07
Guest Count
Screen 8
08
Seat Overview
Screen 9
09
Primary Slot
Screen 10
10
Alert for setting secondary slot
Screen 11
11
Secondary Slot
Screen 12
12
Booking Preview
Screen 13
13
Auto-Pay Setup
Screen 14
14
Add Cards Details
Screen 15
15
Auto-Pay Enabled Confirmation for card
Screen 16
16
UPI Verification
Screen 17
17
Auto-Pay Enabled Confirmation for UPI
Screen 18
18
Final Confirmation
Screen 19
19
User Profile
Screen 20
20
Pre-Booked History

Real Problems | Smart Solutions.

⚡ Problems

  • Users cannot book tickets before they go live.
  • Tickets sell out quickly during high demand.
  • Users can select only one date and time.
  • Booking is stressful with constant refreshing.
  • Payment often fails during peak time.
  • Users are unsure how booking works.

✦ Solutions

  • Enable AI pre-booking to book tickets automatically at release time.
  • Use AI to book instantly and increase success rate.
  • Allow backup date and time selection for better chances.
  • Provide a hands-free booking experience using AI.
  • Enable AutoPay for smooth and instant transactions.
  • Show clear AI status and booking summaries.

Solving real user problems with simple and smart automation.

What I learned

Trust is a UX problem Progressive disclosure beats long forms Status feedback = lower anxiety AI needs guardrails users can feel Dark UIs need higher contrast ratios Fallback flows are as important as the main flow Test with real stress scenarios, not ideal ones

Future improvements

Loyalty point integration — auto-apply rewards during booking
Add smart seat recommendations based on user behavior
AI snack pre-ordering based on past concession preferences
Provide real-time alerts for ticket availability and booking status
Introduce group pre-booking for friends and family
Voice-activated preference setup via smart assistant