Rotten Tomatoes

Evaluating a Popular Media Platform

 

Context & Background

As someone who enjoys film critique in my free time, I was intrigued by how a well-known website like Rotten Tomatoes performs under a usability lens. Our class project focused on evaluating its usability and identifying pain points in everyday tasks such as writing reviews, browsing ratings, and purchasing tickets.

 

My Role & Collaboration

I collaborated with three peers as the research lead. I helped define evaluation criteria, facilitated testing, and synthesized both heuristic and observational data. My role was to ensure the research connected usability violations to real design opportunities.

 

Timeline

• Week 1: Heuristic evaluation

• Week 2: Cognitive walkthrough

• Week 3: Summative usability testing

• Week 4: Synthesis and redesign recommendations

 

Research Goals & Methodology

Our research question was:

“Can users easily find, understand, and act on core features of the Rotten Tomatoes website?”

We conducted a heuristic evaluation using Nielsen’s 10 usability principles and a summative usability test with five participants recruited from our networks. Each session lasted about 30 minutes and was recorded over Zoom. Tasks included leaving a review, sorting films by popularity, and buying tickets.

 

Analysis & Outcomes

Findings revealed recurring problems:

• Navigation confusion from inconsistent labeling

• Visual clutter reducing readability

• Inefficient ticket purchasing flow with redundant steps

We proposed clear labeling, reorganized content hierarchy, and a simplified “Buy Tickets” flow directly from movie cards.

 

Impact

Our redesign concepts improved both task efficiency and user confidence. Although we didn’t deploy the changes live, the exercise reinforced how usability evaluation can translate directly into tangible UI improvements even in mature products.

 

Reflection

This project honed my ability to conduct structured usability tests and communicate results clearly. It also reinforced that even established digital platforms benefit from returning to foundational usability principles.