Silverbird Cinemas — A redesign concept. Standing ovation. Anyone?

Could the old site be better?

Look, nobody goes to the cinema just for the info. It’s the lights, the sound, the drama. But Silverbird’s old site? All info, no vibe. It didn’t sell the experience - it just listed it. Silverbird’s in-person experience is premium, but the website? Meh. So I set out to fix that - to make the site feel like the trailer to a great night out. More feeling, less digging. Fewer clicks, more “ooh what’s showing?”

Before the Redesign

Before the Redesign

Before the Redesign

Before the Redesign

Before the Redesign

Before the Redesign

Before the Redesign

Did you do any research?

Absolutely. I needed a clear understanding of what users wanted and why so many cinema sites still looked like they were coded when WhatsApp had a subscription.
I kicked things off with a Discovery Phase (fancy way of saying I asked some questions and made some observations). I studied what the competition was doing, what Silverbird’s site was not doing, and what users were quietly suffering through. Most platforms? All flash, somewhat okay function. The ones that looked great on desktop fell apart on mobile. Checkout flows felt like filing taxes. And trailers? Hidden like post-credit scenes.
I broke down the competition:
Taking lessons and opportunities from Vue Cinemas, Cineplex and Genesis Cinemas. I peaked at platforms like Netflix and Apple TV to see how the pros show content and move users from “ooh, this looks good” to “take my money please.”

I also mapped out four main audience types:
The Chill Scroller – just wants to see what’s playing without going past 3 clicks.
The Over-Planner – low-key building a whole date itinerary around this.
The Movie Nerd – if IMDb had a human form.
The First-Timer – needs a “Start Here” button and possibly a hug.

The big takeaway? People want less effort, more excitement. So I designed for that. Less “wait, how do I book this?”, more “ooh, let’s go tonight.”

Vue Cinemas

Genesis Cinemas

Netflix - 1

Netflix - 2

Apple TV - 1

Apple TV - 2

What was the redesign approach?

I treated this redesign the way a good director treats a film: every scene (or in this case, screen) needed purpose, mood, and that “oof” factor. The goal wasn’t just to “make the site look nice.” It was to turn the website into a trailer for a great night out. One that makes you say, “This? This is worth putting pants on for.”
I drew inspiration from high-drama, high-polish experiences like the SpaceX website. Because if they can make rocket science feel sexy, I can make booking movie tickets feel less like online banking.

Here’s what I focused on:
Embrace the drama:
Dark mode, bold type, big visuals. It had to feel premium, cinematic, and a little like stepping into a dimly lit theatre just before the movie starts.

Simplify the path to popcorn:
Booking flows were reimagined. Less “click here, no here, wait go back” and more “boom, done.”

Design for discovery, not confusion:
The homepage leads with Now Showing - full screen layouts with clear call to actions for booking tickets and viewing trailers.

Make mobile not suck:
Special attention was given to small screens, fat thumbs, and short attention spans. The result? Simple, well organized layouts that works just as well on a phone in the backseat as it does on a laptop at work.

How did you approach the user flows?

Firstly, what’s the ideal flow for booking a movie ticket?
The ideal flow is dead simple. You land on the homepage, see what's showing, click “Book,” go through a checkout process and pay. That's it. Fast, focused, frictionless.

Lastly, how should users browse?
I split it into two clear paths: “Now Showing” and “Coming Soon.” You can filter by location and if you’re just browsing for vibes or planning a future movie night, “Coming Soon” has trailers and premiere date reminders to keep you hyped.

How does the new design solve real problems?

To answer this, Usability testing gave me more insight to specific questions:

Is it easier to find showtimes?
Showtimes are now front and center. No digging. The homepage shows a catalogue of movies playing today, with a “Book Now” and a clear “Watch Trailer” button to satisfy any lingering curiosity. Everything was designed to be location aware considering Silverbird Cinemas has multiple branches spread across different countries.

Why does the layout feel more immersive?
We ditched the clutter and went simple & cinematic. Think full-width trailers, high-contrast dark mode, bold typography, and poster-led layouts. You feel like you're in the movie world already - not browsing a spreadsheet of listings.

Where did visual clarity and hierarchy improve?
Every section has a clear purpose. Movies have visual priority, actions like “Book” or “Watch Trailer” are immediately visible, and supporting info like duration, rating, and genre is organized cleanly. On mobile, it’s all thumb-friendly - nothing crammed, nothing hidden.

Why does this redesign matter?

Why does this redesign matter?
Because the old site was hiding a great experience behind a bad one. Now, more people can find and book movie tickets faster, especially on their phones - which is where most users are coming from anyway.

What changed for mobile users?
Everything. The new design feels like an app - not a squished desktop site. It’s smoother, faster, and actually built for thumbs. That alone can drive up bookings.

What does this redesign say about the brand?
It says Silverbird isn’t stuck in the past. The site now feels like the premium in-cinema-experience : sleek, immersive, and modern. It builds trust, excitement, and relevance -especially with younger audiences.

The Redesign

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The Redesign

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The Redesign

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The Redesign

The Redesign

The Redesign

What did you learn during this project?

That keeping it simple is actually the hard part. I wanted it to feel cinematic, but not at the cost of usability - and balancing those two worlds took more iteration than I expected.

Visual hierarchy. Every little layout decision changes how people navigate and feel. I found myself trying to be precise with spacing, scale, and flow more than fancy effects.

And Yeah - that you don’t need a real client to do real work. I gave myself a brief, treated it like a high-stakes job, and walked away with something good. Standing ovation? Anybody?

What’s next?

Maybe Silverbird sees it - who knows? Maybe I take this to them, we align on next steps, and something real comes out of it.
But even if it stays a personal project, it did its job. I sharpened my design instincts, practiced solving real UX problems, and pushed my skills in layout, flow, and feel.
Whether it ends up in a pitch deck or a portfolio scroll, a win is a win.

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