Think holiday season and UX is what comes to mind — said no one ever!

Along with the rest of the world, the holiday season is a time when UX professionals too seek a break from their craft to get into the festive spirit. And, a big part of immersing yourself in the festivities includes holiday movie marathons!

This year though, we’ve given the traditional holiday movie experience a UX twist. As you all know, human behavior and psychology form the essence of UX design, so why wouldn’t movies be efficient teachers of UX practices?

So here we are with a list of hand-picked Christmas movies that have some eye-opening UX lessons.

7 Holiday Movies with Valuable UX Tips

Movie: Love Actually

Be persistent in the pursuit of delivering delightful experiences.

Rowan Atkinson’s iconic gift wrapping scene is the most standout performance in a movie filled with standout performers — and that’s saying something! Not to take anything away from the late Alan Rickman, who does a fantastic supporting act of a cheating husband out to buy a gift for his gorgeous assistant — whilst out shopping with his wife.

So as designers, there are umpteen instances of work pressure, where you may be pushed to ship an underwhelming version of the product. Yes, time is of the essence, but just as Mr. Atkinson persists with the cinnamon stick, the lavender sprig (crushed to release the fragrance optimally), and the dried flowers, you too have to ensure that you tick all the boxes on your design checklist before it moves to development.

No matter how big a push there is to release the product, you have to try your best to ensure that everything is in place. And dipped in yogurt!

Movie: Four Christmases

You have so much to learn from discovery.

Intimate relationships are essentially journeys of discovery. For most people, it doesn’t make sense to take a potential spouse at face value (however gorgeous they may be). They take efforts to understand who they truly are from within. But there are a few who prefer to keep their true selves hidden deep. Quite like Brad and Kate in Four Christmases, where their embarrassing, hidden secrets, such as Brad’s real name being “Orlando” and Kate’s fear of blow-up castles make them rethink their relationship.

All’s well that ends well, Brad and Kate finally end up embracing each other’s flaws upon having deep conversations with their parents over a forced Christmas at home. These journeys of discovery help them face the realization that they both want marriage and kids — things that they both were firmly against previously in their relationship.

Movie: Home Alone

Journey mapping is a worthy exercise.

Home Alone is possibly one of the most memorable and oft-watched Christmas movies, especially amongst millennials. After all, who didn’t aspire to have the kind of Christmas that Kevin McAllister had — having the amazing adventure of fighting thieves single-handedly while your family was away on holiday.

The spotlight of the whole movie was on Kevin, of course, showcasing his brilliant ability to be very resourceful and apply his vivid imagination in the most creative way possible. But, the sole highlight for UXers was sure to be his elaborate chart mapping his home and the tricks and traps that he’d laid out to nab the thieves.

Do you think he would’ve succeeded without such meticulous planning? We think not!

Movie: Jingle All The Way

Think on your feet and keep improvising.

Jingle All The Way sees Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, both desperately trying to purchase a Turbo-Man action figure for their respective kids on a last-minute Christmas shopping spree. The storyline is essentially a parody of the commercialization of the holiday season, with parents going to extreme lengths to procure a coveted toy for their kids in time for Christmas.

While the movie is certainly over-the-top, no thanks to its lead actors, the thing to focus on is the way in which Howard (Schwarzenegger) keeps dousing the constant fires around him in the quest to lay his hands on the prized Turbo Man toy. Quite like in design sprints where every creative decision can spiral into multiple ramifications. All you have to do is think on your feet and soldier on!

Movie: Elf

You are not the user, so try things out and test them yourself.

As a newcomer in the ‘human’ world, Buddy the Elf has a completely open mind and is up for trying anything and everything, which is a fantastic quality for a UXer to have.

User research is where the design process takes birth, it is what takes precedence over all other activities that follow. While it’s true that we’re in a world where voluminous user data is available in a matter of a few clicks, it does not reveal the ‘why’ of things. To gain this qualitative perspective, talking to your users, understanding them, and seeing things from their point of view is absolutely important.

Movie: How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Get over your cynicism.

With what’s going on in the world around us, it’s not surprising that we’ve become grouchy creatures with hearts “two sizes too small”, quite like the Grinch. But, considering that we have to act upon the lesson mentioned above, it’s important to let go of all the pent-up cynicism that clouds our good judgment and practice empathy.

As creative professionals, dealing with various stakeholders can be tough. But, it is up to us to come from a place of empathy and be steadfast in our mission of being UX advocates.

Movie: The Holiday

“Don’t make me think.”

And finally, here we are with a rather well-known, yet often ignored lesson of UX design — don’t make the users think. The Holiday is a movie that’s a fantastic comfort watch during this time of year — ever wondered why? It has a stellar cast that’s easy on the eye, gorgeous visuals, and no surprising plot twists. In other words, its pretty predictable storyline places zero cognitive load on the users’ minds and therefore presents a comfortable viewing experience.

So, while The Holiday may not be one of the greatest movies out there (it isn’t even one of the greatest Christmas movies out there), it is a great example of how a software experience ought to be.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season ahead with friends and loved ones, and we do hope you have a movie marathon of these selected features. Did this list help you view these movies in a different light? Do share your thoughts in the comments, along with your favorite holiday movies and the lessons you’ve learned from them.