We surveyed 80 anonymous participants recruited via Reddit — a genuine mix of ages, viewing habits, and streaming setups. These are people who actually live this problem every time they sit down to watch something.
80
Anonymous participants via Reddit
75.5%
Watch movies regularly
92.5%
Subscribe to 3+ streaming services
66.2%
Subscribe to 5+ and still can’t decide
How often do they watch movies?
Regular viewers — not a passive audience.
Couple times a week — 20%
Who are they watching with?
Solo, together, family — the decision problem hits everyone.
Bit of this and a bit of that37.5%
The act of picking a movie has become unexpectedly hard. People spend far more time than expected choosing what to watch — and most settle for something rather than feel genuinely satisfied with their choice.
More streaming services.
Harder to decide on something to watch.
37.5%
spend more than 15 minutes choosing a movie every single night.
Only 23.8% feel genuinely good about how they pick.
Participants weren’t running out of things to watch. They were running out of patience to find them. The problem isn’t access — it’s the decision.
How long does picking typically take?
Most people spend 5–30 minutes every single night.
Under 5 minutes — I’m a machine10%
30–60+ minutes (watched all the trailers)6.2%
How’s that process working out?
Meh — works fine enough, I guess61.3%
Fantastic — I have a process23.8%
There has to be a better way15%
Top frustrations when picking a movie
Multiple selections allowed. The top two aren’t close.
Found the perfect movie — it’s on a service I don’t have67.5%
I know the vibe I want — I just can’t find it66.2%
My apps keep suggesting the same 10 things40%
Getting others to agree on something26.2%
I have 5+ scattered watchlists across different apps13.8%
I keep getting recommended things I’ve already seen11.2%
Mood & the Infinite Scroll
Before anyone can pick a movie, they have to figure out what they’re in the mood for — and then survive the scroll. Both are harder than they should be.
How much does mood influence what you watch?
63% say mood is a major or essential factor.
Quite a bit — first filter — 47.5%
Same genres always — 23.8%
Follow what’s popular — 13.8%
How do people feel about endless scrolling?
Only 17.5% enjoy it. Everyone else is resigned or defeated.
Exhausting, fewer better options — 23.8%
Isn’t this just life now? — 18.8%
I end up watching nothing — 15%
Just a few more rows trap — 13.8%
Not really an issue — 11.2%
Curated guidance vs. open browsing?
73% prefer some form of curated browsing over total open access.
Somewhere in between — good rows without overdoing it41.2%
A smaller curated set picked for me22.5%
Every available option thrown at me — I’ll find it myself16.2%
No preference — I can navigate it all11.2%
Just tell me the one movie to watch8.8%
People don’t just pick a movie. They browse, consider, shortlist, and compare — but that shortlist disappears completely between sessions. No current app supports this behavior.
76%
Build a shortlist
of movies to watch.
88%
Lose track of it
within a week.
8.8%
Actually use it
next time they watch.
75% would find an app that remembers their shortlist useful or life-changing.
Do people build a “maybe pile”?
Only 23.8% commit to the first option they find.
Rarely, first option wins — 23.8%
Compare ’til watching nothing — 6.2%
What happens to movies they almost picked?
88% lose their shortlist entirely between sessions.
I’ll remember. Maybe. Probably not.43.8%
They collect dust in a watchlist; I start from scratch30%
Saved somewhere — not exactly sure where10%
My queue works and I actually use it8.8%
It lost the coin toss and I never think about it again3.8%
Reaction to an app that remembered your shortlist?
Sounds useful — I’d use that63.7%
That would be life changing11.2%
Not that useful — my system works20%
I’d rather start from scratch each time5%
When it comes to recommendations, people trust people. AI recommendations are used but widely doubted — not because of the technology itself, but because of how it’s deployed.
52.5%
Trust friends & family most for recommendations
15%
Love AI-generated recommendations
75%
Believe recs improve with more context about WHY they liked something
Who do you trust most? (multi-select)
Friends and community beat algorithms decisively.
Friends or family who know my taste52.5%
The passionate internet and its many lists51.2%
Critics or curated editorial picks33.8%
An algorithm that knows my watch history25%
Nobody — I trust my own instincts21.2%
How do people feel about AI recommendations?
Only 15% love them. Most are skeptical or avoidant.
Prefer human suggestions — 16.2%
Haven’t thought about it — 5%
What We Learned About AI
People use AI but feel it misses the mark or feels generic because it over-assumes and doesn’t have enough data points to provide quality recommendations. The problem isn’t AI itself — it’s that current implementations don’t know enough about why you love what you love.
🎬
Meet Scott
Scott, the virtual Video Vault manager, is there to create the feel of a true employee at a video rental store. He wants to help you find a movie that fits your mood, fits your taste, and curate a shelf of movies that mirrors that — the way a person would, not an algorithm.
Nostalgia or Practical?
Of the 80 people surveyed, only 2 had no connection to the video rental era. 87.5% identified at least one thing the old model did better than streaming today — and most could articulate exactly what it was.
What did people love about rental stores?
Multiple selections allowed. The browsing experience dominated.
Browsing the shelves — found things never would have searched for70%
It was an adventure, not just a night of scrolling47.5%
The physical box art and reading the back of the case47.5%
New releases were exciting and special40%
Walking in with a goal and walking out with a movie35%
Staff recommendations felt personal15%
Relationship with Blockbuster?
97.5% had some connection to the rental era.
Was anything better about the rental experience?
87.5% said yes. Here’s what they identified.
Rows of movies to move through vs. infinite scrolling30%
Discovery and browsing felt more engaging28.7%
A clear path: enter, search, and decide17.5%
Getting help from employees when choosing11.2%
Nope — sounds archaic12.5%
What People Want — And We Have It
We asked directly what would make a movie selection app worth using. Multiple selections allowed. The answers mapped almost perfectly to what Video Vault is already building.
65%
Cross-platform tracking
See where to watch across all services at once
52.5%
Curated recs with personality
Not just algorithms — real taste
50%
Mood-based suggestions
Match movies to how you feel tonight
47.5%
Remember why I liked something
Context that actually sticks
46.2%
Stop repeating what I’ve watched
Remember my history
40%
Easy comparison of options
Let me weigh my maybe pile
33.8%
Guide me toward deciding
Help me actually commit to something
28.7%
Remember what I almost chose
Previously Maybe™
26.2%
Unify my scattered watchlists
One place for everything
Research Insights → Design Responses
Every feature in Video Vault exists because someone in this survey described a real frustration. Here’s what they told us — and exactly how we responded.
Research Insight
67.5%
Found the perfect movie — only to discover it’s not on any service they subscribe to. Most just give up and start over.
Feature
Cross-Platform Tracking
See exactly where every movie is available across all your streaming services at once. No more switching apps. No more dead ends.
Research Insight
66.2%
Know the vibe they want but can’t find a film that matches it. Generic search and algorithm suggestions fall flat.
Feature
Scott’s Curated Shelves + Mood Matching
Scott curates finite shelves based on your mood and taste — the way a video store employee would. Real personality, not pattern matching.
Research Insight
88%
Lose track of movies they were considering between sessions. Only 8.8% actually return to their saved list next time.
Feature
Previously Maybe™
Your shortlist comes back every time you open the app. Unfinished decisions resurface naturally — your maybe pile waits for you.
75% said useful or life-changing
Research Insight
67.5%
The movie is found, saved to a mental note — but it’s not available on their current services. So they forget about it.
New Feature
Currently Unavailable ~
Save a movie even when it’s not on your services. Video Vault notifies you the moment it becomes available on a platform you already have.
New Feature
Research Insight
40%
Apps keep suggesting the same 10 things. Ignoring a title repeatedly doesn’t seem to change anything.
New Feature
Stop Recommending This
One click and that title is gone from your feed permanently. You shouldn’t have to scroll past the same movie forty times.
New Feature
Research Insight
75%
Believe recommendations would improve dramatically if an app remembered why they liked or disliked something — not just what they watched.
Feature
Remember the Why
Tell Video Vault why you loved a film. Future picks reflect your actual taste — giving Scott the context to make recommendations that actually land.
“I do this thing where I scroll for twenty minutes, get overwhelmed and put on the same comfort movie I have seen nine times already. Blockbuster actually forced me to choose something new because I had to walk around and read the boxes. Now the algorithm just feeds me more of the same and it feels like work to break out of that.”
Video Vault Community
Movie Night Starts Here.
