Cutting cloud cost 65% by redesigning an inbox

The problem

A film delivery has two parts: the encrypted files and the key that unlocks them. Theatres check both every week.

The inbox showed every film, every format and every theatre in one flat list. For a chain with hundreds of screens it was slow to use and expensive to run.

What I found

The cost problem and the usability problem had the same cause. The system worked out every film, format and theatre relationship at once.

People think one film at a time. They pick a film, then check it.

Key decisions

Pick a film first

Level one lists this week's films. Level two shows that film's versions and their status across theatres.

Show only the latest status

Each film and theatre pair shows its most recent content and key status, which cut the data behind every view.

A theatre-first view

Single-location theatres see every incoming film for their screens at once.

How it's built

Went below the UI

I sat with engineers to trace how deliveries were stored, indexed and queried, then proposed a new data structure, not just a new screen.

Hierarchy matches the query

The two levels map to how the data is fetched, so each request indexes and renders far less.

Edge cases got simpler

Repeat delivery attempts, painful in the old list, became one row with its history.