Creating a modern dating app centered around shared interests
Timeline
May - Jul 2022
My Role
User Experience Designer
Tools
Figma, Otter.ai, Calendly, Zoom
Project Summary
According to Pew Research Center, dating has gotten harder over the last decade. Singles think it is difficult and time consuming to date and find a potential partner that they will feel a strong connection to.
Ace is a mobile dating application that seeks to save users time and finds the best matches by aligning interests and compatibility.
Secondary Research
An experimental study revealed that participants who selected a partner from a larger group of people were less satisfied and more likely to switch their choice compared to those that selected a partner from a smaller pool. I wanted to explore how I can strategically decrease the pool of potential partners.
Studies show that shared activities that were satisfying, stress-free, and increased closeness help sustain relationships and predict greater relationship quality concurrently and longitudinally. Furthermore, greater similarity between partners was associated with higher levels of marital satisfaction and lower levels of negative affect. This was particularly true for similarity in personality and values.
User Surveys
I asked 72 people with dating experience about their preferences when looking for a potential partner or what contributes to the success of their relationship if they are currently in one.
46% of people in a relationship or married said the biggest contributing factor to the success of their relationship is similar interests
56% of singles said the factor they would like to find the most in a potential partner is similar interests
Interviews
After interviewing 6 individuals with dating and relationship experience, I observed that people find it difficult to feel understood and connect to others when pursuing a romantic relationship. Also, people tend to look for those similar to themselves when seeking a romantic partner.
"I don't want to waste my time."
"It's hard to feel understood."
"I want to feel like part of a team in a relationship."
"Similar experiences are important."
Affinity Mapping
I took important points from my interviews and created an affinity map. I discovered that people tend to look for a romantic partner that is similar to them. The “opposites attract” phenomenon is not necessarily true. Several successful relationships stem from friendship because people who are friends usually share common ground and get along with ease.
People initially gravitate to each other by physical attraction. Then, similarity and understanding is what carries the relationship forward. In looking for a partner, a big concern is that people do not want to waste t heir time or waste other people’s time.
User Persona
The Problem
Singles find it time consuming and difficult to find someone they will feel a connection to with modern dating methods.
How Might We...
speed up and simplify the process of matching people with potential partners that they will feel a strong connection with even on the first date?
The Solution
Create a mobile application that provides a smaller and selective pool of potential partners filtered by similar interests. In that curated pool, users will have at least one thing in common with each other, providing users with better options.
User Flows
I mapped out the user's journey and organized the flows into four sections.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Throughout the usability testing process with 5 participants, I iterated my design and made the following changes:
Design System
Color palette
Typography
UI Elements and Grid System
High Fidelity Wireframes
Usability Testing
I divided my project into five separate flows when creating low fidelity wireframes.
Iteration 1
I changed the discover page to have one less step. Before, users were confused with the action they had to take when they landed on the Discover page. They didn’t know what to do with the card and they eventually found out that you have to click on it to go into
the full profile of the prospect. I eliminated that step and put a frozen x and check on the bottom so all the user had to do was scroll and they could clearly see from the start that they had to choose.
Iteration 2
Next, I changed the profile page to have a call to action of “Complete my profile” because I found that users did not know that pressing the profile picture brought them to the profile. I also got rid of the “Your profile is 20% complete. Reach 100% to unlock
compatibility score” because users would immediately try to follow the directions, but I just put that there so they could know that it was important to complete their profile. Now, it makes it clear for users to know what to do.
Iteration 3
Then, I changed the preview profile at the end of the onboarding flow to have a fixed “Start Matching” button at the bottom. Users had to scroll to find that button at the bottom which confused them on what they had to do at that page. Since I just wanted to give the option for users to see what their profile would look like before they enter the app, I want them to know right away what they are able to do and how to enter the app.
Iteration 4
I also changed the Likes page to look different from the Discover. Originally, it was in the same format, and some people can be confused how it is different from the Discover page. I made it so that users are able to see a preview of all the people that liked
them. This gives incentive to make a decision and keep matching if they can see the name and interest of the person that likes them. I made a scroll feature and made the cards smaller. I also added the amount of Likes the user has at the tab bar so they know
upfront.
