Woo
For my certification in UX design, I designed a dating app that aims to bridge the gap between the online and offline experience.
The problem
Online dating is the worst.
Yet we keep trying—for a quarter century century now. From Match to Tinder and beyond, app designers and users have been searching for the perfect way to meet people. So, why is it still so frustrating?
According to the Pew Research Center:
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One-third of US adults use dating apps and websites—yet most report having negative experiences on a regular basis.
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7 in 10 online daters say it is very common for others to lie in order to appear more desirable.
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54% of online daters say they don’t receive enough messages from people they’re interested in.
My hypotheses
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By building a brand that is smart, sex-positive, and encouraging, an app can attract a self-selecting audience of like-minded users.
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By providing the right tools—such as video chat, smart algorithms, and well-crafted prompts—users can overcome the hurdle of online representation and choose their dates more wisely.
"I want an easier way to meet compatible matches and get an authentic sense of who they are."
—Every dating app user ever
User research
I conducted an online survey in order to better understand behavior and pain points around online dating. The majority agreed cited personality representation as a major issue with online dating.
To expand on these findings, I conducted video interviews with five of the survey respondents. We discussed how they use online dating, their successes and disappointments, and the ways in which apps on the market could better serve their needs.
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From those interviews, I developed four key personas and three primary user flows as the basis of my subsequent ideation.
