The Problem
Our team found that users who experience frustrations such as poor responsiveness and unwelcome messages want to find a way to make meaningful connections through consistent communication, all while prioritizing safety and keeping friends informed.
The Solution
Surely was designed with safety in mind. We made certain to prioritize features such as a user-centered rating system to reveal a user's average safety and response rating in addition to in-app messaging with friends to create a safe space for friends to share date profiles and details.
User Research
Targeted Demographic
User Interviews
Our team interviewed 6 different women between the ages of 21 and 35 who currently use or have recently used a dating website or mobile app. After discussing 25 possible interview questions, we chose 11 that seemed to be the most effective and would likely generate an array or responses from our interviewees.
What positive or negative behaviors have you noticed from people you interact with on dating apps?
"Not respecting boundaries, asking for or sending inappropriate pictures, aggressive behavior"
"Not a fan of ghosting or when guys don't message back after initiating a convo. What's the point of being on this app then?"
What information do you want to know about the person you match with before engaging with them?
"I would want to know their response time. Not responding is a big turn off"
"Would want to know if they've been abusive. No controlling language, jail time, etc"
What have you done to help ensure your safety when using dating apps?
"I would always tell a friend who I'm going on a date with and where I was going."
"I share details of dates like photos and general info with at least one friend."
Affinitization
After combining our information gathered from user interviews, we began to see similarities come to life and grouped our information accordingly. The most popular categories we encountered were "negative behaviors," "safety measures," "non-negotiables," and "specific dating app features." With this, we were able to begin our definition process.
Shared User Opinions
Security
5 users noted that they take specific safety measures when using dating apps.
Preferred App: Hinge
4 users stated Hinge was their favorite dating app due to their marketing and interface.
Ghosting
3 users shared that ghosting is a large deterrent from using dating apps.
Definition & Ideation
User Persona
Key User Insights
Insight #1
We have discovered that users who are interested in relationships place heavy importance on consistent and meaningful communication.
Insight #2
We have discovered that users primarily share potential mates with friends for safety but also for approval and validation of said mate.
Problem Statement
Our team has observed that users who experience frustrations such as poor responsiveness and unwelcome messages want to find a way to make meaningful connections through consistent communication, all while prioritizing safety and keeping friends informed.
Brainstorming Snapshot
Key Features
1. Sharing with friends
Share potential matches and or current match profiles with friends for a second opinion and also for safety purposes. Example: sharing a profile with a friend to let them know you will be going on a date with "x" at this location later tonight.
2. Safety rating and reputation
Ability to report a profile and provide safety information once a user has gone on a date with someone. Surely will remove a profile if the safety rating falls below 75%. Users are also able to see the reason behind a poor safety review i.e. inappropriate advances on a date or through in-app conversations
3. Reduction of "ghosting"
Provide visible indication of a match's responsiveness in order for the user to determine if he or she would like to pursue said match based on this rating. Future feature might include a timer and or reminder that deletes the conversation if there is little to no communication in the chat.
Value Proposition Statement
Surely is a dating app designed to help those seeking relationships solve safety concerns and poor communication. We're better because we give users the ability to share profiles, date information and messages with friends. We're believable because we promote trusted and meaningful interactions through input gathered directly from our users, enhancing the overall authenticity of users' experiences.
Storyboard
Prototyping
Competitive Analysis
After solidifying our idea, my team and I researched dating apps including Hinge, Bumble, and CoffeeMeetsBagel. We decided to include Bumble and Hinge within our competitor analysis after a number of interviewees mentioned them. We wanted to create a dating app that addressed user concerns but also adhered to a certain style, all while remaining original and creative. Through our analysis, we concluded that Hinge ranked the highest, which also aligned with our interviewee's thoughts, and found that CoffeeMeetsBagel is less known and not as popular among dating app users.
User Flow
Lo-Fidelity Prototype
Style Guide
For our high-fidelity prototypes, we wanted a fresh but fun design, one that was tailored to a younger crowd, mainly geared toward Millennials but a style that could also appeal to Gen X and Z as well. In our design, we included an array of pastel colors that weren't too loud, but still popped. Many apps use two or three primary colors but we chose to go a bit bolder with our color scheme which I think worked well in the end. We also gravitated more toward light and airy photography and used a curvy font for the logo but focused on rounded lettering and shapes throughout the app itself.
Hi-Fidelity Prototyping
Onboarding
Profile Creation
Safety Feature
Matching/Connections
Sharing with Friends
User Testing
Testing Results
We had the choice to user test either after our lo-fidelity prototype or our hi-fidelity prototype. Our team decided to focus on the time we had left before the due date and made a consecutive decision to wait until after we had the majority of our design executed to test our hi-fidelity wireframes. During testing, we ran into a number of easy-to-fix problems. We were faced with :
1. Update Copy - Copy styling was inconsistent in some areas or needed to be modified for clarity.
2. Visibility Issues - Experienced a number of interface issues but quick fixes overall involving positioning and sizing.
3. Clear Confirmations - Needed to fix user confirmations/progression in order to keep users on track throughout onboarding and profile creation.
Key Takeaways
Designing a dating app was an endeavor our team took on somewhat blindly. Going into a design challenge and not knowing what the end product will be is always exciting, but daunting all in the same. Throughout the four weeks we were given, we ran into a number of challenges. As a team, we were able to come together and work through our design differences, deadline stressors, and more. I feel fortunate to have worked with two highly dependable, intelligent, and creative team members for our last project and will take what I learned from my teammates and this opportunity, and apply it to future projects.
Future Opportunities
1. Location Tracking - Users will be able to send their location to friends before or during dates in addition to marking if they have arrived back home safely.
2. Conversation Expiration - To decrease the opportunity for users to "ghost." Users who aren't serious about connecting will face their conversation expiring after x amount of days of no communication.
3. Unlock Phone # - An incentive for users to keep communicating. A twist on the idea of giving someone your number - instead, users can decide when someone has earned it.