Overview
Online daters desire to make meaningful connections, but are concerned with the authenticity of their match and seek safer methods to meeting in-person.
Problem
Client
Hinge
The "dating app designed to be deleted," is liked by millennials for it’s matching algorithm. Hinge’s success hinges on real-life dates. They prioritize safely meeting people in person.
Design Brief
A group of 4 UX designers were tasked to add a new feature to Hinge, a dating app. This feature should be added with the intention to balance user needs and business goals.
Understanding the problem space
User research method & findings
I want to meet new
people and make
connections.
I desire long-term
romantic connections.
What’s working?
Hinge’s Nobel-prize winning algorithm is liked by millennials to find meaningful connections & love.
Meet jasmine
Looking for opportunities
Bumble
Tinder
Coffee mets Bagel
What was good?
All offer premium algorithm/customization, with unique marketing approaches.
Outcome
The proposed "DateSafe" safety feature addresses core user anxieties, fostering a more secure dating experience. This is supported by a high usability score (4.8/5) in our hi-fidelity designs, indicating user intuition and value for the feature.
Info
My Role:
Research, data synthesizing, ideation, UI design, mid-fi usability testing, project scope & next steps
Team:
4 UX/UI designers
Timeline:
14 days
Tools:
Figma, Figjam, Google suite, Optimal Workshop, Maze
In our independent research, meaningful connections and safety came up. So we surveyed & interviewed about user dating app expectations and pain-points while addressing safety and privacy concerns.
I fear that matches aren’t as genuine as they present themselves online.
What’s not working?
I prefer to interact on the app rather than share my phone number.
Online dating app users are concerned inauthenticity and hesitant to meet matches due to safety worries.
Market Gap
Dating apps lack safety features for first time in-person meetups, creating a user concern gap.
I’m reluctant to meet
matches in-person due to safety concerns.
Why should we care?
Millennials combat loneliness despite tech connections. Face-to-face interaction is key.
We analyzed our competitors to understand dating app landscape and what our competitors to address safety concerns.
Consider…
Any Hinge safety feature should be free to align with its current business model (profile verification only).
Introduction
Understanding the problem
User Persona
Looking for opportunities
Ideation
Design
Deliver
Next Steps & takeaways
Opportunity
How might we build trust and comfort in online dating users before they meet a potential partner in-person?
Ideation
Using the data collected so far, I brainstormed possible solutions that could possibly help Jasmine.
I evaluated features like panic buttons, check-ins, and ID verification, but recognized potential drawbacks like intrusiveness and reduced user engagement. While a future, more comprehensive solution could incorporate these, we prioritized a high-impact, low-risk launch for the initial phase. This initial solution would focus on core user anxieties surrounding first-time, in-person meetings, rather than immediate danger.
Hypothesis
If Hinge allows users to securely share planned date details with a trusted contact, it will alleviate concerns about meeting strangers in person, providing a safer way to date.
Let's see how sharing her date’s details with a trusted friend empowers Jasmine during her interaction with Mark, a potential date.
Jasmine has been chatting with Mark for a few days now
Mark asks to meet-up! Jasmine wants to meet Mark too...
but Jasmine’s past experience of meeting dates for the first time has not gone well..
…and she is going on a date with Mark!
At this point, she receives a pop-up to use the date safe feature. She taps on YES!
Develop
DateSafe auto populates her date details & she shares it with a trusted friend
Introducing DateSafe: DateSafe will automatically populate details (using the existing keyword monitoring system) of Jasmine’s upcoming date (who, when, where) into a shareable card for a trusted friend, giving her peace of mind for her in-person meeting with Mark.
Deliver
User testing showed strong positive response, 82% likely to use, to the feature, addressing a core user need: feeling safe during first-time, in-person meetings. This feedback informed our decision to launch and onboard the feature for our users.
But wait.. what if Jasmine has double booked! Most of us have been there, right ;) Well, if need be, there are a couple ways to edit the Date Card.
Project Considerations and Next steps
Considering tight deadlines and resources, the "DateSafe" pilot prioritizes core functionality:
Legal & Compliance: Collaboration with legal will ensure T&C updates and user privacy compliance.
Future Enhancements: We plan to integrate features like geolocation tracking (with user consent) and panic buttons in future iterations.
Final thoughts
Usability study takeaways
A usability score of 4.8 out of 5 for likeliness to use in our hi-fidelity designs indicates users found the feature very intuitive and valuable. DateSafe will increase the user base by helping reduce daters anxieties, and empower them to meet matches safely. Hinge is in the business of love and deleting the app and this UX design team is here for it!
Collaboration and Communication: Adapting to different working styles honed my communication skills, allowing me to effectively manage expectations within a team. Open communication ensured everyone was on the same page, resulting in a smooth MVP development process and a clear presentation deck.
Process Optimization: Additionally, through collaborative discussions, we identified opportunities to refine our UX approach by adopting a more detailed double diamond methodology for future projects. I actively advocated for this comprehensive process.
Thank you for spending some quality time on this case study!