Vibez — Localizing your dating app routine — Designing a prototype in Adobe Xd

Justin Lotz
Sep 6, 2018 · 5 min read

The power of dating apps can be seen across my generation and the next. From Tinder’s swiping to OK Cupid’s in-depth profiles, virtual dating takes on many forms. The one thing they all have in common is their dependency on finding someone within a certain mile radius or relative distance from you. So, hopefully, you get someone who is nearby.

In one case close to home, in fact next door, my neighbors met, married, and just had their first child after meeting through Tinder. Success stories are piling up across dating apps whether swiping or matching via detailed algorithms. However, my neighbors chose to set their matching radius to the maximum of 100 miles to find true love! For many, driving that far for a first date is out of the question. When I was using Tinder, I often set the radius to 5 miles like a lazy bum.

I’m currently designing and iterating a dating app concept that is set to match up singles in a much more localized way. Vibez is the name, and I call it a cross between Yelp and Tinder in that you date based on a location in which you check-in and mingle with other singles who have done the same. Individuals can see who within the next 48 hours are checked-in to locations like major venues, attractions, universities, or downtowns. This localization means that you will only be mingling with people who are set to visit the same location as you. Wave goodbye to 100-mile, first-date road trips.

In this scenario, a user could check in to downtown LA and mingle with other users that match their sexual preference(s). Matching is only necessary for the user that decides they don’t want to allow for just anybody to message them. Your profile (displayed as a card) gives just enough info to start a conversation, but brief enough to quickly set up a profile. Below is a short video walk through of the app and a link to the full prototype:

Short promo video to display the app flow

To interact with a full prototype of the app (and, if so inclined, give feedback) click here !

Vibez comes in to play as the two things you vibe for the night (eg. drinks, dancing, live music, sports, etc.) displayed on your card. Users with the same Vibez as you are pushed to the top of the feed. The only thing filtering out users from each other is where you check in to. Out for drinks downtown? How about heading to a major concert venue? Care to see those at your school/University? How about a group meeting up to watch the local sports team at a bar? Or a bar hopping group? Meet a new friend over coffee? Double date at a new restaurant? The users are given the power to create profiles for dating, create a group account to attract new members, or even an account for a couple (kinky reasons or otherwise).


First time UX/UI Designer

Being a recent graduate of CSU Fullerton, I still have half a year left on my free Adobe Creative Suite account. After the idea first came to me out of thin air, I soon realized that I needed to visualize and interact with the app to decide if it, and the features I was writing about, were viable. Being a moderate user of Adobe’s Audition (audio editing software) and Premier Pro (video) I turned to Adobe to test out their most recent software release.

Adobe Xd is a brilliant experience design software! This was my first run through with anything in the field of digital design so I was thankful to find Xd quick and easy to learn. That being said, I still put in over 100 hours to design and redesign this Vibez prototype (link above).

My first mistake was the most rookie of all: an 8-hour day of designing and not once did I save my work. Instead I just left the program open and at 2am my computer updated. All was lost. There were many small hiccups (a large artboard failing to display and resorting to the slow/raw methods rather than the many shortcuts available), but the pains of creative software are a part of the fun.

After the design was complete the prototype mode allows you to link artboards, edit their transitions, and share the prototype for feedback. My first chance for feedback came on my first complete design one week ago today. I live in Pasadena, found a local UX/UI meetup, and got the chance to present my work to this experienced and genuine community. Here were my three main takeaways from their constructive criticisms:

  1. Too many user filters are in place. Draw back the filters to location only to allow for the maximum user experience in the early stages before the greater network effect can take place.
  2. The text visibility over the images is poor. Reduce the tools used to a plain white text with a black drop shadow. For pesky situations, a box with a gradient fill that fades to transparency around the edges can be placed behind the text.
  3. The home page is unnecessary and misleading. My original home page misled the user from what the true filter was, forcing you to pick a vibe before a location. Now, like Yelp, the home page is where you explore the locations you seek to check in and, therefore, date/socialize.

Above all of these functional suggestions from my emulated design team, the greatest takeaway was the reminder that I do not know my end user. My 100 hours of trying to predict the desires and needs of the end users was dismantled by a 20-minute Q and A… it felt pretty good.

My schooling and minimal experience in entrepreneurship has ingrained in me the need to ensure there is an end user, and to give THEM what THEY want. Ask, prototype, ask, iterate, ask, iterate, and eventually launch. It’s the process that builds confidence for both the entrepreneur and investor as well as separating the entrepreneur from his/her own biases.

I am now at the tipping point of project and startup. My designing is done. If I get positive feedback and people truly suggest that they are willing to use the app upon launch, I will begin a pitch deck and raise funds or seek a startup incubator. Either way, I’ve had a lot of fun turning this concept into a working prototype. I have given this idea life, whether it lives as long as a fruit fly or a scotch whiskey is TBD. Thanks for reading.

Justin Lotz

Written by

Young entrepreneur in Southern California. Exploring a startup in mobile development for fitness.

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