Project Overview
MATCHED is an online dating app that enables people connect and establish a mutual relationship.
Our research suggested that most dating apps may have usability issues that contribute to a negative user experience. The goal was to understand the usability issues & provide possible solutions to improve the user experience.
This project was done by my team and I.
Team and responsibilities
Ogwa Esther Amarachi
- High fidelity design
- Prototype
Ovuoba Agatha Nneka
- Research
Ugama Benedicta Kelechi
- Low fidelity design
Eke-okocha Ogochukwu Judith
- Low fidelity design
- High fidelity design
- Prototype
- Style guide
Problem
It is difficult and frustrating for users to locate the area of the app dedicated to swiping through matches. Users feel confused about why there are so many different types of matches and profiles.
Solution
Make the landing page the swipe section. Let the swipe section list have the necessary information for users to make a decision. Create a way for users to easily navigate their best matches and understand what makes them a great match.
Project Duration
This project lasted for one week.
Tools Used
Figma, paper wireframe, lo-fi wireframe and user research.
Process
1. Empathize
Since We had never used a dating app before, we began by identifying our assumptions about problems with the app. It is difficult and frustrating for users to locate the area of the app dedicated to swiping through matches. Users feel confused about why there are so many different types of matches and profiles.
2. Define
User persona
We conducted user research to learn more about the users of online dating apps. User Interviews helped us understand users needs & redesign a product to meet their needs, which should increase overall use of the product, since people ‘hire’ solutions to get a job done, but only if it meets their needs.
Competitive Analysis
Competitive analysis of serious relationships dating apps such as Bumble, Hinge and Ok Cupid fulfilled mostly all heuristic principals and revealed great focal points such as:
- Encouragement and guidance was missing.
- Swiping is being replaced by scrolling feature, which helps to slow down and improve quality browsing.
- Smooth user onboarding and guidance is key to a new user.
- Interesting or funny answered questions is a great way for people to start a conversation.
- Beautiful and seamlessly designed interface is a must.
Empathy map
We turned our findings from user research into an empathy map to help understand the thoughts, behaviors and feelings of the user
3. Ideate
We had to brainstorm hard on how to apply restrictions which won’t take the fun of dating away and keep people using the app. The real success is to find a golden middle. Many ideas were heading for a dead end. Then my team came up with a core idea of people having limited matches and having to meet these matches in real life. We thought this could potentially work as it encourages meaningful matching and deters unfavorable behavior.
User Flow
The goal was to make the main task that users report doing on dating apps (browse/swipe) the main starting point after opening the app.
Low Fidelity Wireframe
Animated low fidelity wireframes were created using Figma. We designed wireframes according to the ideal site map created above.
Design
Style Guide
Intro screens
Sign in pages
Registration Page
Home Page
Other pages
4. Prototype
A prototype movie shows two main routes:
- Liking, matching and planning a date.
- Sending an invite to Chloe, Accepting the invite and planning a date.
click to see the full prototype
Conclusion
As the app isn’t complete yet, the next step will be to find a great onboarding strategy with powerful methods to match people in a meaningful way and also to create a page for planning dates. The process needs to be seamless and not exhausting.
In the near future we’ll include a game so users can break the ice and get to know each other in a more fun way. We would also like to work on representing the user more realistically — encouraging everyone to make a short 5 -10 sec video about themselves.
Thank you very much for reading.
