Trends in UX/UI: Storytelling
We’ve reached a point in time where good UX is an expectation.
What is ‘User Experience’?
User experience is identifying the values and principles of your target user and then creating the tools and systems needed to bring value to those one is creating for.
As a user of the product we wanted to create, our team critically looked into the user experience, but more importantly, we needed to determine how other users viewed dating apps in order to better understand the specific value proposition that Qualify was trying to fill.
To gather this information, we conducted interviews with thousands of college students who have used dating apps in the past — to discuss their primary and secondary drives for using these apps, along with issues that they’ve encountered in the process.
Stage 1: User Research & Behavioral Variables
Based on the interviews, it became more clear that college students who use dating apps:
- Prefer to date other college students
- Are relatively secretive about their dating app usage
- Seek a fun yet serious experience when using dating apps
- Use the apps frequently, yet meet most of their dates offline
STAGE 2: IDENTIFYING PERSONAS — The Power of Data and Customer Interviews
Although the male and female personas would share similarities, there would be several distinguishing factors differentiating the each from the other. We were able to observe these customer traits through data collected during user interviews. Rule №1 of any business is to speak with your customer, the power of data collected during these engagements is insurmountable.
Rule №1 of any business is to speak with your customer, the power of data collected during these engagements is insurmountable.
Below are some user persona profiles created after interviewing our own!
Kolya Cote is a typical college student who uses dating apps to find both serious relationships, and short-term flings. He’s had little luck with finding a substantial and compatible date using Tinder, but still relatively enjoys his short-term flings. Deep down however, he is longing for something more, and feels slightly helpless in satisfying the feeling using the current dating apps.
Alice is a romantic who hopelessly seeks a real connection. She has met some relatively attractive and fun guys using current dating apps, but feels a lack of substance in her matches, whether it be from guys who have little in common, or those that seem to want one thing and one thing only. This creates a social stigma in her own mind regarding her dating app use, and so she keeps it mostly private.
STAGE 3: Key Use-Case Scenarios
At this point, the information collected was enough to conceptualize basic product features that would lead an engaged user to a successful date — while satisfying the unique variables of both primary personas.
To ensure the app would provide both a fun yet serious experience, we gamified it by requiring each user to successfully answer a set of questions in order to make a collective match, as opposed to a standard appearance based matching platform. By doing this, our hope was that once a match was made, there would be plenty of relevant and unique conversation starters that would spark meaningful conversations leading to successful first dates. This is exactly what we saw.
Our hope was that once a match was made, there would be plenty of relevant and unique conversation starters that would spark meaningful conversations leading to successful first dates.
STAGE 4: User Interface Mockup
After the foundation of the app was established, the UI was designed with the sole underlying purpose of leading an engaged user into a successful first date.
During this stage, more critical features were established. Quizzes would be timed to further add to the gamification element and reduce the amount of time investment needed. And secondly, pictures would be blurred until a successful answer was chosen. This would further help reduce the superficiality of the app, and create a sense of anonymity that would ensure other users couldn’t see your face until proving that they had something in common.
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