Challenges of Dating Apps
How effectively can users showcase their personality traits?
Privacy & ethics
Creating a unique, competitive advantage
Saturation of apps on the market
Users affinity to the app their friends are on, apps they've previously used, etc.
Introducing: Align
Align is a first-of-its-kind dating app that takes a data-first approach. By using data from the user's phone and combining that data with an extensive series of onboarding questions, the app will learn more about their personality and what they are looking for in a partner, then will use that information to find potential matches that are more compatible with their individual preferences and needs.
This approach will help users feel more confident and satisfied with the matches they receive, and will ideally lead to better and more successful relationships.
Objectives & Goals
Take a more personalized and data-driven approach to matchmaking.
Be transparent about what makes you compatible with your matches.
Help users find the best matches for them, not just the most matches.
Ensure privacy is at the core of what we create and what we do.
Data that Drives Results
Social media activity, such as the frequency/type of posts and interactions on platforms like Facebook & Instagram.
Text conversation history, including the frequency and content of conversations with potential matches (opt-in to track align conversations or all on devices.
Calendar, location, and app usage data, to source potential common interests or activities.
In-depth onboarding questionnaire that includes questions about the type of relationship the user is looking for; their communication style and love language; their dealbreakers; and traits and qualities they would be looking for in their ideal partner - all to provide an accurate evaluation of the user and guarantee a great user-experience.
Ideal User Group
Align will appeal to a wide range of users, especially people who are tired of traditional dating apps that prioritize looks over personality, and those who are looking for a more custom and data-driven approach to finding a partner. We won't restrict the maximum age, but users must be minimum of 18 years old to participate in Align.
Sees
Different dating app options
Online profiles of different partners
Disappointing results from her searches for love
Hears
Positive feedback from friends about dating apps they’ve tried
Mixed reviews about the efficacy of apps
Joshua - age 21
Joshua is a 21 year old man who just got out of a relationship. After he broke up with his previous partner, he has decided to try his luck with dating apps. Joshua is finishing his education and wants to find someone with whom he can share the next chapter of his life. He is ready to take a chance and put himself out there, but he is aware of the potential risks and has some fears jumping into dating apps.
Tinder
Tinder allows users to quickly navigate through users by swiping left or right to indicate their interest.
Pros
The app is simple, fast, and easy because it makes use of the “hot or not” mentality.
Any initial rejection is anonymous because if a user swipes left on your profile, you’ll never know.
Cons
The “hot or not” system rarely converts into meaningful relationships, often leaving
users unsatisfied.Must use the app daily or very frequently to optimize your profile and appear for other users.
Features
Tinder Boost allows users to pay for a "boost" that gives their profile a higher visibility for a limited time.
Platinum Users can send a "super like" to someone who they are particularly interested in.
Tinder U curates the interface to the users school by changing colours, and only showing others at that school.
Hinge
The dating app designed to be deleted, Hinge encourages users to focus on personality traits.
Pros
Hinge profiles have style and substance, similar to an instagram profile but for dating.
Rather than swiping, user’s interact with the dater’s profile content directly by commenting on a single element of their profile.
Cons
Free users are limited to 10 interactions daily and 1 rose per week, paid plans get more.
You may see someone you disliked again later.
Features
As you use Hinge, the app learns user preferences, and will occasionally present them a “Most Compatible” profile.
Hinge tags chats with “Your Turn” to prompt users to behin chatting or remind when they haven’t responded.
If user shares their phone number with their match, hinge will follow up and ask if they went on a date.
Bumble
Bumble is an app that allows you to feel empowered while making connections, whether it’s dating or looking for a new BFF.
Pros
Matches without messages disappear in 24 hrs, filtering the time wasters so users can focus on meaningful connections.
Women send the first message so it partially prevents the flurry of careless or nasty opening lines.
Cons
Smaller userbase than other popular dating apps. There’s plenty of bees in the hive, but the hive isn’t huge.
Find Friends option only let’s you see people of same sex.
Features
Beeline is a bumble boost subscription to show users who have swiped on you, so you can match with them.
Private Detective, a system that automatically blurs unsolicited nude/nsfw pictures when shared in the chat.
In addition to our first of it’s kind data-driven approach to finding your perfect match, Align will offer services not available on any other app – the ability to provide users with access to relationship advice and support from experts directly in-app, because quality relationships are important to us.
Searching through thousands of photos is a thing of the past, Align matches you with your best available matches, because we believe quality > quantity.
We know love isn’t always blind, so Align ensures to factor in your projected physical attraction levels based on our complex data analysis using your data.
Storyboarding
Rough sketches to show user emotion when
transitioning from a traditional dating app, to align
Sketches
Low fidelity sketches to build wireframes from
High Fidelity Screens
Flow 1
Returning user gets a notification that they have a new match waiting on align.
Flow 2
Returning user navigates the app.
Flow 3
New user registers an account, then goes through the onboarding process.
