CLIQ'D DATING APP

Overview

Cliq'd Dating App is a mobile app geared towards young adults who are looking for genuine connections. This app levels the playing field between both parties through a "blind date" process. 

My Team

Developers, Marketing, Graphic & UX Designers

Project Outcome

I designed an MVP, & the developers finished coding the back end while starting the front end. However, due to conflicting schedules & unforeseen circumstances of all the team members, the project was put on an indefinite hiatus.

My Role

Lead UX/UI Designer, Branding

Time Frame

March 2021 - July 2021

Market Research

A customer survey was conducted by marketing prior to my recruitment.

A total of 34 participants took the survey. The survey included questions in order to get an idea of the dating app climate. We investigated the data for the pain points, motivations, & experiences of dating app users.

This is what marketing found based on the survey results:

• The use of dating apps is inconsistent.
  
• A majority, 29.8% of users delete their dating app(s) due to boredom.
  
• 50% of people don't expect to find a relationship through dating apps.
  
• 78.4% of users are young adults.

Other insights from the survey:

• Ranking system of seriousness should be shown
  • (just for fun, seriously looking, dating to find a relationship)
    
• Dating apps should include video chat
  
• Motive for being on the app isn't disclosed
  
• Seeing faces on the screen while swiping is boring
  
• Dating Apps should include videos on profiles, not just photos
  
• Dating apps are not engaging
  
• User verification is needed to stop catfishing

Competitor Analysis

After looking at the existing market research, I decided to conduct a competitor analysis on several top dating apps: tinder, bumble, & Grindr.

Tinder

About: A top dating app that allows users to swipe right or left to "like" or "dislike" potential matches.

Strengths: 

• most popular dating app,

• ease of use

Weaknesses:

• superficial,

• monotonous,

• little incentives,

• big hookup culture

Bumble

About: Women-friendly app where users can swipe left or right on profiles, and take initiative on conversations.

Strengths: 

• levels playing field,

• more serious

Weaknesses: 

• men have to wait for women to start conversation,

• not inclusive,

• waiting for women to initiate gets boring,

• having to initiate gets tiring, • can be superficial

Grindr

About: location-based dating app for members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Strengths: 

• most popular in the LGBTQ+ community,

• inclusive

Weaknesses: 

• meant for casual hookups

User Personas

Based on the research, I created 2 personas surrounding project goals.

Grace Garcia
23, Junior Art Director
"I just want to find my partner in crime."

About:
Grace just finished a rigorous art school program.

She recently started her career in art direction & now has the time to find the right person to get into a serious romantic relationship with.

Grace is a regular when it comes to social media. She likes keeping her friends updated on her life, whether that be posting her artwork or venting her frustrations.

When she isn't busy working, Grace likes chatting it up & having deep conversations with friends during a shopping spree or at brunch.

Goals:
• start a romantic relationship

• inclusivity

Pain points:
• lack of effort in conversations

• online dating isn't taken seriously

• people can be shallow

Amy Lee
26, Nurse
"I'm tired of people wasting my time."

About:
Amy is a well-established nurse who had to move away for a job opportunity. Thus, her friends & family are far away. During her downtime, Amy has started feeling lonely.

Since she can get busy with her career, Amy wants a convenient way to make friends.

She doesn't just want to have a one-off conversation with someone, & doesn't like the temporariness of social media. Amy wants companionship that will transcend her mobile device.

Goals:
• looking for someone to connect with

• wants something to fill her free time

​

Pain points:
• tired of people asking for hookups

• intentions not clear

• gets "ghosted"

The Problem

The questions we explored & found solutions for:

• ​​How can we level the playing field between both parties?
  
• Why don't 50% of users expect to find relationships on dating apps? 
  
• The amount of time spent on dating apps fluctuates. How can we maintain user retention?
  
• A majority of users leave the app because they are either bored or found a relationship. How can we bridge the gap between minimizing boredom and helping them fulfill a need?

Wireframes

Quickly ideated solutions based on the problem statements as shown in these paper wireframes.

Final User Flows

These are the initial features I incorporated as part of an MVP.

Getting Cliq'd

Icebreakers

Cliq & Uncliq

Sign Up

Log In & Account Recovery

Preferences

Some example screens of preferences below:

Other preferences include:

• gender(s) I'm interested in
• ethnicity
• politics

• exercise
• smoke
• cannabis

• drink
• drugs
• children

Settings

Design Style Sheet

Reflection & Next Steps

Reflection
This was my first experience with a start-up project & my first time collaborating with a cross-functional team. I learned how to communicate with non-designers including developers, marketing, & finance. This was when I found out just how important market research was when it came to designing Cliq'd. I was able to use the existing market research to design the features of the app. Referring back to the user & business needs helped the team stay on track in order to create an MVP while avoiding feature overload. The most challenging parts of the project, which also contributed to my growth were adhering to design thinking as an iterative, not linear process, & getting buy-in from each department. Overall, my participation in Cliq'd was my introduction to how I would engage in future real-world projects. I was challenged, yet I still had fun!

Next Steps
• Conduct user testing

• Work with marketing to conduct more market research

• Refine features (Just my type, icebreakers, video call)

• Create an interactive prototype (to release a beta version)