MatchStik
UX Design I Case Study I Mobile App Plug-in
MatchStik is a dating app plugin designed to provide daters with a convenient means of verifying their online matches and discovering suited date ideas.
Role
UI/UX Designer
(Group Project)
Time Span
4 weeks in April 2023
Tools
Figma, Canva, Google Slides
With around 270 million people worldwide using dating apps. We were curious to find out, what's missing in the current online dating market.
User Research
We conducted user research to know people's current experience with current dating apps. We gathered data to understand the current dating app landscape.
🎯Our goal was to understand how people utilize dating apps and to identify potential pain points and opportunities for improvement
We did a combination of user interviews, and a survey to collect qualitative and quantitative data on participants' dating app experiences both online and offline.
To build our questions, we broke down our research goal under 3 objectives :
1. To discover how users are currently connecting offline with their online connections.
2. Learn about their pain points and current frustrations
3. Determine user's dating preferences
We developed our questions
using a Topic Map
When meeting up with someone what would be the purpose of that interaction?
How frequently do you get together with people you meet online?
What activities do you typically engage in when meeting up with your online friends?
What’s one feature you wish dating apps had?
How do you typically communicate with people you meet online?
User Interviews
We conducted user interviews with 4 singles who are active online within the age group of 21-35 yrs old.
Key findings:
😒Concern about how to check if an online match is ‘real,’ to stay away from catfishing/fake profiles
😰Pressure situation to figure out what to do on their date when meeting their online match offline
🤐People look for conversation starters on their first date
Interviewee Speaks
Dating apps should have like a photo ID or some way to verify the age of the online matches. You can easily just put in your age as any number. So I think that's scary! - User 1
The biggest obstacle when meeting someone I met online in person is Awkwardness - User 2
Want to do unique and interesting experiences on dates like painting your own pottery? I think that would be fun - User 3
Survey
The dating app industry is constantly evolving as new trends emerge and users' needs and preferences shift. Niche dating apps and improved features are the ways how the industry is adapting to meet the changing demands of users.
Findings
- 57.1% of respondents are women and in their 20s
- 57.1% of respondents moderately try to meet their online friends offline
- 100% of respondents choose the activity ‘chilling’ to do with their online friends in person
- 42.9% of respondents use the Bumble dating app, followed by Hinge at 28.6%
- 28.6% of respondents typically take a few weeks to a month to meet up for an online match in person
- 42.9% of respondents rated their experience 7/10 with regard to connecting with their online friends in person
User Persona
Based on our research, we created a user persona to guide our design decisions. Meet Anita, a 27-year-old artist who is looking for a meaningful relationship through dating apps. Anita owns an art studio and enjoys connecting with creative people, exploring new places, reading, and doing outdoor activities.
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User Insight
🦺Anita seeks a secure and authentic platform that helps her to connect with genuine matches and feel confident taking her online match offline.
🔐She seeks reliability and a way that she can verify and validate matches to ensure a safe and secure dating environment.
💖She values personalized dating experiences and wishes to have an app that suggests unique date ideas to facilitate more engaging connections.
The Problem
Individuals like Anita struggle to establish genuine and meaningful connections on dating apps due to a lack of successful matches, difficulty in verifying a potential match, and challenges in planning engaging dates.
How might we help people like Anita by providing a platform that allows easy verification of match information, facilitates engaging and authentic conversation, and enable users to plan dates with confidence and ease.
Brainstorming & Ideation
I Like, I Wish & What If + Dot Voting + Feature Prioritization Matrix
- We conducted I like, I wish & What If techniques to gather feedback and generate ideas for the minimum viable product (MVP)
- We then used dot voting and a feature prioritization matrix to rank features and ideas based on their impact
Value Preposition Statement
"MatchStik"
Lets make your connections Stik!
MatchStik is built for daters to Easily and Safely Take their Online Matches Offline.
🪜Take the ‘Next Step’ after matching on your dating app.
☝️Import and Verify Matches with just a tap!
💖💖Plan and Personalize your Dating Experience to make your meetup a worthwhile twosome!
User Journey
Anita, frustrated with fake profiles and first-date dilemmas on existing dating apps, discovers 'MatchStik.' Intrigued by her friend's recommendation, she downloads the app. Impressed by verified reviews, she learns that 'MatchStik' has successfully connected people with shared interests and strong chemistry. Hopefully, Anita looks forward to finding a compatible match on this promising platform.
User Flow
Utilizing our feature prioritization matrix and user journey analysis, we developed a comprehensive checklist of desired elements for the app. This guided us in crafting the initial iteration of the user flow.
MatchStik User Flow
After careful iteration, we adjusted the user flow to align with the plugin functionality within an existing dating app. This involved revising and adapting the flow specifically for the plugin's use case.
MatchStik Plugin User Flow
Wireframing
We developed our low-fidelity wireframes for the plugin and focused on the basic structure, layout, and functionality of the design and user interactions.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Usability Test
We conducted guerrilla usability testing with a target audience of single adults aged 21-35. We aimed to evaluate if MatchStik successfully allowed users to verify their online matches' identities and discover unique date ideas.
Through five impromptu usability tests, we gained valuable insights into the app's usability and user satisfaction. These findings guided our design decisions and helped refine MatchStik for an optimal user experience.
5 Tasks Tested
Task 1. New user sign up
Task 2. Import existing matches from Bumble
Task 3. Use Verify Match feature
Task 4. Explore Date Ideas feature
Task 5. Select a dating experience
Usability Test Result
First Hand Reaction
All four users of the usability test showed genuine interest in the app concept.
"This is great! Something we want and need for sure."
"You know, I use the 'She' app, and sometimes I just want something like MatchStik to figure out if the person is really interested or just doing time pass!"
"I really look forward to the final app in the market!"
"I find your app very useful but I think it can look better."
Feature Prioritization Matrix
Based on our usability test result and affinity diagram, we drafted our prioritization matrix to rank the changes suggested by the users.
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How did we address the User Concerns?
As per the usability tests, we realized to strengthen the Safety and aim for better Engagement for our users.
Our contents of focus were:
✅Verification Screen
💡Date Ideas Screen
🕹️Button Layouts/Consistencies
🎮Button Placements
🅰Text Adjustments
Design Iterations Post Usability Test
For safety🔐 we centered our efforts around Social Media Checks, Verifying User Photos, and Validating User Identities through ID verification.
To enhance🪄 user experience, we incorporated a provision to show the user's common interest with matched daters, give date ideas within the user's area and provide budgeted date ideas.
Hi Fidelity Wireframes
We further built high-fidelity wireframes based on the usability test outcomes of the lo-fi wireframes. We ensured that the wireframes effectively communicated the MatchStik plugin's functionality and user interactions while maintaining a seamless and intuitive experience.
Take your existing matches from Dating Apps
to MatchStik Plugin
Verify your matches with Just A Tap!
Find Date Ideas that suit both You and your Match!
Hi Fidelity Prototype
Final Thoughts & Next Steps
Moving forward for MatchStik, the next steps 🪜would be focused on:
✨UI Enhancements
- Add a custom search filter for more tailored matches
- Fine-tune the selection of date ideas for a personalized experience
- Improve the overall UI to enhance usability and visual appeal.
💳Payment Gateway Integration
Implement a secure payment gateway for seamless transactions within the app.
🎪Local Events and Activities
Collaborate with platforms like Eventbrite to expand the database of date ideas with local events and activities.
🧑🤝🧑Inclusivity: Ensure the app caters to all sexes, promoting inclusivity and diversity.
🛠️Continuous Improvement: Build upon the valuable insights gained from Phase 1 to refine the app's UI and functionality.
💭Being part of a group project as a UX designer was a great learning experience. It taught me the importance of collaboration and teamwork. It was interesting to hear different perspectives and incorporate them into our solution. I learned the value of effective communication, active listening, and focusing on the needs of our users. Overall, this project helped me enhance my problem-solving skills and reinforced the significance of user-centered design in creating impactful experiences.
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