The UX of Dating Apps By Tory Darling, ​Codal Inc
______________________________________________________ The buzz over the last couple years, especially if you are referring to the dating app bumble, has been dating online and using an app to do so. More and more users are playing the dating app game, so much so that 40 million people are using a dating site. Due to the influx of people using dating apps, more companies are creating a dating app, one that takes a slightly different approach to this new normal process of dating. When creating these new dating apps, what needs to stay at the forefront of the design is the user experience, that is where a ​UX design agency​ comes in. There are three distinct elements of UX process that are critical for the success of a dating app. 1. Adoptability For dating apps especially, there has been a new standard for the ways users gesture and behave on the app. The most common gesture is swiping right or left; right meaning you like the person and left meaning pass. The user needs to be fully knowledgeable of these gestures in order to function the app on the most basic level. When hiring a UX design company the first initial questions are figuring out whether you want to stick with the gestures adopted by other dating apps or to introduce new gestures to the users. Regardless of the route your particular app needs to go in, having the onboarding tutorial for the user is a must. UX services need to ensure the tutorial is clear and interactive in order to for the user to mimic desired actions they would need to conduct while using the app. 2. Usability Likewise with any app that is developed, making sure it is usable for every user is a must. In particular for dating apps, one of the major pain points for the user is setting up and editing the profile.
For instance, if setting up the profile is long and extensive, the chances of losing the user immediately greatly increases. Understanding this issue, more dating sites are requiring a login through Facebook which makes the setup process easier. Additionally, there is then real time information like age that the user does not have to keep updating. Proper usability then needs to continue after the setup into the actual use of the application on a daily basis. A misstep of a user experience design services, like allowing for easy mistakes like deleting a match, could mean the unwanted breakup and prince charming being lost forever. 3. Desirability The desirability of a dating application has to do with if the app is fun and engaging to use. Especially as more dating apps are continually being released, designing an application the user wants to use is what makes them a daily user. Dating app brands like Tinder and Bumble are so successful because the ease of use and engagement is high. For example, Bumble includes time clocks and bumble boosts to gamify the experience a little. Whatever the features, keeping the user actively engaged is the driving force for success. Conclusion The dating app industry is booming and that is largely because the big companies are focusing on the user experience of the app. When hiring a mobile application development agency for your new great dating app idea, make sure they have a team dedicated to UX. Looking for more insight on UX design services? Are you wanting to develop an app and you need to know the cost to develop an app is? Visit Codal’s blog, or come talk to us here! We’d love to hear from you.
Codal Inc App Development & UX Design Agency www.codal.com