TIND

UDY
ST
R:
A UX CASE
E

JOYCE KIM
 PROJECT BACKGROUND
The purpose of this project was to examine an existing user experience, then create
an improved alternative based on current best practice before testing my proposed
design. It contains the up front research, ideation and design process, including links
to my prototype, and how I went about conducting my usability and concept testing.

I chose to analyse Tinder, the mobile dating app. For this project, I compared Tinder
to its competitors and conducted user research to understand any shortcomings and
therefore opportunities for the Tinder app.
 TINDER OVERVIEW
Tinder is an online dating mobile application
that uses GPS location services to connect users
by finding potential matches nearby.

It first launched in 2012 and became most well-

known for its swiping feature: ‘swipe right’ to
‘like’ someone, and ‘swipe left’ to pass. If two
people like each other, then “It’s a Match!” and
then you can send messages to one another.

Candidate by canditate, users look through pro-

files that contain pictures and bios and choose
whether or not they want to swipe right or left.

They are also able to narrow down potential

matches by changing their settings and placing
specific age and distance restrictions. You must
have at least one photo uploaded however the
bio is not a required feature.

This has led to criticisms about Tinder’s match-

making process as solely “appearance-based”
and therefore, superficial and unreliable for
those wanting something more serious.
01.

MARKET RESEARCH
DISCOVER
I started by doing some market research to gather more of an insight about Tinder users and their demographics. As I wanted to reach a lot of people, I conducted
an online questionnaire and posted it on Vic Deals. I received 145 responses from 145 individual participants. Of the 145 people I surveyed, approximately 52%
were single, 35% in a monogamous relationship, and the rest in a variety of different relationship types. Approximately 78% of participants were female and 21%
were male. The majority of participants (87%) were between the ages 18 - 29 years old, and 12% between 30-49 years old. Only one participant was 50 or more
years old. This could be due to the fact that the questionnaire was posted on Vic Deals, which targets a younger age group. 88% of my participants were current or
past users of Tinder whilst 18% had never used Tinder before.
I found that of the 145 people surveyed, the majority of Tinder users, especially males, were looking for something more serious than a casual fling, and most

MARKET RESEARCH
users had some sort of idea as to the type of person they wanted to meet. Below you can see the female/male breakdown of results. It was evident that both fe-
male and male Tinder users felt it was very important to see one’s photo as well as their bio before deciding to swipe ‘like’ or ‘pass’. Interestingly however, results
showed that the bio didn’t have to be a detailed and informative one, so long as they had one with some information about themselves. Many noted that this is
because there are so many fake accounts and catfish out there.
Other findings from the survey showed that male users of Tinder were generally more open to meeting in person after matching with people, however Tinder was

MARKET RESEARCH
not regarded a very reliable way of meeting someone compatible. Many commented on the fact that this was because Tinder was a “hook up app” and superfi-
cial because it was only based on looks. There was also a strong majority who said that they were unlikely to purchase a paid version of Tinder. Users commented
that this was due to paid subscriptions being too expensive and also not very reliable for meeting genuine people.
I found that the majority of participants’ Tinder usage lay between ‘sometimes’ and ‘often’, and when alone at home. Many also noted that they felt indifferent to

MARKET RESEARCH
when they would usually use Tinder. Perhaps this is why the Apple TV platform has recently been released so more people can use Tinder with others as a game
of sorts on the big screen. Lastly, the goal/s of Tinder users seemed to differ slightly between females and males with the two most common motivators for males
being their desire to find someone special and have fun. Females, on the other hand, were almost equally motivated by their desire to find someone special, to
talk to people, to have fun and to receive a confidence boost.
 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
From here, I decided to do a competitor analysis to see who Tinder’s direct and indirect competitors are, what services they offer, what their users are saying
about their service, and any key learnings that I could take from them. As you can see, Tinder has the lowest rating out of these competitors on the App Store.

Tinder pitches themselves as an app for meeting new people,

expanding your social network, meeting locals when you’re trav-
elling, and dating. Users swipe right to like someone, or swipe left
to pass. Two people will only match when there’s a mutual interest.
Once you have matched, you can chat or decide to meet up. More
well known for being a hook up app as opposed to finding “the
one”. There are new features such as ‘Places’ where it tracks users’
exact locations and presents profiles of people who have passed
by the same vicinity. Now compatible with Apple TV so friends can
sit in front of a screen and swipe together for entertainment.

Paid or Free: Free, Paid Premium Version

Platform: iOS and Apple TV

Happn was founded on the idea of missed connections, such as

when you wish you had just walked up to the guy from the cafe
and said hey. There are plenty of other apps jumping on this idea.
Tinder has included ‘Places’ which is very similar to Happn in that
it tracks users’ locations and presents profiles they have been in
the same vicinity as. However, unlike Tinder Places, it doesn’t show
the exact location they’ve passed by each other, so they don’t
have to worry about a match showing up at their favorite coffee
place. There are even added features like the ability to send voice
messages.

Paid or Free: Free, With Paid Coins To Unlock Features

Platform: iOS and Android

Bumble is an app that puts the power in the hands of the ladies.
Guys have to wait until the woman sends the first line, otherwise,
the match will expire within 24 hours. If the guy doesn’t reply to
that message in 24 hours, it will also expire. Bumble’s main goal
is to encourage actual conversations and also create more of a
safe environment for dating. Bumble also has expanded with more
in-app options. Bumble BFF is a feature you can select to help find
friends. And Bumble Bizz is a networking platform.

Bumble’s UI and basic functions are very similar to Tinder.

Paid or Free: Free, Paid Bumble Coins To Unlock Features

Platform: iOS and Android

The Inner Circle is all about quality, not quantity. The Inner Circle
describes itself as a selective app that matches users with like-mind-
ed and similarly successful people. The emphasis seems to be on
people that are educated, career driven and have their life to-
gether and it connects users’ LinkedIn accounts. It does seem to be
more pretentious than other online dating apps, however, there’s
quite the waiting list as candidates are screened before joining.

Its UI is more similar to Facebook than Tinder, allowing users to

browse profiles, rather than swipe.

Paid or Free: Free, Paid Premium Version

Platform: Web, iOS
 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
OKCupid is a much more refined form of online dating. It allows
users to be very specific in helping them find a potential partner.
It works off the concept of helping users find a partner based on
interests and passions. Users can select what they’re “open to” in
terms of a relationship or a hookup. Also, there are many more
gender options to choose from. OKCupid is based on more than
just looks and asks users questions in order to determine suitable
partners for you. It is primarily targeted at people who are want-
ing to find someone that fits their particular preferences.

Paid or Free: Free, Paid Premium Version

Platform: Web, iOS and Android

Hinge operates by helping users find a match that they share

mutual friends with on Facebook. Hinge’s algorithm will determine
suitable matches that they can scroll through. It’s had a recent
revamp putting a heavy focus on it being an app strictly for
relationships because of the stigma attached with having too many
hookups with friends of friends. It creates “smart matches” be-
tween people looking for similar things by allowing users to state
what they’re “looking for”, as well as having a series of “prompts”
of which you choose 3 from. These include finishing sentences on
their profile such as “the dorkiest thing about me is…” Users view
profiles in a similar way to Tinder and either like or dislike them.

Paid or Free: Free, Paid Premium Version

Platform: iOS and Android

Coffee Meets Bagel puts a lot of the power in the hands of the
ladies. How it works is every day the guy (known as “coffee”) will
receive 21 matches (known as “bagels”). Their goal is to create
meaningful connections that are authentic and genuine. They will
either ‘like’ or ‘pass’ on their options. Following this, of the men
that did express interest, the app will present the best possible
matches to the ladies. Essentially, users are allowing someone to
do the choosing for them, but on the same note, it’s a very efficient
form of dating, especially for those people who lead very busy
lives.

Paid or Free: Free

Platform: iOS and Android

Pure is a hook up app for those looking for an after-dark adven-

ture, not a relationship. It’s quick, direct, and discreet. With Pure,
users’ private life stays private with no social media links. Chats
are automatically deleted through end-to-end encryption. Users
upload a selfie and match with people who they are attracted to
physically. They can chat for an hour tops and after that, your
conversation disappears, creating a sense of urgency and a call
to action. If both parties are feeling up for it, they can organise to
hook up. Pure’s UI is very monochromatic with dark, cartoon-like
imagery.

Paid or Free: Free, Paid Premium Version

Platform: iOS
02.

1-1 INTERVIEWS / ON-STREET TESTING

DISCOVER >> DEFINE

From my research, I found that Tinder users were not only using the app to have some fun or to get a confidence boost,
many were on it to find someone special and to form more serious relationships. Currently, Tinder doesn’t have a good repu-
tation for being a reliable way of meeting someone compatible and therefore, many users are looking elsewhere to alterna-
tive apps (Tinder’s competitors) in an attempt to find something more meaningful.

After doing some market research and gathering quantitative data, I decided to collect some qualitative data. I began by
interviewing people 1-1 to deep dive into understanding their motivations for using Tinder, and what some of their be-
haviours, pain points, fears and needs were.

I did some on-street testing on Cuba Street and at bars on the weekend using my on-street testing script that we created with
Martin Bulmer, as well as three usability tests (P2d script used) of the current Tinder app with three random participants
(who I found through my on-street testing). Initially, I thought that people would be hesitant to answer my questions as online
dating is a sensitive and uncomfortable topic, however I was surprised by the number of people willing to share their experi-
ences of Tinder for some chocolate.

In addition to the on-street interviews, I conducted an online questionnaire with the same open-ended questions that I asked
during my 1-1 interviews so that people could answer freeIy and anonymously, thus, making the information gathered more
genuine.

Using this qualitative research, I did some affinity mapping to find any clusters or patterns that could inform my redesign of
the Tinder app to better meet the needs of Tinder users.
 AFFINITY MAPPING / “I” STATEMENTS
Once I had found some natural groupings and clusters, I came up with some “I” statements (user need statements) to define and align different points of view on the
problem I am going to solve before moving forward into ideating.

The most common themes that popped up were: Wanting to see one’s bio; Tinder being too focussed on lust at first sight and superficial; Being annoyed with acci-
dentally swiping the wrong way or superliking people and being unable to rewind without purchasing a paid subscription; The lack of security when it comes to fake
accounts/catfish; Feeling like people are only on there for fun or an ego boost; and Tinder’s ongoing technical glitches.

Using these statements and my research findings, I created four personas: two primary and two secondary taken from both a male and female perspective.
 ANNELIESE WILSON PRIMARY PERSONA SCENARIO

PERSONAS
19 - SINGLE - AUCKLAND, NZ

Anneliese is in her first year of Teaching at the University of Auckland. She grew up in Ponsonby and has recently
moved out of the family home and started flatting in Epsom with two of her female friends. Anneliese loves to meet new
people and since she is new to the University environment, she feels that this is a good opportunity for her to create
new relationships. She is single and interested in casually dating and seeing if it eventuates into anything, but she isn’t
sure if she’s wanting something serious at the moment. She thinks apps such as OKCupid and Hinge are too serious
and prefers Tinder because it’s a fun and exciting way to meet guys. Anneliese doesn’t spend too much time browsing
because once she starts, it gets addictive and she has a busy university schedule and lots of school work.

TINDER USAGE

ENGAGEMENT DATING

ENTERTAINMENT CASUAL

GOALS PAIN POINTS BEHAVIOURS

• To create friendships and a potential • “There seems to be a lot of catfishing”
relationship
• Potential dates
• To meet attractive and interesting guys
• To see who I match with and chat with
new people
• To find guys who are at a similar
place in life as me and are wanting to
see where it leads
• “I don’t want people finding me on
my other social media accounts”
• “I wish guys would stop sending me
inappropriate messages & pictures”
• “Bios should be easier to create with
stories or prompts to help people”
• “I wish I could filter guys by a certain
criteria so it would be easier”
• Looks through photos and reading
bios of attractive guys
• Looks for guys around the same
age or slightly older
• Open to meeting in person after
chatting for a while
• Waits for the guy to make the first
move
• On Tinder often when alone at home
 JASON PARKER PRIMARY PERSONA SCENARIO

PERSONAS
23 - SINGLE - AUCKLAND, NZ

Jason is in his first year of working as a junior lawyer at Russell McVeagh. He likes to play golf with his friends and
family in his down-time and he loves hanging out with his boys and partying on the weekends. Jason recently got out
of a two-year relationship and is ready to start playing the field again. His friends are always talking about their online
dating experiences and Jason is interested in exploring Tinder for some casual fun. He thinks that it would be a good
distraction and a chance to take his mind off of his previous relationship. Jason is not looking for anything serious or
long-term, just some fun and entertainment. He has talked to a few girls but nothing too serious. He is planning on meet-
ing up with a girl for a drink later on in the week. This is his first Tinder meet up and he’s hoping it goes well.

TINDER USAGE

ENGAGEMENT DATING

ENTERTAINMENT CASUAL

GOALS PAIN POINTS BEHAVIOURS

• To find attractive women around me
who are looking for something casual
• To meet up with new women
• To take my mind off my previous
relationship
• “I’m not looking for anything serious”
• “I don’t want to get catfished. There
should be some sort of verification
process”
• “I keep accidentally superliking girls”
• Looks through photos and reads
bios of attractive women
• Makes the first move after matching
• Uses Tinder often alone and with
friends on the Apple TV like a game

• To have some fun with no strings • “People should be required to have • Is keen to meet with matches soon
attached more than one photo” after they begin chatting

• To get a confidence boost • “I wish these paid subscription ads • Changes the range in location often
would stop popping up” (Isn’t limited to a certain distance)
 GRACE TAN SECONDARY PERSONA SCENARIO

PERSONAS
26 - SINGLE - WELLINGTON, NZ

Grace is completing a Master of Industrial Design at Victoria University. She is an international student from Singa-
pore who has come to study for a full year. She has a true passion for design and spends most of her time at events or
goes out with her classmates for drinks. Grace is living in the university dorms and finds things are uneventful and gets
boring. Therefore, she uses Tinder for entertainment, to kill time, and for a confidence boost. She loves swiping through
random guys’ profiles and seeing if they match with her, despite her lack of interest in meeting any of her matches. She
has thought about meeting up with certain guys but gets scared when they come on too strong, which makes her steer
clear of actually meeting up with them. Grace likes checking her Tinder when she gets a new notification on her phone.

TINDER USAGE

ENGAGEMENT DATING

ENTERTAINMENT CASUAL

GOALS PAIN POINTS BEHAVIOURS

• To see how many matches I get
• To entertain myself
• To receive compliments from men and
get a confidence boost
• To see who is out there seeing as I’m
new to the country
• To kill time when I’m bored
• “I’m afraid of running into my matches
when I’m in public”
• “I am not looking for hook ups or a
relationship”
• “Tinder can get boring after a while”
• “I hate accidentally superliking guys”
• “I don’t want my matches searching
for me on my other social media
accounts”
• Looks through guys’ photos
• Uses a fake name to stay anonymous
• Not open to meeting in person
• Never initiates the conversation and
only messages back to a select few
• Checks Tinder when in a new location
• Checks her Tinder when she gets a
new notification on her phone
 NEIL PHILLIPS SECONDARY PERSONA SCENARIO

PERSONAS
33 - SINGLE - WELLINGTON, NZ

Neil works as an economist for the Government. He spends most of his time at work or at home and enjoys reading,
relaxing, watching Netflix and having a glass of wine with dinner. Neil has been single for the past four years after
he went through a difficult break up with his ex-girlfriend. All of his friends are getting married and having babies and
his friends think that he should try online dating. Neil is hesitant to use Tinder because of its reputation as a “hook up”
app. He is not interested in a casual relationship but is looking for something more meaningful and serious. He is open
to meeting up with potential matches after talking to them for awhile and determining if they’re compatible.

TINDER USAGE

ENGAGEMENT DATING

ENTERTAINMENT CASUAL

GOALS PAIN POINTS BEHAVIOURS

• To see who is out there and wanting
to find someone special
• To find someone special
• To meet an attractive, interesting and
intelligent woman
• To have interesting and meaningful
conversations with potential dates
• To get off Tinder after finding
someone compatible
• “Tinder is a superficial, hook up app”
• “If matches don’t make contact for
a period of time after matching, it
should automatically unmatch them”
• “It’s annoying people don’t have bios.
It should be a required feature”
• “I wish I could filter women by what
I’m looking for (casual vs serious)”
• “Paid subscriptions are too expensive”
• On Tinder almost every day at home
and when alone
• Looks through photos and reads
bios of women he finds compatible
• Likes to meet matches in person
sooner than later to really gauge
compatibility
• Always makes the first move
• Unmatches if women don’t respond

ANNELIESEʼS & JASONʼS TINDER ONBOARDING JOURNEY MAP
+ POSITIVE VIBES
FEELING
0 ---- ---- ---- ----
-- NEGATIVE VIBES
NERVOUS, EXCITED
“Iʼm excited to create
friendships and maybe even
a potential relationship”
THINKING
“Iʼm looking forward to
talking to and meeting
attractive and interesting guys
who are of a similar age and
want similar things to me”
Talking to friends about their
experiences of using Tinder.
Reading reviews on App
DOING
Store about Tinder and other
online dating apps and
comparing them.
TOUCHPOINT
WOM
APP STORE
GOAL
USER JOURNEY MAP
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
DETERMINED CONFUSED, ANNOYED FRUSTRATED, CONFUSED CONFUSED INDIFFERENT, PERPLEXED EXPLORATIVE, ANNOYED
“I like how the app looks in “Why do you need to know “I just entered my email “Am I still onboarding or has “Ok... so this must be it? Do I “There must be a way to
terms of the colour and how where I went to school?” address to verify my email that concluded?” just start swiping left to pass restrict the ages shown and the
itʼs laid out” “Itʼs strange that you only because it wouldnʼt let me and right to like?” distance for discovery”
need to upload one photo. Is skip but without even securing “Are these people that Iʼm “The swiping is pretty easy “Oh so the settings is where I
“I should probably allow there no photo verification my account, why am I randomly swiping left and but there could have been a can alter all of this info.
Tinder to know my location system to prevent catfish?” allowed to swipe?” right to real people or just better explanation” Shouldnʼt this be part of the
for the GPS function” “Was the verification even demonstration accounts?” “Why am I been shown such setting up process?”
“Why does it not ask me for necessary or do they just a wide range of guysʼ ages
“Okay, that was easy a bio or what Iʼm looking for want my email address so “What do these other icons and distances?” “It would be nice if there were
GREAT EXPERIENCE
enough” in terms of age or distance?” they can get my details and on the page mean?” “What are these features in questions or prompts instead of
spam me?” the pop-ups? Iʼm confused” writing a bio from scratch”
Selecting “Create a new Adding in details such as her Verifying email address and Learning how to use Tinder Swiping left and right. Pushing all of the icons and
account” option. first name, birthday, gender, getting confused because she with little to no instructions. Accidentally swipes up and figuring out how to use Tinder
sexual orientation, what can swipe without securing Accidentally swipes the superlikes someone. Getʼs a and change discovery settings
Following the step-by-step gender they want to see her account. Checks email wrong way and doesnʼt know shock when a pop-up as well as add photos and a
guide for creating a new when swiping, skipping the inbox but doesnʼt secure what to do. Clicks around the appears. Ignores it and keeps bio. Adding a bio and getting
account. school section, adding photos account yet. Goes back to page to figure out how to use swiping. Other pop-ups like stuck on what to write. No
showing different contexts. app and begins randomly the app and to figure out “Youʼve unlocked Rewind” examples or prompts to help
Reads “Terms of Safe Use” swiping through peopleʼs what the icons might mean. and she is annoyed by the users set one up. Also bios not
page and pushes next. pictures after pushing next. confusing ongoing pop-ups. compulsory.
2 4
POINT-OF-IMPROVEMENT
TINDER APP TINDER APP 5
1 TINDER APP
1 1 EMAIL INBOX 3
TINDER APP TINDER APP
TINDER APP
CREATE A SETTING UP VERIFICATION HOW TO USE SETTING UP
USING TINDER
NEW ACCOUNT A PROFILE PROCESS DEMONSTRATION RESTRICTIONS

1 2
TINDER APP
IMPROVED SET UP OF TINDER PROFILE
Currently, when users set up their Tinder profiles
during the onboarding process, only one photo
upload is required and there is no verification
process of what type of photo is uploaded. You
could upload a fake photo, an inappropriate
one, one that isn’t clear or is of your dog and
all of these are accepted. This means that the
chances of you matching with someone who is
pretending to be someone they are not is high,
and users do not feel secure when using Tinder.
It also asks you what school you are from which
seems to be a random question considering that
Tinder doesn’t even ask you to write a bio and
there are also no questions about your desired
age range and discovery distance of potential
matches.
This seems to be a particular pain point for An-
neliese and Jason who both do not want to be
targets of catfishing.
There should be some sort of photo or identify
verification system like on Bumble whereby you
have to get verified that it is you in the photo by
sending the developers a selfie doing a particu-
lar pose. Once verified, a little badge appears
in your profile to show this, this making users
more at ease that you’re a verified user.
To drive new people and existing users to use
the app regularly, it is important to provide them
with a safe environment and the right tools for
achieving their set goal(s). This will aid in build-
ing a better reputation for Tinder of being a reli-
able and safe online dating app.
TINDER APP
A BETTER ACCOUNT VERIFICATION
PROCESS WITH CLARITY AROUND THE
BENEFITS OF BECOMING VERIFIED
I think that the Tinder account/email verifica-
tion process could be improved by having this
after the onboarding process. At the moment,
it seems pointless to have it where it is because
even after you enter you email address and ha-
ven’t verified your account, you can still use Tin-
der freely without any issues.
By having this verification process where it is,
it may discourage new users to continue with
the onboarding process because they may think
that their emails are being placed in a database
for spam emails and they may decide that they
don’t want this.
During my usability test sessions, this was a com-
mon pain point amongst users who were per-
plexed by the fact that despite their lack of con-
firming or securing their accounts, they were still
able to use the app without restriction.
POINTS OF IMPROVEMENT
3
TINDER APP
CLEAR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE OF HOW TO
USE TINDER WITH A CLEAR “THIS IS THE
END OF YOUR ONBOARDING” MESSAGE
Unlike apps such as Duolingo who have very
clear demonstrations and sample exercises to
get users familiar with the features, Tinder’s
developers have let this particular area slide.
There is a massive gap in understanding of how
to use the swiping functions and therefore many
accidental swiping mistakes.
During this part of the onboarding process, us-
ers have no idea whether or not the onboard-
ing has concluded and if they are now swiping
for potential matches. There’s also uncertainty
around if these are real people’s accounts or
demo ones as part of the learning process.
This is a particular pain point for Anneliese and
Jason because if they accidentally swipe the
wrong way, it means they may miss out on a po-
tential match, which may cause emotional stress,
especially as they cannot undo this action with-
out purchasing a paid subcription.
There should be a clear, “This is a demonstration
and a chance for you to practise swiping” mes-
sage with an, “Are you sure you want to pass
on this profile?” emergency exit to support us-
ers in undoing the action (Heuristic #3 - User
Control and Freedom). At the end of the demo,
users should get a clear, “Well done on com-
pleting your onboarding with Tinder!” message
so that there is a clear and definitive end to the
onboarding process.
 4 5
TINDER APP
LESS OBSTRUSIVE ADVERTISEMENT OF
TINDER’S PAID SUBSCRIPTION FEATURES
When first using Tinder, pop-ups for paid premi-
um features such as, “You’ve unlocked Boost”,
or, “You’ve unlocked Rewind”, constantly in-
vade your screen. For new users, this can be
quite a shock and frustrating as they are still get-
ting used to the swiping features.
Even after using Tinder for an extended period
of time, these paid premium features come up
whilst you’re using the app with special offers.
This was a common frustration amongst Tinder
users from my research, especially if they can-
celled out of the ads before, multiple times.
There was also confusion as to the difference
between Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold. Perhaps
it would have been better to have only one type
of premium feature subscription to avoid confu-
sion. In order to turn off any advertisements, you
must purchase a Tinder Plus subsciption, which
is not cheap.
Perhaps a page with all of the special paid pre-
mium features for Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold
including a little explanation could be found by
the ‘Settings’ and ‘Edit Info’ sections and the
additional UI buttons for superlikes and boosts
could be blocked out so you could only click on
them if you had the ability to.
By avoiding bombarding new and existing us-
ers with ads on paid services, it may aid Tinder
in becoming a better rated online dating app,
focussed on helping users reach their goals as
opposed to being a money-making business.
TINDER APP
EASIER WAYS TO SET UP A BIO AND
THE ABILITY TO FILTER PEOPLE BY WHAT
YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
Tinder users are not required to write a bio and
therefore, many do not have one. This means
that people must make a decision about whether
to swipe left or right based purely on physical
attraction. For many online dating app users,
this is one of the greatest pain points of using
Tinder as they feel that a bio is a key factor in
their decision-making process, yet a lot of the
time, it is absent in many profiles.
By making the set up process easier by having
prompts or story cards whereby you choose a
minimum of three from a series of questions, and
you tell your story through these fun scenarios, it
may encourage people to take the time to com-
plete their bios. Many users noted that they felt
that a bio was necessary and should be a re-
quired feature.
Tinder could also have a series of questions
about your: height; religion; political views; if
you’re interested in dating or something casu-
al; if you’re single or in an open relationship; if
you want children or have some already; your
non-negotiables when it comes to a potential
partner, etc. so that these could act as ways to
sort through people when looking for potential
dates and relationships.
This would allow Anneliese, Jason, Grace and
Neil to gauge the level of interest of the other
parties so that they could avoid swiping through
thousands of people wanting different things.
 GREAT EXPERIENCES
1

TINDER APP

TINDER’S STRAIGHTFORWARD,
INTUITIVE AND PLEASANT UI

According to users of Tinder, they like Tinder’s

user interface because it is straightforward, intu-
itive and addictive just like any mobile app.

Users also noted that they liked the pink and or-
ange gradient colour as it was easy on the eyes.

The UI of any app is crucial in encouraging peo-

ple to use and enjoy the app, especially in a
heavily saturated online dating market.
03.

PROBLEM & VISION STATEMENTS

DEFINE >> DEVELOP

Diving deeper into the Tinder onboarding process and examining the experiences of my primary personas in meeting their
goals, I came up with my primary problem and vision statements.

Although there were quite a few problem areas that I could attempt to redesign, for the purposes of this project and my limited
time frame, I have chosen to focus on three areas that are closely related to Tinder’s onboarding process.

The other areas could be potential next steps or opportunities for development in the future.

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Tinder is not currently viewed as a reliable app for meeting compatible people. Rather, it is seen as a casual, hook up app that
is too focussed on lust at first sight and therefore, superficial. Users have inadequate tools to create an informative bio with
the necessary information to allow users to filter by what they are looking for or the desired qualities of potential matches.
This therefore makes it difficult for users to make informed decisions about whether to swipe left or right as it’s solely based on
one’s appearance. The lack of security from catfishing seems to be another pain point during the onboarding process as there
is no verification system for whether of not you are who you say you are.

VISION STATEMENT
The new design of Tinder will help users to easily see what other users are looking for on Tinder through an effective profile
setup process. Users will be asked a series of basic profile questions such as:
• Are you looking for something casual, more serious, or are you open to both?
• Would you say you’re more extroverted or introverted?
• Do you prefer cats or dogs?
Along with these questions (answers can be changed in your profile at a later date), there will be story cards in place of a bio
so that there is less pressure on users to write something from scratch. Everyone has a story to tell and I think that by taking the
pressure off of writing something without prompts, users are more likely to engage with this part of the profile setup process.
I did a user flow to sketch the sentiment, without all of the details asking myself questions like, “How is this screen going to work rough-

USER FLOWS - TINDER ONBOARDING

ly?”, “Is the hero image going to go right across?”, “Where will the text will go?, “Should the button go here or there, and what
should it do?” By asking these types of questions, I was able to show a broader picture of how the new, redesigned Tinder app might
look. After completing this, I began drawing my wireframes.
WIREFRAMES - TINDER ONBOARDING
04.

PROTOTYPING ON FIGMA
DEVELOP >> DELIVER

Link to prototype:
https://www.figma.com/proto/e0WUaYLyguUYkmYaUL9SLh/UX-Practice-P2c---Tinder-Onboarding-Experience-Interactive-Wireframe---Joyce-Kim?node-id=0%3A2&scaling=scale-down

Find out how compatible
you are with your matches
Filter by what youʼre looking for
KEY FEATURES
Story Cards help users tell stories so
they donʼt have to worry about what to
write in their bios. They spark curiousity
and foster connections between people

A safer environment for

online dating through a
photo verification process.
Goodbye catfishing!

Still the same, fun

swiping features

No more annoying pop-ups

Profile preview
for paid premium features

Link to prototype:
https://www.figma.com/proto/e0WUaYLyguUYkmYaUL9SLh/UX-Practice-P2c---Tinder-Onboarding-Experience-Interactive-Wireframe---Joyce-Kim?node-id=0%3A2&scaling=scale-down
05. DELIVER >> TEST >> ITERATE, ITERATE, ITERATE!
During my prototyping and testing stages, I experienced a myriad of little technical hiccups and found that it took a long time trying to make it fully functional. Obviously
with the time constraints, it was challenging trying to make a super, high-fidelity prototype with all the permutations for clickable button combinations, but I attempted to
make it as close to what I imagined the new Tinder onboarding experience would look like with glimpses into what the experience would look and feel like. Once I com-
pleted my first prototype, I did usability testing with the same three participants from the beginning of my case study so that I could test if my design solves the original
problem, which was that users have inadequate tools to create an informative bio, they cannot filter by what they are looking for, and there is a lack of security from cat-
fishing. By testing prior to and after redesigning Tinder’s onboarding experience, I was able to get insights on whether or not I was successful in what I set out to change.

Testable hypotheses for my usability testing:

• Story Cards will help reduce the cognitive overload that is involved in profile creation
• Photo verification will promote a safer environment for online dating and reduce the amount of catfishing
• The one-page “Tinder how-to guide” will help alleviate the stress from not knowing how to use the app as well
• The “Tinder how-to-guide” explains the paid premium features so that there are no more annoying pop-ups for them whilst swiping
• The profile setup process during the onboarding will help users build informative bios that help with users make decisions about whether to swipe like or pass

Feedback and feedforward I got from my usability tests were:

• “I’m quite a shy person and find it difficult to talk about myself. The Story Cards helped me to share stories about myself easily without it feeling daunting and although
there were lots of steps, it reduced the time it would have taken me to create a profile.”
• “I really like how the main feature of swiping isn’t your photo but now there’s more of a holistic picture of you and your interests, personality and stories.”
• “When I’m on the “Tell us a little about you” page, I would want the option to (1) choose one or the other, like you already have, but also (2) select both / maybe
have the option of leaving the marker halfway between the two, like a spectrum more than binary, but I love the idea of those sections!”
• “I liked how my selected interests became icons in my profile - it was a nice touch.”
• “I really like how you incorporated the part on “tell us a little bit about you” and “3 things that you’re interested in”, it increases the probability of swiping right on
someone who shares the same interests! Especially for those who are looking for something serious.”
• “I love how accounts can be verified! Is the verification process something that I could skip (for now) because sometimes I may be out and have decided to sign up for
Tinder out of boredom. And it could be embarrassing to do that gesture in public haha.
• “The verification process kinda creates a differentiation on who’s serious (verified account) in this and who’s not (unverified account).”
• “The new features are really something that will encourage me to use Tinder more and finally bring a +1 to events.”

Other UI feedback and feedforward:

• “I got a little confused on the profile preview page... I thought that was the feed to start swiping but only when I reached the bottom of the screen did I realise that it’s
actually a preview of my account.”
• “The start swiping button looks different from the other buttons.. So I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to click on it or wait for the screen to transition.”
• “The back button (grey ones) on some of the screens are not very prominent. I might miss that if my screen brightness is at max...”
• “I love the loading icon!!
• “I like how the language is concise and friendly, and I like the progress line that grows at the top so I know how far I have to go till the end.”
• “When I was clicking the about me descriptors I found that I would click on some of the buttons and then want to go back and change my selections, but they seemed
to not let me click on certain combinations... was that because of this is a prototype? I’d want to be able to change my options.” [prototype fidelity issue]
06. DELIVER AGAIN AND EVOLVE
Using the feedback and feedforward, I went through the Double Diamond process again and went through more iterations to better solve the problem at hand.

Some of the changes I made:

• I included a headline, “This is just a profile preview” for the profile preview page so that users could clearly tell that this was just a preview, and that you were not
quite finished with the onboarding just yet
• I changed the “Start swiping” button so that it better aligned with the look of the other buttons to avoid confusion on whether to wait for the screen to transition or click
somewhere on the screen
• I changed the colour of the grey back buttons on some of the screens as they were not very prominent and could potentially be missed if screen brightness is at max

Areas for improvement:

Due to the timeframe, I was unable to make all the changes I wanted but these are some areas for improvement.

1. To create a three option slider for the “tell us a little about you” page so that you have the option to (1) choose one or the other trait, like I already have, but also (2)
have the option of leaving the marker halfway between the two so it’s like a spectrum rather than binary.
2. To add in a non-binary option on the “what is your gender” page to be more inclusive of everyone.
3. To have all clickable options and combinations available through a higher-fidelity prototype to better the test experience of the onboarding.

Conclusion:
My redesign for the Tinder onboarding experience is the answer to a complex problem I related to and faced as a designer. Understanding people’s motivations, needs,
pain points and behaviours when it comes to online dating is a complex task as there are so many different personas involved.

When creating an app for entertainment or online dating, there’s a risk of falling short or ending up being too vague or superficial. How do I manage people’s different
motivations? What approach should I take? Should Tinder be more like its competitors?

For this reason, the research stages and interviewing people were one of the most challenging parts of the process. For example, I didn’t expect many people to partici-
pate in my on-street tests due to the nature of my study, however I found that many younger people in their 20s were eager to have a say as users of Tinder. I also wasn’t
expecting 145 participants to respond to my online questionnaire on Vic Deals. In hindsight, I should have tried to find better ways to engage with the older users of
Tinder too as Vic Deals may be targeted at a younger age group. Through this case study, I learnt a big lesson about the challenges we might face as designers. During
the design process, we should be prepared to fail and act accordingly, making necessary changes and taking on the feedback and feedforward. We should embrace
divergence, generate as many options as possible and fail early so we can learn from our mistakes and create something even better.

Overall, I had a lot of fun and I learnt a lot throughout this project. I feel I was successful in solving the problem at hand and the feedback from my usability tests show
that users felt more confident at the end of the onboarding process at their chances of finding a suitable and compatible match.