User research on dating applications a yu


Online dating research
3.3 What are the most important features or tools for users attempting to find a potential match on a mobile dating platform?
Online dating research
Role: UX Researcher within a team of 5, Poster Design
Background
The advent of online dating has had a profound impact on society. It has changed how romantic relationships develop and has become a social norm with fewer barriers to entry than face-to-face dating. In this regard, online mobile dating apps have emerged as the primary vehicle for this form of interaction. The purpose of the research is to uncover potential areas of improvement for the current mobile dating applications.
Target Audience
Our research will focus on how to improve the user-experience of mobile dating apps, specifically with young adults(18-24 years and 25-34 years) as we believe that these two age groups are important to look at in regards to demographic use and age.
Research Questions
We have arrived at our 3 main research questions focusing on the attitudes and behaviors of mobile dating application users, these questions could as a theme conceivably inform a mobile app design team on improving the next generation of dating applications:
3.1 What drives people to use mobile dating apps?
This question attempted to explore on the motivations behind usage of the mobile dating applications. Results from the findings could be used to fulfill expectations, add desirable features and to improve the overall application experience.
3.2 What are the primary challenges that users face in finding a potential match on an mobile dating platform?
This question attempted to find out the pain points of users when employing a dating application. In this way, it gave a window into issues or concerns users may have (e.g. safety, privacy, UI problems, ease of use). Answers to these questions allowed a design team to possibly solve some of these issues. In our research we did not only glean information on what not to design. We also focused on the pain points and challenges that users faced to influence attributes that could be designed into an app.
3.3 What are the most important features or tools for users attempting to find a potential match on a mobile dating platform?
This question examined whether users had appropriate tools within a dating app to find a potential romantic match (e.g. selection criteria). This also influenced the analysis of UI features allowing users to define themselves (e.g. profile information, pictures and even gifts).
Participant Selection and Recruitment process
Based upon our project scope, we selected our participants ranged from 18 years old to 34 years old with a variety of relationship types, from single to being in a monogamous relationship. Most of them were college/university students and young professionals. A total of 108 participants were interested in doing our screener with survey attached. Only 79 of these participants passed the screener portion. A total of 10 participants were accepted to the do the semi-structured interviews - five males and five females.
Personas
Having studied the different goals of our user groups, we defined two sets of representative users with generally mutually exclusive goals and sets of behaviours:
The perfect-catch users: They are typically end goal-oriented users who use mobile dating apps to seek a monogamous (long-term or short-term) romantic relationship . Often they have a specific criteria of attributes they are looking for in their match. Once these users find that ‘perfect catch’ or end goal, they will usually stop using the app to focus on their relationship. Under these conditions, these users may not return to using the app. Based on this usage pattern. They are therefore unreliable as returning customers - their return only a possibility if they were to look for a new relationship. This group could provide insight on aspects of mobile dating apps which were successful in helping them find a relationship.
The lobster-trapping users: They are typically non-end goal-oriented users who use mobile dating apps, unsure of what kind of relationship they are looking for. These users are may have various reasons for their mobile dating usage - such as for fun, to meet new people or get dating experience. Therefore, they are willing to meet and take whoever walks into their ‘trap’. Unlike perfect-catch users, this group will form a large base of recurring users since they do not have an end-goal.