The UX of Dating
Designing love at first swipe
It's 2023 (now 2024 - but things have not changed) and dating, like everything else, is now readily accessible and efficient from our phones - but has it made finding The One easier?
Being chronically online for the past decade or so means UX designers have played around with mobile features that change the game and transform the way we socialise. eHarmony, Match.com, and OkCupid, the pioneers of digital dating, built their large base firstly from desktop users. Their match - making algorithms drew data from a vast pool but that wouldn't be enough to sustain growth in the long run.
Photos of dating candidates occupy 80% of your mobile scren, admittedly to 'place more focus on visuals' and remove the 'unnecessary pieces of UI.' By focusing on the photo, the digital UX also mimics that of the real life experience of meeting people. But does simpler UX lead to better chances at love?
The swiping motion is based on the idea of control - swiping right means swiping them into a sapce where you allow them to communicate with you. The UX feature is a stratgy designed to ease the tension of expectations and emotions in dating.
Like every other app, many features contribute to a gamified experience. Beside swiping, dating apps now incorporate points ,badges, and rewards to keep you hooked on trying to get hook-ups. Designers mimic the variable ratio schedule - giving rewards at unpredictable times to keep users anticipating.
