Wingmate
A dating app for finding romantic partners with the help of friends.
Context
Online dating has become widely popular in recent years due to platforms like Tinder, Hinge, and Match.com, which make it easy to connect with potential partners. However, there are segment of users who may find it difficult to approach potential dates directly. Additionally, data shows that more than half of young people in America do not have romantic partners, highlighting a need for support in the dating world.
Basis the above premises, we aim to develop a dating app that allows users to assign friends who can help and encourage in finding in their dating choices.
Project
Designing a dating app that helps users find romantic partners with the help of friends.
Role
UX Designer
Problems
Approach
Single young adults who are looking for a date, they need support, encouragement and approval from their friends or family.
Wingmate app empowers users to take the lead in their dating journey by creating their own profiles, setting preferences, and enlisting friends as “Wingmates” to validate their choices.
Understanding the market
and competitive landscape
In 2016, when there were 240.9 million dating app users worldwide but in 2021, that number jumped up to 323.9 million users. Tinder is the Market leader.
With Bumble, women can take the initiative when it comes to talking to men, while Tinder makes making matches fun, whether it’s for romantic dates or friendships.
The Hinge app lets users connect via prompts, while Happn is a location-based app.
Wingman is for those looking to help their single friend or family member find a date. Coffee Meets Bagel is for a serious relationship and meaningful connections. It is the closest competitor to our app Wingmate.
However, the user is the hero, he or she needs to create his or her own profile, preferences, and then assign friends(Wingmate) to validate their choices.
Understanding the users
Conducted User Research to Map Out
The role of friends/close ones in the dating lives of users and how users interact and behave towards the existing dating apps
Findings
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Among our respondents, 50% are in a relationship, and the rest are single.
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The respondents are really close to their families and friends, so their opinions are also important.
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Several of our respondents send screenshots of their romantic interest profiles and messages to their friends as a way of checking their friends’ opinions.
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There is always a concern for the safety of the woman while on a dating app.
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Catfishing is also a concern for them.
User's Persona
Ana Singleton
Age: 25 years
Location: Seattle, CA
Annual Income: $60,000
Occupation: Freelance Writer
Goals
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She loves being surrounded by her close friends and family.
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Her ideal dating partner is someone who is trustworthy and honest.
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She loves hanging out with friends for coffee.
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Loves reading and visiting libraries.
Personality
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Creative
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Optimistic
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Friendly
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Shy
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Reliable
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Dedicated
Frequently Used Apps
Paint points
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Struggles to make authentic connections on dating apps.
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Friends often do not approve of the people she goes on dates with.
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Has been stood up on dates in the past.
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Uses several messaging/social media apps to communicate with friends.
About Ana
Ana is a passionate freelance writer living in Seattle. Although she is close to her family and friends, she is longing for a romantic partner to navigate life with. Ana is active on Bumble and Tinder, but she just isn’t finding her perfect match. Ana shows the profiles of potential matches to her friends so they can give their opinions because she knows they have her best interests at heart. Ana wishes there was an easier way to get them involved in her dating life.
Research Objectives for Buyers
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Map out the buying behavior of Art buyers
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Determine concerns/problems
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Understand the process of art buying
Methodology:
Primary, Qualitative and Quantitative
Mode of Research:
Online one-on-one interview with structured questionnaire
Findings:
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The respondents has a mixed preferences of buying art or luxury items online and in person.
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Our respondents emphasized the significance of texture, color, aesthetics, and detailed information about the artwork and the artist when making a purchase.
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Our respondents also raised their wish to talk to artist while making the purchase of the art.
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Our respondents have highlighted the importance of transparency when it comes to product details, pricing, and return policies.
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According to our respondents, they purchase art one to three times a year, with a spending range of up to USD 10,000.
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Understanding more about the User
Affinity Diagram
Empathy Map
Single young adults who are looking for a date, they need support, encouragement and approval from their friends or family
Single young adults seeking a romantic partner often rely on the support, encouragement, and approval of their friends or family.
User Insight
Problem Statement
Young adults who are looking for romantic partners, need their friends’ support and encouragement because they feel more confident dating someone who has been reviewed and approved by their peers.
We have observed that many young adults looking for a date share screenshots of their potential dates’ profiles to their close friends so they can get their opinion and validation.
How might we help young single adults who need validation on their dates gain more confidence and have more exciting and safe dating experience?
User Journey Map
Wireframes (Mid Fi)
The dating app empowers users to take control of their dating journey through a range of features. Users can create and customize their own dating profiles, set their preferences, and enlist their friends as Wingmates to provide feedback and validation on potential matches.
The standout Wingmate system offers a new level of support and guidance, as users can benefit from the insights and perspectives of their trusted friends. This feature fosters a sense of community and belonging within the app, creating a more personalized and fulfilling dating experience that leads to meaningful connections and lasting relationships.
Summary
The online dating space presents a lucrative opportunity with a projected revenue of US$1.29bn in 2022 and an estimated user base of 64.5m by 2027. In addition to the features already showcased in the prototype, we intend to develop further features that enhance the user journey from the perspective of Wingmate.
One of the main challenges we encountered during the project was identifying the key features that distinguish our app from other existing dating apps in the market. We also plan to work on improving the app’s imagery to appeal to all genders, as it is currently perceived to be geared towards females only
Way Forward
Wireframes (Low-Fi)
