Final Project for User Experience Design, NYU Tandon, 2024

Baby is a dating app that promotes authenticity and community, and generates user value as a solution for the complex and difficult experience single parents endure when navigating romance. It focuses less on the gamification aspect typically attributed to popular dating platforms by utilizing engaging, whimsical branding and thoughtful, witty, human-centric design.

Click Here for Figma Link

The contemporary dating world has been revolutionized with the advent of digital platforms, tools, and technology that often cater to a diverse, or nuanced demographic. One particular demographic - single parents - faces unique challenges within the dating scene. Where others may join eharmony because they are Christian and single, or HER because they are queer and single, single parents must incorporate the added complexity of parenthood into their singledom. As single parents uphold lifestyles that are typically centered around their children, they must consider logistical, social, and emotional complexities that many traditional dating platforms do not adequately address. Some of these complexities include concerns around time management amidst parenting responsibilities, utilizing ideal parenting resources, and finding supportive, serious, and understanding partners. Often, external factors are of higher stake for single parents in the dating world as they face barriers that other singles do not face. This is a problem because single parents may in turn experience feelings of isolation, frustration, or disappointment due to their romantic pursuits; and further, their children may be affected by this complex dynamic as well.

Problem Statement

Surveys provide qualitative data about users behavior in regard to a specific context. As this project seeks to research the complexities of the online dating atmosphere for single-parents, it also desires to analyze general user opinion on online dating and mobile apps. This overarching perspective provides an ideal launching point from which to begin designing solutions, and it benefits the project greatly by orienting my app design in a competitive dating app landscape.
Empathy Maps help gain insight into what users say, do, think, and feel when approached with a particular context or situation. In this project, the empathy map serves to assist in developing a better understanding of how a single parent thinks and feels. Even removed from a dating world context, this methodology gathers insight into the general single parent mindset to better inform the app’s design.
Competitive Analysis is a methodology that provides effective means for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of possible competitors like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Stir (the current app marketed as the preferred dating platform for single parents). This is the final and most vital step of my research plan, as it synthesizes the insights gathered from the survey and empathy map, and grants a benchmark for which to contextualize my findings.

Research Plan: Survey, Empathy Map, Competitive Analysis

Title

The Dating App Experience

Goals

To situate the project by gathering insights on the overarching dating app user experience (non-specific to single parents)

Methodology

Google Form
17 Questions: fill in the blank, multiple choice, multiple selection, ranking questions
Shared on Reddit forums, Instagram stories, Survey.io, word-of-mouth
Released for 50 days
108 responses

Research Summary: Survey

Demographically, the majority of respondents were women, accounting for 59.3%, while male and non-binary respondents trailed at 38.9% and 1.9%, respectively. Among all 108 respondents, only 5.6% were single parents (approximately 6 people). I found three questions to be the most comprehensive of the entire survey, and accurately captured the object of my goal.

What do you think is the purpose of a dating app?
a) To find love/a romantic relationship
b) To find a long-term or life partner
c) To find a short-term fling
d) To hook-up/ engage in something casual
e) To find a friend/ a platonic relationship
f) To find/ build community
g) Other
The leading response, accounting for 39.8% of answers, was “To find love/a romantic relationship”. The overwhelming majority of this particular response reflected the authentic and wholesome intention of dating app users, despite the dismissive reputation for which dating apps are renowned. This question and its results helped me clarify the personality type of the user, single parent or not, for whom I should be designing my app.
Of the dating apps listed, please pick your favorite or the one that you use the most.
a) Tinder
b) Hinge
c) Bumble
d) Stir
e) OkCupid
f) Raya
g) eHarmony
h) Her
i) Plenty of Fish
j) Match
k) Blk
l) Coffee Meets Bagel
m) Happn
n) Other
This question revealed which current dating platforms I should assess for my Competitive Analysis. Users abundantly responded with Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble as their most preferred dating apps - 32.3 % majority, 27.4%, and 24.2 % respectively.

Rank these common dating app features in order of necessity/importance to you.
a) Filters (geolocation, physical appearance preferences, dating/relationship goals, personal values etc.)
b) Swiping and Gamification (swipe surges, likes, super-likes, dislikes, boosts, roses etc.)
c) Social Media/External App Integration (linking an Instagram, Facebook, or Spotify account)
d) Profile Verification and In-App Safety Measures (harassment guidelines, panic buttons, profanity filtering, reporting systems etc.)
e) In-App Communication (messaging, chats, video calls, voice messaging etc.)
f) Notifications and Reminders
This question directly influenced what features I should prioritize on Baby, as it asked users to rank features in order of necessity/importance. Users were asked to rank six varying features that are common to dating app designs, in which the most valued features were filters, profile verification, and notifications and reminders. In coordination with my target user’s personality as those who likely value authenticity and genuine connection, I interpreted these highest ranked features to mean that users also value safety, and consistency as well.

Title

Empathy Mapping: Researching the Single - Parent Dating Experience

Goals

To gather specific insight into the single-parent mindset by framing a survey as responses for an empathy map, a research methodology that assesses what users say, and how they think, feel and act

Methodology

Google Form
10 Questions: fill in the blank, multiple choice, multiple selection, ranking questions
Shared on Reddit forums, Survey.io, word-of-mouth
Released for 50 days
13 responses

Research Summary: Empathy Map

The results of this survey were disguised as responses to be used to craft an Empathy Map. Demographically, 76.9% of respondents were women (10 people), and 23.1% were men; there were no non binary respondents. Similarly, 76.9% of all 13 respondents were also single parents. Thus 23.1% were not single parents. In understanding that the majority of this respondent group were single-parents, I found the question “Do you use/have you used dating apps to find love or a viable partner?”, to be especially relevant. There was an overwhelming 61.5% majority of users who responded, “yes”, while 38.5% did not. Among the dating app users, Bumble led as the most used/previously used app, with 5 users. Tinder trailed close behind with 4 users, while Hinge had 1. Stir did no have any reported users despite being marketed as the premier dating app for single-parents. The latter half of the survey asked users questions on what they say and do, and how they think and act when using dating apps. Some of the responses and the synthesized results were compiled, and curated in an Empathy Map.

Research Summary: Competitive Analysis

Title

Competitive Analysis

Goals

To assess the strengths and weaknesses, and strategies of the currently competitive dating platforms - Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Stir (cited as the premier dating app for single parents on the market)

Methodology

Compare and contrast based on established metrics

References

https://www.forbes.com/health/dating/hinge-review/#:~:text=Hinge%20is%20a%20dating%20site,%2D%20or%20long%2Dterm%20relationships.
https://roast.dating/blog/tinder-statistics
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/lifestyle/many-online-daters-arent-seeking-actual-dates-rcna94163

As of this point in the design process, my immediate next steps would be to engage in user testing, in which I test the prototype with single parents and other potential users to gain live feedback. Upon receiving these insights, I would make improvements to my design and flows. Further, though this has yet to be delineated, it would also be important to consider metrics and methodologies for how to measure the app’s success. Considerations that would be indicative of success could initially include high numbers of long-term relationships sustained from and beyond Baby’s usage, a high match-to-date conversion rate for users, and a large amount of premium memberships purchased. All in all, this project was my first time thoroughly prototyping in Figma. This project allowed me to incorporate invaluable research, design process, creative, and marketing skills.