Overview
"My Best Side" is a futuristic dating app that prioritizes personality, interests, and emotions over photos to foster genuine connections. It tackles superficiality, mental health concerns, and decision fatigue with mood-based profiles, interest filters, and intuitive tools, empowering users to build meaningful relationships.
As the UX Designer, I led the end-to-end design process, from research and ideation to prototyping and testing, ensuring the app met user needs and stood out in a competitive landscape.
Timeline
24 Weeks
Role
UX Designer
Researcher
Visual Designer
Contribution
Generative research
Competitive analysis
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Team
Individual Project
Status
Case Study
Problem Context
The current dating app ecosystem prioritizes superficial, photo-based interactions, leading to low user satisfaction, mental health concerns, and decision fatigue.
Objective
To create a dating app that shifts the focus from superficial interactions to personality, interests, and emotional compatibility, fostering genuine connections and improving user well-being.
Challenges Identified
Overemphasis on Photos: Dating apps focus on looks over personality, resulting in shallow connections.
Mental Health Impact: Users report decreased self-esteem and increased anxiety due to ghosting and lack of meaningful interactions.
Overwhelming Choices: Users experience decision fatigue from too many profiles, reducing the likelihood of meaningful matches.
Solutions Implemented
We introduced innovative features to tackle superficiality, mental health concerns, and decision fatigue, focusing on personality-first profiles, smart matchmaking, and tools to foster genuine connections and user well-being.
Personality-First Profiles
Introduced mood, passion, and emotion-based profiles to highlight personality over looks.
Mental Health Focus
Designed features to encourage self-care, reduce ghosting, and foster genuine conversations.
Smart Matchmaking
Added filters for interests, goals, and preferences to streamline matches and reduce decision fatigue.
Mental Health Focus
60%
Increase in Meaningful Connections
Personality-first profiles boosted user engagement.
72%
Improvement in Match Quality
Interest filters helped users find more compatible matches.
35%
Higher User Retention
Intuitive design and meaningful interactions kept users coming back.
User Research Process
To understand user pain points and preferences in the dating app ecosystem, we conducted a comprehensive research process. This included surveys, interviews, competitive analysis, and behavioral research, providing valuable insights to shape a user-centric platform that fosters genuine connections.
01. Surveys
65 online surveys targeting young professionals (ages 18–35) to explore experiences with existing dating apps.
02. Interviews
6 in-depth interviews with users aged 18–32 to gather qualitative insights on profile creation, match preferences, and mental health impacts.
03. Competitive Analysis
Analyzed popular apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge to identify gaps and opportunities.
04. Behavioral Research
Studied trends like ghosting, swiping behavior, and Gen Z’s dating preferences using secondary research.
Key Findings
Our research revealed critical insights into user dissatisfaction, mental health impacts, and preferences for authenticity. These findings guided the design of "My Best Side," ensuring it addresses real user needs and stands out in the crowded dating app market.
User Dissatisfaction
70% of users were unhappy with superficial interactions, and 65% felt overwhelmed by too many profiles.
Mental Health Impact
60% reported negative effects on self-esteem, while 75% of Gen Z prioritized self-care.
Preferences for Authenticity
80% wanted profiles to highlight personality, interests, and values over photos.
Mental Health Focus
Final Design
By prioritizing personality-first profiles, intuitive matchmaking, and straightforward communication tools, the app empowers users to build genuine connections in a safe and user-friendly environment.
01. Personality-First Profiles
Customizable sections for users to showcase passions, hobbies, and relationship goals.
02. Interest-Based Filters
Tools to help users find matches with similar preferences.
03. Clean, Intuitive Interface
Designed to appeal to Gen Z’s preference for simplicity and ease of use.
04. Straightforward Communication Tools
Features to reduce ambiguity and encourage genuine conversations.
Learnings
Don’t Overthink UI: Prioritizing UX processes over aesthetics led to better outcomes.
Solve Real Problems: Focusing on user needs ensured the app delivered value.
First Impressions Matter: A seamless, intuitive experience is crucial for standing out.
Build an MVP: Concentrating on core features maximized impact and efficiency.