Case Study
the dating app “designed to be Deleted”
Personal motivation
Dating apps, are a prime example of how technology can shape social behaviors. While meaningful relationships are key to a fulfilling life, the design of a dating apps can either foster these connections or become a space where people remain comfortably stagnant. The structure of the app plays a significant role in the outcome of relationships on the apps.
popular dating apps including Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble have contributed to the rise of a generation that is more chronically single than any before.
How can a redesign of hinge subscription service increase profit while creating a space that cultivates long term relationships.
Background
initial question/ Goal
Project Details
Contents:
Design Tools
UX Research, User Experience, Design, Content Designer, Interaction Design, Wireframing, Prototyping
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Mural
Role
Duration
Individual Project: UX Designer
two week project
First I casually interviewed 8 Gen-Z Hinge users to discuss their experiences.
Understanding the Problem
Why:
User Interviews
Pain Points Identified
users not responding after matching
01
02
getting caught up in the search
04
Inconsistancy in matches
Next I researched studies done on dating app culture.
social/psychological critisms include:
Paradox of Choice: With an abundance of options, users often feel overwhelmed and dissatisfied, leading to endless swiping instead of committing to one person.
Superficiality & Instant Gratification: Apps often prioritize physical attraction over long-term compatibility, fostering a "fast food" mentality that overlooks deeper connections.
Match Economy: Algorithms encourage shallow interactions, giving users a dopamine rush from new matches but preventing meaningful relationships from developing.
Lowered Social Skills: Relying on apps can erode face-to-face communication skills, making real-life interactions feel awkward and reducing emotional vulnerability.
Unrealistic Expectations: Many users search for a "perfect" partner based on specific criteria, which can prevent them from settling into relationships with great potential.
Delayed Commitment: Shifting societal values, such as a focus on career and independence, have led to delayed milestones like marriage, fostering prolonged singlehood.
Chronic Loneliness: Despite more connections, users can feel isolated as the transactional nature of online dating prevents emotional depth and authentic bonds.
hinge published data from users in 2024
Their research identifies gen-z’s commitment issues as the problem for lack of long term relationships found on their app.
05
current status:
Gen Z wants lasting relationships
what do they want?
dating burnout
44% of Gen Z Hinge daters have little-to-no relationship dating experience
Finally I reviewed data from Hinge.
Hinge Gen-Z daters are actually more obsessed with romance than millennials: They’re 30% more likely than millennials to believe there’s one soulmate for each person and 39% more likely to consider themselves romantically idealistic—which means they have optimistic expectations for their romantic relationships.
Yes, rejection is intimidating for everyone—95% of Hinge users are fearful of it [rejection]—but Gen Z Hinge daters feel it most acutely. Over half (56%) of Gen Z Hinge daters say that worrying about rejection has held them back from pursuing a potential relationship
57% of Gen Z Hinge daters say they’ve held back from telling someone how they felt because they worried it’d be a turn-off. And as a result, they’re missing out on worthwhile relationship opportunities, while also being stuck in a cycle of guessing what’s going on. Long story short, Gen Z wants love but they’re afraid to discuss the next relationship milestone they want to take.
Fear and social anxiety have kept gen-z from finding relationships
03
Research Conclusion
Gen z is on average avoids relationships due to fear of rejection
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Gen Z Hinge daters are 47% more likely than millennial daters to say the pandemic made them nervous talking to new people
and 25% more likely to say the pandemic made them less confident on a first date.
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Secondary Research
Key Insights
User Personas
Being hesitant to meet in person
Dating apps provide unlimited options to search for a partner
users become more selective, in search for ideal partner
spread themselves thin, does not have deep vulnerable conversations, just lots of surface level
Users don’t grow from experience
users take the emotionally easier route —keep searching rather then vulnerability in moving forward with a relationship
providing a flow of unlimited options allows avoidance of growth both personal and relationships
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Monet Goode, 28
Monet is fluent in sarcasm and always up for a good challenge. By day, she’s a marketing professional, and by night, she’s a wine connoisseur. She loves traveling, discovering new places, and is looking for someone who’s ready to build something real, not just talk about it.
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Emmett Marsh, 31
Emmett is an adventure enthusiast who loves hiking, spontaneous road trips, and trying new cuisines. By day, he’s a financial analyst, and by night, he’s either binging a new Netflix show or exploring the local music scene. He’s looking for someone to share both the quiet moments and the wild ones.
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Eleanor Parks, 26
Elenor is a coffee addict and bookworm who can never resist a good Sunday brunch. She works in corporate HR. She’s passionate about fitness, spinning, and finding balance in life. She’s looking for someone who’s equally as comfortable in a cozy café as they are at a music festival.
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Jamie Kokot, 25
Jaimie is a tech geek with a passion for photography and weekend BBQs. He’s always up for a deep conversation about anything from AI to the best pizza spots in town. He’s seeking someone who loves to laugh, isn’t afraid to be themselves, and appreciates a good dad joke.
Current User Flow
User Journeys
Defining the Problem
User flow observations:
creating a profile, profile prompts introduce users answering basic questions such as “describing their typical sunday”, “listing symple pleasures” , “favorite travel experience” most users have similar answers.
Users must make a choice about one user to see another use.
users can have unlimited matches, and can keep matches regardless of having a conversation as long as both users still have accounts.
Design problems
user flow designed to be a game, users make quick choices on users because they anticipate the next profile.
Users given too many options, although users have limited likes, they are shown hundreds of profiles they can swipe through.
Users have unlimited time to reach out to a match, this feature does not encourage users to connect, users most likely to meet a match who starts a conversation within 24 hours.
profile prompts are generic and don’t allow users to separate themselves from other users, and to identify connections with others.
Brainstorming
search strategies
Location relativity
How can messaging be more entertaining than matching
values
chemistry
willingness
Hinge
replace add on “profile boosts” with meetup opportunities
view 5 profiles a week
Invisible threads
profile cards shown will share commonalities in 2 or more of the following categories
mutual contacts
live nearby
3+ interests and hobbies
favorite vacation spots or travel destination
following 5 or more of the same social media accounts
2 or more written values
schools, companies, or churches in common
subscriptions for more options or better odds
what makes people feel connected
people setting each other up,
algorithm seting people up
30 questions to ask on a second date, the science of falling in love
Feature Generation by Package
when is chemistry apparent
Success stories
meeting a group at once
separating users with different goals, relationship experience
Hinge+ Hinge Causal
for users who still want to swipe through a variety of profiles a day
users view up to 75 profiles a day.
unlimited likes
How long should people chat before meeting
Common threads
profiles transparent
explore page
vs
search results
HingeX
upgrade of basic hinge-users able to choose which categories they are matched on
users matched with 10 profiles a week
users can anwer more questions for higher a chance of compatible matches
Solutions
1.Threads
Getting to know the user better, to make better matches.
User information will be userd to provide matches with common “threads” including mutal contacts, shared values, favorite accounts and vacation destinations.
2. Top 8 Matches
Instead of giving users endless options to swipe basic hinge will match users with 8 people per week based on common “threads”.
3. Limited Timing
Currently Hinge matches never expire while research shows Users are more likely to have meet another user if they interact within a day of matching.
users will now have one week to get to know matches in top 8, after matches will expire.
4. Hinge-C
hinge-C for casual daters, combines the current basic level hinge and hinge plus features, to create a space for those who want the causal dating app experience.
5. Hinge X
Hinge x upgrades the new basic level hinge through enhanced matches and added timing.
Whats next
I would be so interested in the long term behavioral changes of this redesign. but first would want to test variables in the redesign with a test group of users.
usability testing with user interviews to understand how easily the new user flow can be picked up by seasoned and new users.
Conduct a focus group to discuss variables involving deeper social questions such as:
how long should users be given before matches expire?
how many matches should users be given a week?
should new users have the option to free version of casual and the redesigned version?