projects

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Be My Duo

be my duo

projects

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Be My Duo

be my duo

join a global network of gamers looking to level up their social lives!

overview

overview

The imbalanced male-to-female ratio has been a longstanding problem in the gaming world, and even more so in the dating world. Be My Duo, an up-and-coming dating platform centralized around dating between gamers, seeks to tackle the commonplace problem of not having enough female demographics. With its innovative approach and gamer-centric features, Be My Duo aims to bridge the gap and provide a safe and inclusive space for male and female gamers to connect, form meaningful relationships, and share their passion for gaming. To create this safe and comfortable dating experience, we sought to overcome the first obstacle users often face when using dating apps – the onboarding process. Understanding the significance of this process, we conducted extensive interviews and testing to gain deep insights into the needs, preferences, and expectations of users. By meticulously fine-tuning the registration process, we aimed to provide a seamless and enjoyable journey right from the very beginning, ensuring that every user feels valued and respected throughout their experience with our platform.

duration

Week 1: initial user testing

Week 2: high fidelity mockups

Week 3: testing

Week 4: final designs



team

Malik Gray (project owner)

Chloe Kwok (designer)

Natalie Castulo (designer)

Patrick Lee (designer)



responsibilities

Competitor research and analytics

User flow designs

Interactive prototypes

UI design

UX design

Usability testing

project journey

duration:
4 weeks

We began this project by collecting data on leaders in the industry and competitors to determine what was lacking and could be improved upon in dating apps. As Malik had already outsourced a basic version of the onboarding process, we first tested those designs with potential users and made adjustments based on feedback.

Week 1: initial user testing

Week 2: high fidelity mockups

Week 3: testing

Week 4: final designs

responsibilities

Competitor research and analytics

User flow designs

Interactive prototypes

UI design

UX design

Usability testing

team

Malik Gray (project owner)

Chloe Kwok (designer)

Natalie Castulo (designer)

Patrick Lee (designer)

project journey

We began this project by collecting data on leaders in the industry and competitors to determine what was lacking and could be improved upon in dating apps. As Malik had already outsourced a basic version of the onboarding process, we first tested those designs with potential users and made adjustments based on feedback.

competitor analysis

hinge

mobile

platform only

extensive

personality question

prompts

various inputs

for dating

preferences

preference q's

to create a

personality profile

tinder

mobile and desktop

platform only

requires phone

verification

very short

preference q's

to create a

personality profile

bumble

mobile and desktop

platform only

requires phone

verification

3 diff modes to use

the app in order to

differentiate user

needs

preference q's

to create a

personality profile

user personas

i'm amanda!

i'm amanda!

expectations

Amanda has used multiple dating apps before, and prefers to match with multiple people to find her best match

Amanda likes to really get to know someone through calls and texting before she decides to schedule a date with them

Amanda has minimal time to swipe, so she appreciates it when a dating app actually shows her matches with similar listed interests and hobbies to start conversations easily

motivations

Amanda’s friends all have long-term partners already, but she wants to wait to find a guy she feels is right

Amanda spends a lot of her time gaming, and wants to form a connection with someone who shares that passion

Amanda feels she has a very diverse personality and enjoys getting compliments from matches


i'm nam!

i'm nam!

expectations

Nam enjoys dating apps where he's able to meet a diverse amount of users and have good conversations

Nam enjoys playing cozy games in his downtime, and hopes to find a partner he can share his hobbies with

Nam doesn’t use dating apps often because he feels like he is “advertising himself”, but puts effort and care into every connection that he makes

motivations

Nam enjoys playing cozy games solo, but has always felt that playing with his partner would be even better

Nam doesn’t meet new people often, so dating apps are a helpful way for him to meet new potential matches

Nam’s parents keep asking if he has a girlfriend, and would like to finally tell them “Yes"


testing

We recruited ten participants per testing session (a total of twenty overall) to observe going through the onboarding process. In addition to presenting users with the onboarding process prototype for usability testing, users were also interviewed on their experience with dating apps. Participants selected for testing were primarily female, gamed regularly, or had experience with using dating apps.

objectives

  • Determine how users feel about the length of the onboarding process

  • Determine if users understand all questions in the onboarding process

  • Inquire how users feel about app features, specifically the date availability feature

  • Do users feel the personality prompt questions properly allow them to express themselves?

  • Do users feel that profile questions will be helpful finding a match?

results

  • Long onboarding process was acceptable as long as users know they will receive better matches

  • Users disliked the inconsistent font size and spacing

  • Users felt numerous screens were too overwhelming in content

  • Verification screen: users appreciate a fast and simple verification process

  • Basic information screen: users wanted an option to skip sensitive or personal questions

  • Date availability screen: users were confused on how to list their availability

  • Add picture screen: users disliked have to provide a set amount of pictures to complete registration

designs

We recruited ten participants per testing session (a total of twenty overall) to observe going through the onboarding process. In addition to presenting users with the onboarding process prototype for usability testing, users were also interviewed on their experience with dating apps. Participants selected for testing were primarily female, gamed regularly, or had experience with using dating apps.

basic info is now 2 screens

not sure if i like these progress bars

new buttons!

testing/designing: basic information

As this is a dating app centered around gamers, we wanted to ensure as many platforms were accounted for by adding more choices and an “other” selection for niche answers. We also rephrased questions to be more clear with users, in addition to increasing the font size to improve legibility and accessibility.

adjusted knobs and labels

kinda ugly?

clear titles

more dating options

testing/designing: dating preferences

Here we wanted to address feedback from user interviews about the UI layout of questions, by increasing the size of text for legibility and adding clearer titles for every group of questions. Additionally, more dating options were included to better account for various user preferences and dating intentions.

ok its ugly

rephrased titles

additional options

testing/designing: gaming preferences

As this is a dating app centered around gamers, we wanted to ensure as many platforms were accounted for by adding more choices and an “other” selection for niche answers. We also rephrased questions to be more clear with users, in addition to increasing the font size to improve legibility and accessibility.

new preface screen

new button

new screen

testing/designing: date availability

When working on these screens, we wanted to address user confusion in regard to how to select dates and times. We decided to create a flow with options that felt similar to other mobile calendars, with a floating button to select a date which would then prompt a user to drag and select time slots.

final designs

main takeaways

As this was my first time working on a team alongside other designers, I learned a lot about collaborating with others and how to communicate efficiently in a team. It also allowed me to experience firsthand working in an industry that I’m passionate about. Receiving feedback from Malik and being able to work alongside teammates was also an invaluable experience. The main challenge of this project for me was learning to work with various ideas and compromising. In doing so, however, I learned how to better understand and adapt to varying perspectives and preferences when designing. Creating designs alongside Natalie, Patrick, and Malik was truly my pleasure.

My main achievements for this project are:

  • Further developing user testing skills

  • Improving design and prototyping skills

  • Improving collaboration skills

  • Working with a strict timeline