RFarn

Mobile App Plugin, Service Design

Impressions

I worked on a team to develop a digital service startup concept in the form of a plugin for dating apps. The plugin uses location and profile information to recommend events for dates.

Role
UI/UX Designer
Contributors
Elizabeth Wang, Thomas Serban von Davier
Year
2019
Duration
3 months

Problem

Transitioning from online to in person

Currently, dating apps provide a means for individuals to make initial interactions. However, many times those connections don’t go past the screen and if they do, users face a whole new set of challenges prepping and planning for in-person dates and interactions.

Solution

Enhancing the dating app experience

Impressions provides catered event recommendations to dating app users. The plugin aims to increase online dating success by promoting physical interactions, proposing unique date ideas, and providing legitimate and safe event options.

Framing our service

Our original idea was to create an event discovery platform. To begin understanding the surrounding industry and contexts of our service, we analyzed external factors and assumptions.

PESTLE — considering the influences of external factors in six primary categories on multiple scales.

SET/POG — defining a product opportunity based on social, economic, and technology assumptions.

Insights gathered from our analyses

We found trends in pursuing novel and authentic experiences as well as increasing influences of social media.

Gaining customer insight

From interviews and surveys, we realized the low incentives users had for using a new app. We shifted our concept to be a plugin — we decided to pair our events discovery service with dating apps because of their growing user base as well as the natural fit.

Interview results — questions aimed at understanding customers’ event finding and attending habits.

Defining a minimum viable product

Our next step was to iron out the business details and objectives of our service.

Persona — identifying potential goals, frustrations, and needs of a customer.

Stakeholder map — mapping out businesses, organizations, and individuals interacting with our service and different revenues/profits involved.

Defined objectives of our digital service

1

Provide legitimate and safe event options

2

Recommend unique event ideas for dates

3

Promote and prompt in-person interactions

User flow

Before designing the plugin visuals, we mapped the interactions.

User flow — considering the user’s feelings, thoughts, actions, and touchpoints at various stages of the using the plugin.

Developing the UI and UX

Multiple iterations of visual branding and layout.

First iteration of UX wireframes.

Testing out colors and typography for plugin branding.

Second iteration of UX wireframes worked on individually based on feedback from our previous iteration.

High Fidelity Prototype

Plugin Features

Automatic plugin trigger

The plugin is triggered by key words in the user's chat conversation.

Categorized options

Categorized events options are curated based on user profiles and locations.

Easy searches

A search bar gives users the freedom to look up specific events.

Location-based discovery

A map function provides easier event discovery via location.

Reflection

A product for users

This project was heavily focused on the development of a viable digital service. Our process incorporated a number of business considerations and approaches, but not enough attention to the user. I would have liked to spend more time focused on the audience of dating app users and researching their experiences to better identify needs and problems.

Through this process, I was able to gain insight on the steps needed to transition an idea into a product with competitive edge, a market and profits. However, I also realized the need to constantly consider the user and keep sight of the original goal of creating a service for users.