Study Case: Bumble
How we could improve the offline Bumble experience so that our users can share more success stories?
Project Type
Add a feature
Role
UX/UI Designer
Project Length
5 days sprint
Problem
Bumble was created to renew the ways of flirting. Bumble fails to ensure the offline experience, causing its users to lack privacy, generate complicated plans, and frustration by not being compatible with the other person.
Challenge
During the third week of my bootcamp at Ironhack I had to analyze an existing and highly adopted application and incorporate a new feature into it.
The function that you develop will be based on an area of functionality that will be explored and compared with user input.
The deliverable was a high-fidelity prototype of a native application reflecting its best way forward based on research, iteration, and testing.
Each of us, my classmates and myself, had to think of three features that can improve a product. My assigned app was Instagram, I thought about the features during the weekend. On Monday we were randomly assigned to an app and its new features that another of our colleagues had chosen.I was assigned Bumble, and feel scared to work with it because I have never used a dating app. Not because I’m judicious, I’ve just been out of the dating world for very long. But doing someone else’s task is a window to open your mind.
Overview
During 2020.
Did you use a dating app?
In 2020, there were an estimated 26.6 million smartphone dating app users only in tin the United States.
Photo by Tetiana SHYSHKINA on Unsplash
The feature:
Creep Meter, a way of ranking people who might be scary, specially for a woman point of view.
A way that people can date more often.
So I did a round of interviews about dating apps. I found many unpleasant stories where women are asked for photos with almost no prior interaction or receive photos in the same way. Stories of infidelity, betrayal, misunderstandings and different goals when going out on a date.
Images by randomuser.me
But when I asked about the app where those stories took place, I discovered that none were on Bumble. So I decided to interview only Bumble users. Many had tried other apps, but found that as Bumble is focused on women experiences and decided to use only this app.
I discovered happy stories with Bumble users, but also most of my interviewees hardly ever dated beyond the screen. Because of the fear of being with a stranger. Women fear for their safety and have a lot of tricks to get out of a bad date.
Persona
Creating this persona allowed me to understand what feature were required. I concentrated I would find helpful for women that want to date more.
Photo by Alexander Scott Lambley on Unsplash
Scope and Constrains
At the beginning of the project, my research was focused on dating applications, so I discovered in my interviews the problems that Bumble presents are the same when having a date but not while the interaction is in the application. At first I believed that this represented time that I had lost, but as I progressed in the project I discovered that it was not the case.
The Solution.
A safe and fun space to have casual dates with your Bumble matches when you are both at the same event
How?
Honeycomb modules would be placed at events and venues.
When users are close to the module they will be given the option to start the Honeycomb mode, this means in the case of women that they will be able to invite men to have a date inside the module.
This module will have security and entertainment to have a great time.
When they are within other activities, women will have their support systems at the event or if they don’t, those in charge of the module will be able to help or accompany them.
Once both of them agreed to meet, each will receive an invitation with an access code.
They will be able to turn off Honeycomb mode while on the date and turn it back on at any time.
Outcomes:
Test with 6 people who participated in the talk show and observe:
-
100% would be willing to go on a date in person at the Honeycomb module
-
The feeling of security in the users increased by 83.33%
-
For 16.67% it does not imply an improvement to security
Learnings:
Iteration is my friend. The solution took time, but placing the function inside the app was difficult. I had more than four iterations and thanks to the feedback I received from one of my judges in the presentation this function received a better place to live.
This project was very well received and for me it was a great learning experience, where not being the user played on my side.
Immediately after my presentation, I sat down to work on the iteration. I wrote my case study the next morning and posted it on Medium. In less than twenty-four hours, I received an invitation to write my case on UX Collective's Bootcamp.