UI/UX design for a mobile dating app that makes offline dates safe and short
App design
UI/UX design
Finding love in a ‘swipe left’ universe has become commonplace. When everybody is on dating apps, it seems that meeting someone special is easy. Yet too many people find that it’s not working, or that it’s much harder than they expected. After matching up with someone on a dating app, getting to know them in person may or may not meet your expectations
Having dinner together is a very common choice for a first date. If you don't like a person, you still need to stay for at least an hour looking at each other and holding a conversation. Making up excuses to leave early might make you feel guilty and rude.
LittleDate is a new dating app that helps people avoid disappointment on the first date. The app is based on a strict rule – your first date can last for no more than 20 minutes.
When both users arrive at the right time in the right place, one of them receives a PIN code that the other one needs to type in the app to start the date. The timer will count the time and when it's up, both users need to leave the location radius within five minutes or their rating will lower. If after the date they both compliment each other, LittleDate will send them each other's phone numbers so they could arrange another date, for as long as they want.
The app's idea belongs to a software developer from New York who wanted to address the problem all dating apps have – after "swipe left," no one cares about what happens to users. He didn't only want to help people avoid unpleasant dates, but also ensure safety when connecting with strangers both online and offline.
Misleading profiles, safety concerns, unwanted explicit content, hookup culture – this sounds familiar to anyone who has ever used a dating app.
LittleDate is another dating app, but we designed it to solve the most common problems that exist in the online dating space. Let's see how exactly we solved those problems:
Problem:
I can never be sure if a person I'm connecting with is real.
Solution:
To make sure people use their real names in the app, we designed only one way to sign up to LittleDate – with Apple ID.
Problem:
His user profile looked way prettier than what he looked like in real life.
Solution:
The app has strict rules as to what kind of photo a user can add as their profile picture. It can only be a selfie taken with the help of the app. Every two months the app will ask users to update their profile picture. With this rule, we encourage users to be honest and increase safety.
Problem:
The exchanges I do have tend to fizzle out before they become dates.
Solution:
On LittleDate, if a user taps on a heart icon in the bottom right corner, this means they want to go on a date with that person. Unless they do it within the next 48 hours, the app will lower their rating. Instead of focusing on the number of matches, we focus on making people feel serious about dating.
Problem:
Some guys send me pictures with explicit sexual content.
Solution:
On LittleDate, users can't exchange messages with each other before meeting up in real life. We did design a chat in the app, but it only becomes active two hours before the date so users could text each other about what table they are sitting at or if they're running late.
Problem:
Escaping from a date I don't like is rude.
Solution:
The first date with LittleDate can last for only 20 minutes – enough time to get to know a person and decide whether you want to continue dating them.
Problem:
Too many people who use dating apps are looking for easy, on-demand sex.
Solution:
A quick date is a great way to find out what people are looking for – sex, a casual date, or a relationship – without getting disappointed. Once users like each other on the first date and receive each other’s phone numbers, they can continue their relationship however they want.
Problem:
I can never be sure if a person I'm connecting with is real.
Solution:
To make sure people use their real names in the app, we designed only one way to sign up to LittleDate – with Apple ID.
Problem:
His user profile looked way prettier than what he looked like in real life.
Solution:
The app has strict rules as to what kind of photo a user can add as their profile picture. It can only be a selfie taken with the help of the app. Every two months the app will ask users to update their profile picture. With this rule, we encourage users to be honest and increase safety.
Problem:
The exchanges I do have tend to fizzle out before they become dates.
Solution:
On LittleDate, if a user taps on a heart icon in the bottom right corner, this means they want to go on a date with that person. Unless they do it within the next 48 hours, the app will lower their rating. Instead of focusing on the number of matches, we focus on making people feel serious about dating.
Problem:
Some guys send me pictures with explicit sexual content.
Solution:
On LittleDate, users can't exchange messages with each other before meeting up in real life. We did design a chat in the app, but it only becomes active two hours before the date so users could text each other about what table they are sitting at or if they're running late.
Problem:
Escaping from a date I don't like is rude.
Solution:
The first date with LittleDate can last for only 20 minutes – enough time to get to know a person and decide whether you want to continue dating them.
Problem:
Too many people who use dating apps are looking for easy, on-demand sex.
Solution:
A quick date is a great way to find out what people are looking for – sex, a casual date, or a relationship – without getting disappointed. Once users like each other on the first date and receive each other’s phone numbers, they can continue their relationship however they want.
We made the user profile minimal on purpose. The only information it displays includes a photo, the number of dates the user has had in the past, and their rating.
We didn't want to include anything extra such as hobbies and interests, job, education – these details aren't that important in choosing a partner, but they can influence other user's decisions on whether or not they want to go on a date together.
From the user profile, users can also purchase a premium offering that allows them to stay on the date for as long as they want.
Most dating app designers go the Tider way and design their apps' user interfaces with the most popular mobile UI pattern – the swiping motion.
To find someone on LittleDate, a user goes to search and scrolls down the page. Whenever they see somebody they like, they can click on the heart at the bottom right corner and see if there is a match. Getting a match means a user wants to go on a date, and not simply "play the You've-got-a-match! game.
Swipe right to like or left to dislike creates a cynical and meaningless engagement. No wonder so many people treat dating apps as more of a game than a tool for looking for a relationship.
On top of the page that lists matches, a user sees dates that they have already scheduled. We designed cards to display the details about a date such as the picture of the person they are going on a date with, the time, and the place where the date will happen. A bit down below, a user can see a list of unscheduled matches.
My Availability is an important feature in the LittleDate app. It motivates people to feel serious about offline dating. Here users need to select a time slot when they're available for a date and a location where they would like to meet up.
This way, users' matches will be able to schedule a date in the specified time slots without having to agree on the suitable time and place they both like for hours. When a user gets a date scheduled, they must show up there on time. Otherwise, they will get a penalty in the form of a bad rating.
Scheduling a date is very easy once a user can see when their match is available and where they chose to go to. The app is integrated with a map that allows users to type in a place they want to meet at like they do it on Uber.
When both matches arrive at the location, one of them tells a PIN code to the other one so that they could start a date. We created a circle progress bar for a countdown timer that displays how much time remains until the date is over.
To help users meet on time, we designed notifications that remind them about the date. If a user hasn't entered a geo-fence – a virtual boundary set up around a date location – on time, they will receive the "Hurry up" message.
The other user, who arrived on time will get a notification saying that his or her date is late and they can choose whether to leave now or wait. Once a user clicks Leave Now, they will get a message with the app's feedback on their decision.
Two hours before the date, users can also access chat by clicking on the upper right corner of the screen.
When the date is over, the app needs to make sure both users leave the location separately. This is an important feature that helps users stay safe during their LittleDate experience. Users have five minutes to leave the location radius. If they don't, their ratings will be downgraded.
After the date, the app updates the user's rating and offers them to compliment each other with the words they pick out from the list of tags.
We don't show to users which one of their dates sent which compliment. We only show a top compliment used by the largest number of people and pin it to the user profile. If the other user compliments back, the app will send them each other's phone numbers.
The app that makes offline dates safe and short
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