Hinge Happenings
For the novelty lovers to discover date ideas mutually aligning with their preferences
01
Context
In today’s fast-paced digital dating landscape, users often struggle to move beyond initial conversations to planning meaningful, engaging dates. While matches on dating platforms show initial interest, many users find it challenging to transition from chat to real-world connections due to a lack of inspiration or indecision about date activities.
02
Research
I started my research by writing down some questions regarding dating and categorizing them into knowns and unknowns
Secondary Research
It drew me into what people are talking about in spaces like Reddit, competitor articles and other date related studies.
What I did not get answered!
How do they discuss a date at present in the chat ?
Where do they struggle the most in pre-date (venue, activity, money, date and time, or coming to terms with each other's preference)?
Is Budget a constraint? Do they split the bill? Do they talk about budget?
What are their concerns going for a date? What are their needs going in for a date?
03
User Interviews
I interviewed 4 people and the following were the insights
Shared decision-making and effort: 4 out of 4 participants with both genders mentioning they prefer equal contribution and effort to date planning ideas and coming to a mutual agreement on the preferred place
Clear communication: 3 out of 4 participants mentioned they like being upfront about their preferences, schedules, and budget
Safety: 3 out of 4 participants mentioned that feeling safe and comfortable on a date is a priority, especially for women. Like setting up venues that are easily accessible via public transport
Genuine connection: 2 out of 4 participants mentioned dates are a chance to get to know someone and see if there’s a romantic spark. Only after you meet someone in person would you know if they are a good fit.
The pain points
Difficulty choosing a date location and activity that appeals to both people
Mismatched expectations or lack of clarity about preferences can lead to frustration
Time investment: Planning a date can feel time-consuming,
Ghosting: People disappearing from conversing after expressing interest in a date
Safety concerns: Feeling unsafe about meeting someone new in person
04
Competitive Analysis
And now, what are our competitors doing? Have they done something for solving the above pain points?
Tinder has a feature called share your date - as a safety feature
The swipe-based matching system is intuitive and allows users to quickly browse and match with potential dates, enabling faster connections for those who want immediate plans.
Breeze can book a venue by choosing a time and location.
Bumble positions women in control of initiating conversations, empowering them with added safety and conversation features
05
Creating the User persona
Analyzed and synthesized the user data gathered from both primary and secondary research and came up with a persona that resonates with our target demographic
06
Curating user stories
Curated user stories w.r.t the persona and data gathered from research
07
Prioritizing user stories
I took the curated user stories which were arrived at by analyzing research data, and put them across an impact effort matrix
Chosen user story to pursue -
“ I want novelty lovers to see date ideas mutually aligning with their preferences. “
Possible solutions
Random Date Idea generator
AI/ML fed with preferences and auto-generating ideas
Date idea generator with categories
08
Ideation via Information Architecture
From the effort impact matrix, I've finalized the user story for the novelty lover and derived an information architecture that suits the flow for a date idea generator to be integrated with the Hinge App
09
Early Wireframes and low fid prototyping
Following the above information architecture and Hinge's design styles I've created a high fidelity prototype for the new feature called Hinge happenings.
10
Usability testing and Insights
Conducted usability testing with random peers in the age of our target persona. Here are the concerns identified with respect to the screens and flows
11
Usability Feedback and Iterations
Iterated how I visualized the shared idea in chat - wireframing iterations
12
Visual Design and High Fidelity
My initial high fidelity wasn't following current UI standards; therefore, after many design iterations and studying Hinge's design language, I came up with the following screens
04
Design choices
The 'saved' section
I initially thought of sharing the feature only. But what if they want to share the same things with different matches? One particular idea shared can be liked by someone but not by the other and vice versa. So having the ability to save ideas in order to share later or with different chats seems like a no-brainer to have.
Also, the feature which now can only be accessed via chats can be introduced outside chats as well. User can browse through the collection of date ideas in their leisure time and share when they have a match
The new designs have much more spacing consistency and breathable UI, given the beige background blending with the UI card of higher contrast
05
Next Steps
Integrate with Planning Tools
Combine the generator with booking and scheduling features to create a seamless experience from idea generation to real-life execution (e.g., suggesting available times, booking venues, or syncing calendars).
Add safety elements like verifying venues or ensuring proximity to safe locations, addressing potential user concerns.
User Testing
Conduct usability testing with real users to validate the date idea generator’s effectiveness. Focus on ease of use, the relevance of the suggestions, and the speed with which users can generate ideas.
Gather feedback on the quality and variety of date ideas provided and adjust the algorithm or database based on user preferences.