How to create a successful dating app
Written by ABC AUDIO on November 12, 2022
Dating App UX
- Biodiversity data: this term refers to the personal information provided by dating app users at sign-up. This includes completing sentences that represent each user’s personality and preferences, answering questions about the past, present and dreams for the future, and filling out personalia like majors in college, number of pets, etc.
- Push notification features on the mobile app: a dating app that populates instant notifications about matches, messages, and gamification milestones gets app users more engaged. Each dating app always allows for customization of notification frequency, format and category so users can choose which they prefer.
- Admin panel: a functional admin panel allows users to retain total control over their profile on the online dating app.
- Location: geolocation is commonly used in dating apps. Not only do users set their residential location at account setup, they can also meet people when their physical geolocation updates automatically as they travel to another state (or country).
- Matching algorithm: app developers create algorithms so a dating app can match people (often with a swiping feature) based on mutual likes and other factors in common. The science behind each proprietary algorithm is kept internal to the dating app builder.
What people expect from dating apps
Dating apps enjoy extraordinary popularity for a lot of reasons. The principal benefit early adopters spoke to, though, was the luxury (and comfort) of screening other users before going out with them. They could even block users when necessary.
Before even the “dinosaurs” of dating sites were dreamed up, people instead were accustomed to walking up to strangers in bars to make their first pass. Those people would face possible instant rejection; maybe the other person wasn’t single or looking, or local to the area, or even remotely compatible or interested.
Safety was another big concern back then, too. In contrast, online dating today gives dating app users a safe way to learn early if someone engages in something risky or uncomfortable.
Ease of usage in dating app development added propane to the fire as more users adopted each new dating app like Tinder, OKCupid, and more. This rapid rate of adoption made the most popular dating apps even more effective.
To keep with a theme that’s familiar to those in marketing, the user experience on dating apps innately brought a sense of “urgency” because of the possibility that a user of interest could disappear at any moment. This was the final spritz of gasoline to the already hot dating app market.
- Privacy (behind a sign in feature)
- Safety (online and off)
- Matches
- Convenience (especially a free version of the dating app)
- A big pool of other app users
To make a real mark in the dating app industry today, take these core expectations and expand on one of them in a new and creative way. It’s that one special thing you can give users (above and beyond their expectations) that will make your own dating app stand out.
Every person thinking about creating a dating app today should start with a plan to capitalize on the existing apps and trends. All successful dating apps are gamified, have key premium features, and offer superior privacy (and even a sense of “exclusivity” when a user belongs to a given platform).
Entrepreneurs hungry to make waves with a dating app like Tinder need to go beyond the popular swiping functionality. It won’t be enough for a new product.
Niches, as mentioned earlier, offer fertile ground to get a foothold in the ple that imitated Tinder’s existing functionality in an unambiguous way. Their take on things, however, included giving female users the power to initiate contact; there would be no uninvited unsolicited photos or sexual slurs received from male users.
