Update Things To Consider While Creating A Dating App That Meets User Expectations

Online dating apps are a very personal platform that people are using extensively to find dates. It’s a fast moving world and if we can find a great place to party over the weekend online then it shouldn’t be too difficult to fix a date to accompany us.

Most dating apps help users find the best fit for their interests by matching profiles and finding common interests. By adding a location-based feature, they help narrow down the sphere for search and fix a date for the next night out.

The number of people who have found love on social media is quite sizeable and is not limited to Facebook alone, but started long back when the era of chat rooms powered by Yahoo and MSN were still thriving.

India has been leading the game with its online matrimony sites for a while and these have expanded into a mobile application for greater reach. Dating applications are similar to these matrimonial match-making websites, only they help people find dates for themselves.

The similarity between the two services is that it helps fix matches based on interests and what qualities the user is seeking.

Understanding the market

Applications such as Badoo, Tinder, Woo and Happn give people an opportunity to find love in the space where they spend the most time, the internet. It helps people connect by listing their hobbies, interests, where they stay, their history among other relevant information.

There is an option to chat and share contact details such as phone numbers and social network information. Some sound facts –

• 20% couples have found the perfect match on a dating website
• 44% of these couples are happily married
• 60% female Tinder members are looking for a match and not just a casual date
• Over 3 million messages are exchanged on Zoosk
• 66% users have dated someone they have met online

There are separate online dating services available for the gay and lesbian crowd. Compatibility and chemistry is not something that can be gauged by an online algorithm, but, dating sites and applications give people the opportunity to connect with the kind of person that one feels they will be interested in.

Technologies that will lead us right

What does an ideal dating app have beside the user’s profile? It has a host of technology-backed features that make it a versatile fit for finding a date.

Geo-location

Geo-location feature is essential because most people are looking for a date in their vicinity at least that is always the first choice. Apps such as Happn are completely based on finding potential dates among the people in one’s vicinity, even if you are only crossing the road or riding the subway.

Geo-location feature can also offer added services such as marking a common point for meeting such as restaurant, shopping mall or the local riverfront.

Social Media Integration

Social media integration is a common feature for most applications. In the case of dating apps it can be used to automatically upload one’s biography based on the information provided on the user’s Facebook or Twitter account. It can be used for other purposes such as sending friend requests or following people one is talking to on the dating website.

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is an essential feature because it provides a platform to automatically connect and strike a conversation within the application without exchanging contact details. This helps especially during the early interaction when people are still getting acquainted.

UI/UX

The user interface and user experience must both be of highest standards because after all, a greater part of the users will be judging others on the basis of their appearance. So, pictures will figure prominently and it is important to give them the best presentation.

Furthermore, it is essential to provide an intimate user experience as people searching for dates via mobile applications will need privacy.

Picture, Audio and Video Integration

For some users, a simple picture may suffice, whereas others may want to go the extra mile and upload an audio or video clip. A picture is the most important element as profiles where the photos are not uploaded may not get the same number of responses.

It is important to make provisions for the same and to ensure enough security measures have been placed to ensure the data is protected and to weed out obscene content. Also, a feature can be added that will let a user permit their photo to be viewed only after getting their permission.

Multiple Sign Up Options

Email address, mobile number and social media account to sign up are some of the prominent options available. One can even create direct app sign up using a new username and password.

Step by Step Guide to designing the dating app

Integrate a tutorial to guide users through the entire process of finding a date

Multiple signs up options

Upload user profile in “My Profile” page with options to add photos, videos and audios. Also, fill in details of such as one’s hobbies and interests and create a preview page where these details will be shared in brief

Create a History tab to view past “Interested Profiles” and popularity history

Option to view connected viewers and their user profile

“Discover people” option to find people in the vicinity and set a date with them. These can be formed on the basis of “people nearby” or “lookalike” option

Suggested Matches option can be created based on common interests and “What are you looking for” information added in the profile

Essential tabs include –

• Settings
• Help Centre
• Filters and Notifications
• Social Account Links
• Delete Account option

From design board to prototyping

The entire process of creating a dating app from design board to prototyping can take up to 600 hours, based on the platform the app is being designed for. The scope of the features added and the number of platforms it is being built on will decide the final cost.

“Love is in the air”, it’s a strain that many a bard and blues singer has sung, and internet is helping capture and funnel through the confines of one’s smartphone.

There is a large market with global prospects as more countries are adopting mobile technology for socializing. If you want to discuss your development ideas further, contact us and we will provide all the technological support.