In this day and age, digital products help us to be more efficient, more social, more self-promoting, and more informed. We can hop online to find everything from the best-performing power drill to the perfect piece of pre-loved furniture. As designers of experiences, we felt the need to research the mass democratization of dating and the so-called dating apocalypse.
We chose 8 popular apps and focused on 12 features we consider the most interesting from a user experience perspective. When it comes to desire, color can play a big role in setting the mood. Is the user looking for love in a corporate environment, along the beach at sunset, or in a dark and shiny swinger room? Grindr and Sudy know just what its users want. Sporting a dark palette, it provides the perfect space for a little something nefarious.
Highlighting actions with little pops of yellow or pink is not only a usability win, it also adds to the feel of quick and dirty. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Appetence and Inner Circle have a monochrome color scheme that makes the likelihood of red-hot passion feel even more distant than its boring grey buttons. While certain colors might be associated with common reactions, the idea that a particular color can evoke a specific emotion is about as accurate as the horoscope of your love life.
Sorry — we know you thought the planets were finally aligned in your favor. Their eyes? Their smile? Their…something else? Well, we looked at their typography. Most apps, including Bumble and OKCupid use type size and weight to highlight the users on name only, while Appetence and Tinder include age and distance in more prominent typographic styles.
While most apps use sans-serif fonts with little personality, Appetence tries to set itself apart with an awkward coupling of rounded fonts and a slabbed logo. While it might be attention getting, it definitely falls short of a superlike. Aside from contributing to the brand identity, symbols and metaphors play a vital role in foreshadowing the type of relationship you might find in a dating app.
