Increased paid user adoption by improving the app safety features for female users, ensuring peace of mind as they take the next step in dating.
Project type: Enhancing app safety features
Role: UX/UI designer
Tools: Figma
Duration: 2 weeks
This solo school project for Tinder explores how enhanced safety features can transform dating experiences and drive increased paid user adoption. Focusing on female users, the project delves into safety concerns when meeting new people. By reimagining the app’s safety capabilities with real-time check-ins, emergency contact options, and discreet exit strategies, the project aims to provide peace of mind and boost premium engagement.
Overview
The business problem:
Tinder saw a 5% decline in paid users, reflecting a broader trend of reduced consumer spending and dating app fatigue.
Tinder wants to re-engages users, motivate them to upgrade to paid plans, and achieve a 10% increase in paying customers
Research findings from interviewing female users:
Users often rely on word of mouth and app reputation when selecting a dating app.
With 39% of Tinder users seeking casual hookups, its reputation as a casual platform persists, a sentiment also echoed by interviewees who chose not to use Tinder.
Many female Tinder users eventually drop off due to receiving uncomfortable messages.
Additionally, meeting someone for the first time through a dating app can feel risky, especially regarding unwanted advances, safety concerns, and potential harassment after the date.
Even in a generally safe place like Singapore, the unpredictability of meeting strangers makes users feel the need for safeguards.
Persona & Problem Statement
Emma, seeking meaningful and secure connections.
Solution
Expanding Tinder's "Share My Date" Feature
Enhanced the current form by allowing users to input start and end times, add emergency contacts, set the frequency of hourly check-ins, enable live location sharing, and indicate if they're consuming alcohol.
This comprehensive snapshot provides trusted contacts with clear insights into the date, increasing user assurance and safety.
Automated Safety Check-ins & Quick Assistance
Tinder will send check-in notifications based on the user’s selected frequency, also prompting them for confirmation if their location changed from the initial venue.
If a user indicates that they feel unsafe, they will have three immediate options: receive a fake call, contact their emergency contact, or call 999 for urgent assistance.
Activating a Fake Call for a Discreet Exit
At any point during a date, female users can trigger a fake call from Tinder's homepage.
This feature provides them with step-by-step instructions and conversation cues, empowering users to safely and discreetly exit the situation.
Iterations Based on Usability Test Results
Added a dedicated "date" icon on individual chat pages to improve accessibility, moving the "share date" feature from the three-dots menu for easier discovery.
Added an exclamation mark to the phone icon to indicate that it activates a safety feature, triggering a fake call instead of contacting a match.
Next Steps
Explore Additional Safety Features:
Investigate advanced safety measures such as identity verification (via Singpass or passport details), face verification, and a digital chaperone (an AI that scans conversations and flags intrusive messages).
Determine if these features resonate with a broader audience beyond female users.
Evaluate Monetization Impact.
Test user willingness to pay for premium safety features by adopting a freemium model—basic safety tools remain free while advanced safeguards (e.g., AI moderation) require an upgrade.
Conduct research with other demographics (for e.g. male users) to better understand their motivations and identify premium features that would drive subscription adoption.
Next Project
Website & mobile app feature expansion