Case Study: New Functionality
Creating a new functionality for Tinder
In the third week of the bootcamp our challenge was to make an improvement to an existing and well known app by teams.
Briefing
Our client needs to implement an improvement that brings some kind of value to the app’s users. In the case of our team, we chose Tinder.
Tinder, one of the most popular applications for mobile devices in the market whose objective is to socialize with other users by chatting and making dates.
Time limit for the project was 5 days.
Role
In this project all the members decided to contribute as much as we could because once again we were rotating teams and we had not worked together before. Learning and teaching is something important to share in order to improve and advance both personally, professionally and as a team.
Research
We started with an analysis of the initial situation with a SWOT analysis and a Competitive Analysis, this way we got to know more about the market situation of the application.
By performing the Competitive Analysis we were able to better appreciate the functionalities of our competitors, their strengths and the features that made them different not only from each other but also from us.
During the SWOT analysis we were able to find some interesting points in which we could stand out from the competition, but we could also observe some of our disadvantages.
With this previous information analyzed, we set out to conduct the Lean Survey and started with the interviews and surveys. We conducted 50 surveys and 7 interviews from which we were able to obtain the following data:
- The simplicity of selecting the person to socialize with was a strong point that the interviewees liked because it was so visual, easy and fast.
- On the other hand, there were also a large number of interviewees and respondents who complained about the way of selecting the person to socialize with.
- There were also users who complained about the user’s biography section, as it did not allow you to really get to know the person, their hobbies and tastes due to its limited number of characters or lack of information.
This caught our attention and made us focus on these very important points. We asked a few users about this topic and these were some of their answers:
“It cuts me a bit short to talk to someone just like that, without hardly knowing each other at all.”
“I often end up getting bored and uninstall the app.”
“I want to meet new people with whom I have things in common”.
We realized that users had difficulty maintaining interest after some time using the app, difficulty in starting conversations or even initiating them.
Based on this, we got to know a little better our users with problems and we made a User Persona and a User Scenario, where we raised their Pain Points and Strengths.
Define
With all this, we already had it pretty clear, but we refined it a little more using a new tool called User Stories. This tool allowed us to know the indispensable requirements of our potential users and how we would solve these requirements with our new functionality.
Ideate
In this part of the process we used all the information obtained previously and conducted a Brainstorm in team that helped us to see what was going through the heads of each of the team members. We unified our concepts, debated and created a User Flow, which facilitated the next step, Crazy8.
Finally, after using all the tools mentioned above, we came to the conclusion that the solution would be a compatibility quiz with random questions that helps you to get to know or start a conversation with the other user with whom you do it.
The types of questions designed to facilitate the user’s answers are:
- Selection of a predefined answer A B C D
- List a limited number of items
- Selection of a predefined list
Prototype
Finally we developed and made a LOWFI prototype on which we made some iterations thanks to the testing we did with some users.
When we finished the tests and we saw it ready we gave life to the LoveQ HIFI prototype following the visual lines of the application itself. And this was the result.
In this case, for the LoveQ interface we decided to use different colors for the questions and for the answers, making it easier for users to distinguish the screens.
We also decided to create a time limit because if users take too long to decide the answer, the excitement would be lost for both people, which would lead to leaving LoveQ and it would be left unfinished.
Although we all know that running out of coverage is also a possibility.
And last but not least, we added a chat to LoveQ, so that participating users could continue interacting during the quiz to give it that personal touch that depends on each user.
Next Steps
During the process we evaluated on some occasions whether it was appropriate to offer the LoveQ functionality, because some users in surveys and interviews complained about the little information that was shown about the users, and this tool could provide enlightening information about the user who was challenged to perform the test without the need to previously get a match. If this were the case, it would be necessary to limit the number of LoveQ challenges that could be launched per user per day or take advantage of this opportunity to monetize the functionality.
Another interesting option would be that the questions could be customized by the users themselves, or simply the answers, so that users would feel it more personal, interesting and unique, or less depending on each user, but always restricting and being careful of those questions that could be offensive.
Learning
We have learned many new tools to use in case of doubts such as User Stories and how complicated it can be to improve something and above all to provide value to the user, because if the user does not like it, there are consequences.
We have also made our first Hi-Fidelity prototype and it has been very interesting to try to make an extension that was consistent with the existing product both visually and in purpose.
As a team, I also have to add that I learned a lot with my two colleagues because during the project we shared our knowledge and experiences that facilitated the connection and iteration as a team.
