eyes wide shut Dating App
UX/UI Mobile App Case Study | Pratt Institute
A dating app that reimagines how people form connections by prioritizing intelligence and conversation over physical appearance.This dating app transforms relationship initiation by valuing intellectual compatibility and dialogue rather than physical looks.
Overview
Online dating is often driven by visuals, leading to unconscious biases that disadvantage people of color, especially Asian men and Black women, who statistically receive the least amount of engagement on traditional dating platforms. This apps seeks to challenge this norm by prioritizing personality and meaningful interactions before revealing a match’s appearance. By focusing on meaningful prompts, the app creates a more inclusive and fair experience for all users.
Goals
Facilitate significant connections through shared personality traits and mutual interests.
Lower unconscious bias by making prompts more important than profile pictures.
Develop an inclusive dating atmosphere for underrepresented racial groups by tackling engagement and representation discrepancies within dating services.
Creative Direction
UX/UI Design
User Research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Branding
Prototype
App Design
Eyes Wide Shut
Problem Statement
The majority of dating apps build their systems around profile photos which strengthens biases towards Eurocentric beauty norms. People of color often experience lower match rates and negative interactions on dating platforms. The objective was to develop a dating platform that facilitates meaningful connections and diminishes the importance of first impressions based on appearance.
Objective
The goal of this project is to establish a dating app that prioritizes personality traits over initial photographs to minimize unconscious biases.
USER RESEARCH
Target Audience
The dating app target audience includes creative individuals of color aged 25 to 35 years.
Users who frequently use both dating applications and social media platforms such as Twitter and Reddit
Individuals open to personality-driven matchmaking.
Pain Points
Dating app users expressed feeling neglected because unconscious biases dominate traditional swipe-based platforms prompting them to seek different solutions.
Research Methods
We gathered data through surveys and interviews from over 50 individuals representing various backgrounds. The key insights included:
Users seek enjoyable interactive connection methods that do not involve any pressure.
Early interaction anonymity lowers anxiety levels while enabling authentic exchanges.
Timed interactions along with text-based prompts and voice features enable users to engage in more meaningful conversations.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Competitors
Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, and Hinge
Strengths of Competitors
While their interfaces are easy to use and they enjoy broad recognition their 'swipe' functionality leads users to make quick decisions based on looks.
Weaknesses of Competitors
The priority of photos creates a platform where unconscious biases take control resulting in exclusionary experiences for people of color.
UI Design
Warm & Inclusive Color Palette: Reflects a welcoming and safe dating experience.
Minimalist Profile Layout: Emphasizes conversation over aesthetics.
Gamified Interaction Model: Encourages continued engagement through unlockable features.
Key Features
Blind Matching – Users respond to icebreaker prompts before seeing photos.
Time-Gated Profile Reveals – Photos unlock after a set number of meaningful interactions.
Voice & Text Interactions – Users can communicate via text or short voice messages.
Curated Personality Pairing – AI-powered matching based on interests and compatibility.
WIREFRAMING
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
The initial sketches showed a clean user interface where prompt responses appeared instead of profile photos and included buttons to start conversations based on these responses.
Rationale
The design of the layout was kept simple to ensure users concentrated on reading responses rather than analyzing visual elements. The design pushes users to spend more time reading responses before forming quick opinions.
HIGH-FIDELITY PROTOTYPING
The initial sketches showed a clean user interface that displayed answers to prompts instead of photos and included buttons to start conversations based on those answers.
Rationale
The design of our layout prioritizes simplicity to maintain user attention on response content rather than visual elements. The design promotes deeper engagement by encouraging users to spend more time reading responses instead of making quick judgments.
Results & Learnings
User engagement increased significantly compared to conventional dating apps during prototype testing.
Users reported feeling less pressure to present a “perfect” image.
Positive feedback on voice interaction, with many finding it more personal than text.
Next Steps
Conduct a larger beta test with a more diverse user base.
Integrate AI-driven interest-based pairing for improved match accuracy.
Explore additional bias-mitigation features, such as anonymous video messaging.
In Conclusion
Eyes Wide Shut represents a revolutionary effort to transform dating by placing personality before physical appearance. The app establishes unbiased connections by prioritizing meaningful conversations over visual elements. Upcoming versions of the software will advance the matchmaking procedure to deliver enhanced user engagement and success outcomes.