How Dating Apps Work

In this piece, we’ll go through the dating apps layer, the unique and robust wonder of relationship genesis tool of the 21st century.

What originally started as a creepy hookup movement, now became a massive cultural phenomenon that has all the tools to change the way people will procreate generations to come. Not to mention the fact that sitcoms like “How I Met Your Mother” will forever fall into oblivion to only be revealed in a nostalgic burst as an artifact from the past where people actually met each other in the streets.

How to Create a Dating App

There’s a research saying, one-third of the marriages these days come from online dating. It makes sense that people meet online more than they do outside – you don’t have to constantly fight against your insecurities and social awkwardness, and there has never been a more subtle way to signal your liking to someone then swiping right.

People have been virally online on their social media for over a decade. We have a platform for everything you can imagine – a place to post a beautiful sunset photo you took, a place to file your resentment in 140 characters, a huge database to find out everything about people just by their name, we even have a weird app that puts dog ears on you and the one your parents will never figure out how to use. Technically of your social media allow you to find a significant other, just put in some time and be nice. But a separate mobile dating application you can specifically use to “find bae” and be sure that people you meet there are there for the same reason has changed it all. You don’t want to be the guy hitting on girls on Instagram, so forth come a dating app for your phone.

The actual term of “Dating App” is sort of inaccurate. You are not dating within the app. It’s just the means to let them know you are out there screaming for love. It’s just the simplicity and unambiguity of the process and the purpose that makes dating apps so viral.

It’s sort of becoming a thing these days to tell everybody you gave up Tinder because it’s superficial. I believe this only proves the fact that dating apps work. Whenever something becomes a sport, it this case the sport of collecting matches, it proves that it’s not a fad. Do popular dating apps have imperfections? Surely do, so let’s figure out if there are ways to create an app like Tinder, but make it karma-free and more in-depth.

Dating App Design Features

Of course, the big T’s matching algorithm is private and protected. There is a clear goal of the app and there are different ways to get there, however, what makes a dating app addictive and engaging is the UX behind it. Tinder makes sure you stay on it and get hooked by showing most attractive people around you. There has to be an immediate response to your profile, as no one would stay there if no matches are coming in.

Another significant factor is the dating app’s usability and UI. If meeting people online is simple as swipe left, swipe right, the interface has to be appropriate. So let’s break it down.

Dating App UI Contains:

• The login page. Everybody is on Facebook… and on Twitter, so singing in using those is a simple way to engage users, however, this forever ties you with the third-party services and has your entire user database depending on how they handle their business with no chance of affecting it, unless your dating app gets purchased by some of those giants, which is not bad at all. Still, a fast and easy custom registration is always a better option for you to control the data you get within your app.
• User profiles. Filling out huge forms is a pain in the neck. This hospital-style UX is a thing of the past, but there is no other way to put your biodata into the system, as in the case of more sophisticated matching algorithms than just liking a filtered photo, it requires as much inside info on you as possible. So instead of having a picture and a short bio enumerating the dos and don’ts, it’s better to come up with a smart way to create a fulfilling resume with no irritation. Perhaps having the following features might help:
  • Customization. A user profile is the extension of their personality, so the customization options have to be flexible. Yesterday I spent an hour just polishing my character in the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands game. Letting users design their profile will engage them into the app.

• • Gamification. Spinning the generic iOS or Android wheels, or tapping the default keys is boring. Every input can be animated and cool to mess around with:

Dating App UX Contains:

• Biodata diversity. Biodata is the term they used to describe the massive chunk of personal information you would provide for a dating website. Everyone who’s been there remember the grueling grinding process of formulating sentences that represent your personality in the finest fashion, on top of answering the gazillion of questions about your past, present, and future, including the ones you never thought about in the first place. This was eradicated in mobile dating applications, a risky move as you are only left to judge the book by its cover, or if lucky enough, look through a person’s attached social media pages to get the feel of them. Once again, this is a strong reminiscence of a hookup tool, rather than a soulmate radar. What can help here is a national and cultural diversity proliferation. Religion, political views, beliefs, and even eating habits usually play a huge role in the impression you make. Perhaps, biodata is not as redundant as it may have seemed once the word was out there to go and actually have a cup of coffee. This helps filter a lot of inappropriate harassment, bullying, and all sorts of waste you might get caught up in when there are only two validation options – location and mutual right swipe.

• Location. Geolocation services are commonly used in apps, so integrating one of the map engines with radius selection is roughly a standard feature. However, one of the reasons Tinder is being frowned upon as a one-night-stand source is its heavy attachment to the territorial proximity. The “he’s not even from here” problem is a common one and it proves the point that matching in a specific place doesn’t necessarily mean you are both locals. Why bother then? I believe that in future there will be no need to make a dating app that limits you to a couple miles around you.

• Matching. Algorithms that match people based on the mutual likes are kept internal, but those studying dating apps report some objective laws that can be traced. Mike Johnson from WhereToSwipe calls this “The Tinder Trick”. It is sort of a hack that allows you to find out who likes you before you like them. This is based on the fact that Tinder ranks its users according to their activity and the likes they get. This is an attractiveness rating that is nevertheless, not indicated in the UI. We’re not going to get into the question of whether it’s ethical to display popular and attractive users above the rest, from the business standpoint, it makes sense. This helps the dating app engage users and keep them aboard. Let me just put it this way, the least headache and a social justice-neutral way is to match people based on their reaction towards each other after they are matched based on the diverse profile hitch and perhaps, their geolocation if they set that option themselves.

How To Create An App Like Tinder

Those who see the popularity and the lucrative opportunities that social phenomena dating apps like Tinder provide, might consider their success as an ultimate recipe for a long and prosperous development. This could not be further from the truth. People are showing signs of fatigue from the shallow experience dating apps of today bring. In a couple years this market will be in need of a reload and it will require augmentation of today’s situation.

In order to not let the game pass you by, if you are having a dating app idea, make it not like Tinder, make it better than Tinder.

How to Hire Dating App Developers

We at Shakuro are always in search for new and interesting projects to work on. Have a dating app idea that can beat the current market? Let’s talk!