This will be the start of a fairly odd project, but one that I've been wanting to do for a long time. So why not document the process π. The problem starts with a dating app called Feeld. The basic premise is that this is a dating app for couples or those interested more in polyamorour or alternative relationships. This is a super interesting concept, especially from a UX perspective, but unfortunately the app comes no where near its own potential.
What I'm hoping to acheive in this series is to first go in an examine whats wrong with the app currently and then re-envision it as something more true to the core user. This will be partly design and partly code as I'd like to make a basic MVP of my concept that could be used to test the user experiance. Lets jump right in!
From my experiance using the app I've noticed four distinct groups of users based on their intent with the app. From these four there are multiple combinations of gender, orientation and sexual preference. But lets start with breaking down these user stories.
New to the polyamory scene, have little experiance but are curious about the possibilies.
Looking for others seeking alternative relationships. Not sure what they want.
Might use the app for intense periods at the start but overtime will loose interest or if they mind a monogamous relationship will abandon the app.
Single people looking for sexual experiances with couples or groups.
Looking for couples open to a third person in relationship/bed. Able to see everyone involved and be part of a group conversation.
Use app from time to time when in the mood. Aren't seeking relationships so will usualy not continue chatting with couples after. Will want to 'cast a large net' and see what interests them.
Couples looking to spice up their sex life by bringing in a single person to play with.
Are in relationship but want to have a sexual experiance together with another person. Private and don't want this to be known by their closer friends/family.
Use the app togehter, searching profiles and dicussing together outside the app their interests. Might have different preferences or desires. Will use the app periodically but more consistantly over time as long as they enjoy it.
Couples looking for relationships with other experianced poly couples.
Have a hard time finding others with similar ideas about relationships. Feel marginalized or objectified in other dating apps. Feel misunderstood.
Use the app regularly to interact with other poly couples. Will typically find another relationship, meet, and then move to another app like WhatsApp for futher communication.
There are of course many many other types of users, and part of that is the pure USP of this app that it allows such a scope of different users with different desires and needs. Without diving into the gender diversity on the app, I think its best to understand why people are there as opposed to other dating apps, and what they get from Feeld that other apps don't provide.
"We believe nothing is more unpredictable or less binary than human desire. This is why we created Feeld, where everyone can be honest with themselves while being responsible towards others." ~Feeld Website
As the app currently stands there are two main functionalities when using regularly. The first is the search functionality, where you set preferences for what you are looking for and then have a typical Like/Dislike way of searching for matches. The second is the chat functionality where you can view matches, start conversations with them and create group chats.
Some things to notice when using the app:
Looking at the Google Play and App Store there are some real gems of user feedback. On average the Google Play has 2.4/5 stars (7,548 reviews) and the App Store has 4.3/5 stars (12k reviews).
Sounds awesome. Sadly, it is the opposite. Ugh. Really bad.
Great but not Great. The idea of this app is great, which is exactly what brought me here in the first place but I have to admit from a technical point of view itβs not very good.
So Glitchy... The concept of this app is by far the best of its kind. But I simply cant get over how many bugs there are, or things that dont work correctly.
Want to like it, but ... in practice not working for me.
I like the content, but the latest update, where they rushed to implement pay for likes just like in Tinder demonstrates how poor the app is built
Concept is great, execution of the app is not. The app idea is great and the user base is also a good size. But the people who own the app are most likely not the developers and have probably outsourced the work elsewhere.
What is of particular notice when reading through the reviews is that several themes come up. Leaving out those who were just frustrated they didn't get more matches, there seems to three main greavances:
I'm also quite interested in the massive difference in rating between the android and apple version. Whether this means that there are two versions or if android users are just more honest? Certainly there seems to be more feedback from the developers on the App Store, but at the same time most of the reviewers do not give their name and give star rating quite different from the text review.
Thank you for visiting my page, I hope you found something of interest here. As this site is primariliy for my own experimentations and documentation, I'm always thrilled to hear how people experiances it. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to fill out the contact. I m looking forward to hearing from you!
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