Guroo Dating Chat App
Stay safe and skip
the first date.
Meet through
friends. Real people,
real (good)
matches
Guroo is a dating app that helps you find the best first dates.
We were tasked to design an MVP of a dating app called Guroo. The problem we were trying to solve was how do we make it easy for people to find the best first dates?
My Role
UI / UX Designer
Contribution
Product Design, UI/UX, Marketing, UI Animations, Design System, Graphic Design.
— User interviews
The first thing we did was research on how people actually meet each other in real life, which included 30+ in-person interview sessions, as well as interviews on college campuses. We found out that only after meeting dates in person did women feel confident in their selection of dates.
We then stumbled upon our biggest insight: A lot of dating apps try to replicate the actual experience of meeting someone online but fail because they are missing one crucial element — face-to-face conversations!
We decided to design an experience that would replicate the first date within the app itself by adding things like conversational starters, timed dates, and trivia questions — all of which would elevate any of the frictions in conversations between two strangers.
Narrowed focus
We decided to design an experience that would replicate the first date within the app itself by adding things like conversational starters, timed dates, and trivia questions — all of which would elevate any of the frictions in conversations between two strangers.
To validate our assumptions we created wireframes and quick prototypes to validate our ideas with the initial user set.
After a few weeks of research and ideation sessions with our team, we had a clear picture of what we wanted Guroo to look like.
We also discovered 5 distinct elements that acted as our framework to filter all experiences with:
A feeling of safety
Entertaining
Filtering out & screening people
High inventory
Conversation flow
Introduction of second-degree connections
To make it easier for users to meet other people who are not on their current contact list, we introduced a 2nd-degree connection into the match card, which helps users to meet and interact with new people they don't have in their contact list. Plus users can send an invitation to their friends through SMS.
Outcome
After months of work and multiple iterations, we were able to deliver an engaging dating app for our target persona, thanks to the frameworks we created, which guided the execution of the three unique concepts. We were able to delight the first users onboarded into the app.
Outcome
Our outcome for the MVP was a simple yet elegant app that would help date build meaningful connections with an app to facilitate the process. Our main goal was to make it easier for people to connect with each other, and give them a safe place where you can vet your potential partner ahead of time.
We wanted to create a dating experience that was more than just swiping left or right. We wanted to create something that felt like an extension of yourself. You could talk about anything, share your thoughts and feelings without fear of judgement.
Meet through
friends. Real people,
real (good) matches
It's simple:
1. Pick a friend.
2. Match them or ask them to match you.
3. Let the magic happen!
