Hackathon project:
Dating App

Concept / UX / UI / Copywriting

Together with a small team of coworkers, I tried to overhaul modern dating in 24 hours.

My role

I was the only designer on the team, tasked with turning our data-heavy idea into screenshots that told a story and sold the vision.

The challenge

We challenged ourselves to use identity data – the backbone of everything we do in our organization – to create a product unlike anything the company had explored. A teammate suggested a dating app that helped you find out if someone was a creep, and we were off to the races.

The approach

With only 24 hours to discuss, research, and deliver, we bypassed all of the searching and swiping – that wasn’t where our data could make a difference. Instead our app allowed you research a potential date after you had already made contact. Search for them in our app and the app will tell you whether or not you should be concerned.

The identity data available in our organization is impressive in breadth and depth, but I suggested that we do more than simply spit out dry data. What if we “crunched the data” to deliver insights about a person? For instance, we could combine a person’s address with public crime data and determine if they live in a safe neighborhood. Likewise, we can combine property values and demographics for the area and paint a picture of the place that they live.

As we combine the available data – criminal history, social network info, financial records – we can tell a story about a person and make a judgment on their relative level of safety or trustworthiness. However, it was extremely important to me to present these kinds of data with great care. Legally it would be a necessity, but I was adamant about acting ethically, being sensitive to privacy, and bearing in mind that people are not strictly defined by the tragedies that befall them in life.

The solution was to use language that described a person relative to those around them. A user wouldn’t need to see Stacy’s estimated salary – that could feel intrusive. But it would be helpful to read that Stacy’s income is “moderately higher” than the people in her neighborhood. Clearly Stacy is doing well for herself, but it’s not important to know exactly how much bacon she’s bringing home. Likewise, if Jim got a jaywalking ticket and was fined for leaving his trash cans in the street a few times, it would be sufficient to say he has had “minor legal troubles” instead of detailing his mistakes.

Finally, in addition to whatever revenue the app made for itself through downloads, there was an additional business opportunity to sell background reports when a user wanted all of the details.

The outcome

Sadly, our dating app didn’t win the hackathon, but it did act as a conceptual foundation for what would become the company’s SmartCheck product.