The new Betterhalf experience
Reframed the user flow & introduced additional features
UI / UX Design Read time: 7min
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About the Project
Overview
This case study explores how we improved the Betterhalf.ai mobile app for working professionals searching for a life partner. By listening to users and following design trends, we made an app that looks great and works even better. Our goal was to fit the app seamlessly into users' daily routines, and this project demonstrates our commitment to creating fresh ideas and enhancing the app experience.
Timeline
8 weeks
My Role
Teamplayer
Researcher
Ideation
UI & Prototyping
User Testing
Team
Rahul K
Shubham Negi
Anju Tanwar
ABOUT BETTERHALF
The Matchmakung & Matrimoney App
Betterhalf is India's first and only matrimony app without parents. This platform is a serious matchmaking product for working professionals looking for a life partner. Betterhalf uses artificial intelligence and predictive analysis to help people find a good match. Through compatibility scores based on multiple relationship dimensions and user's interactions with the product, Betterhalf tries to streamline the partner search.
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The challenge
We’ve found that our user engagement (Female) and retention on the app were low even if we had a high customer acquisition. Our research and usability studies show that users are using the app a bit differently than we expected. Females are getting overwhelmed by receiving 100+ requests from males per day. We need to figure out why this is happening and come up with ways to make sure users enjoy the app more and want to keep using it. This case study dives into why users aren't engaging with the app as much as we want and suggests ways to fix this.
EMPATHISE
Started from the core
As a company, Betterhalf has had a clearly defined mission and the values. But users mostly care about the personality rather than values, why because a person’s personality is on display all the time. So we started from there, the current personality of better-half according to our users, stakeholders, and the team.
Firm research
We talked extensively to our management team and other executives to understand how they perceived the firm’s strengths, weaknesses, and value propositions. It helped us to set a base for our research.
Insights
The research helped us to set a base for our other studies. Also, it helped us to understand brand perception from the management side.
Observed Google Play/app Store reviews
Based on user reviews on the Google Play Store, many users have complained about the user experience of the betterhalf app. The problem that users complain about is that it is difficult to search for the partner they want in the betterhalf app.
Objectives
Find out how users behavior while searching for matches on the betterhalf app.
Find out what pain points users face while searching & sending the request
Find out how users feel after searching for a partner on the betterhalf app.
User research
Interviews
We conducted telephone interviews with 50+ of our users from different backgrounds. Most of the females said they were confused while taking a decision and they were not sure about connecting with all the potential matches. While male feels female profiles are inactive or they are not responding to their intrest. This actually reduced the chances for them to find their ideal life partner. We have found that our users had a lot of expectations from an AI-based company. They even build up some unrealistic stories that we have never stated before.
Questions for the interview and Online survey
Q. Please introduce yourself such as name, age, occupation, etc.
Q. Can you explain to me what you usually do when you open the betterhalf app?
Q. How muchh time you spent on the betterhalf app daily/weekly?
Q. Is there anything we can remove?
Q. What is going through your mind as you look at matches?
Q. What type of relationship would you look for?
Q. Are you ready to pay to arrive at a suitable life partner?
Q. What do you like/dislike about the betterhalf.ai app?
Q. Many More...
The primary goal of conducting this survey was to identify common challenges that users encounter and gather insights into their perspectives regarding their expectations from the product. This research proved instrumental in collecting additional data that informs design choices, including feature prioritization and their perceived significance. Moreover, the study played a crucial role in quantifying various aspects, providing us with tangible figures and statistics.
Insights
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Limited Time: Many users don't have much time to use the Betterhalf app due to their busy work and personal lives.
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Too Many Requests for Women: Women often get hundreds of requests every day, which makes it hard for them to find the right ones and can be frustrating. This makes them less likely to keep using the app.
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Random Requests from Men: Men usually send about 15 connection requests each day without considering interests, making the app feel cluttered.
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Men Start Conversations: Men usually start conversations, and women don't initiate as often.
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Women Want Serious Relationships: Women are more interested in finding long-term, meaningful relationships compared to men.
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Many Women Seek Marriage: A lot of women on the app are looking for serious relationships that could lead to marriage.
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Few Matches for Men: Most men struggle to get many matches on the app.
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Not Many Matches for Men: Only a small number of men get a lot of matches.
Competitor research
We then reviewed our competitors to identify their brand identity, positioning, and communication. This research helped us to understand the opportunities in the market and what our competitors are doing uniquely with their products and services.
Insights
This analysis has provided valuable insights into the unique selling points of our product and identified strategic growth opportunities within the market.
DEFINE
Understanding the user
Personas were instrumental in visually capturing user groups with similar challenges and needs. This method enabled us to create detailed profiles, enhancing our understanding and guiding our strategies to better address their requirements.
PROBLEM SYNTHESIS
Affinity diagraming
We turned to affinity mapping to deeply analyze the research data we had gathered. This strategy proved invaluable in organizing and ranking the challenges users were facing, giving us a clear picture of their issues in a structured way.
Exploring ideas and opportunities
IDEATE
During this session, our main aim was to thoroughly investigate the challenges at hand and also explore potential opportunities. Through the affinity diagram, we were able to streamline and prioritize key issues and features. Interestingly, as we mapped them out, we discovered that some requirements were closely related and intertwined with each other.
DESIGN DECISIONS
Rationale behind the solution
Our brainstorming session played a vital role in determining effective solutions for our challenges. Notably, we also reached conclusions about the features and functionalities that will be incorporated into our solution.
Solution
Constraints
The seriousness of users
Limited Interests Sent: We're introducing a daily limit for male users when sending interests to females, promoting balanced interactions.
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Sent Profile Status: Users will receive detailed updates on the status of sent profiles, including views, likes, and interactions.
Need for male users to standout
Sparkle Features: If you are a guy who is serious about finding a partner and wants to be a priority in the whole list of requests then send a Sparkle to your connection. By being a Sparkle user you can be 10x more likely to make a connection and conversation.
Decision making
Introduced a new feature called "Queued" within the "Sent" request section, enabling users to effectively manage pending requests. This addition enhances control and organization over ongoing interactions.
Lack of time/User engagement
Introducing a human matchmaker: A human matchmaker is a real person who will be with you all the time during your partner-search process and make it easier for you by understanding your preferences.
Strong Security
Introduced multi-government ID verification, enabling users to authenticate their identity using various official documents. This bolsters security and verification accuracy.
VISUAL DESIGNS
The Final Solution
We improved a few processes and added features to make it easier for users to find and connect with potential life partners. These features include the "human matchmaker" and Sparkle, which helps users get noticed by potential matches. We also introduced a Queued tab that allows users to manage connection requests more effectively and take connections more seriously. All these changes were made in line with new style guides and principles to create a better way of building modern relationships
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Even if users already have a connection, they can still choose to send a profile to the human matchmaker by forwarding it for further consideration.
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Switch between AI and Human matchmaking with a click; unlock human matchmaker benefits through a subscription.
Users have the option to send profiles they're interested in to the human matchmaker, and they can track the profile's status within the human matchmaker's process.
Introducing Human Matchmaker
Through our matchmaker feature, our goal is to elevate the matchmaking experience by embracing each user's unique individuality, preferences, values, beliefs, and interests, guiding them towards finding their ideal partner.
Sent Request
In the updated Sent-screen, users experience reduced scrolling since profiles they've reviewed are displayed with minimized images. Additionally, we've included extra information such as the time a profile was seen/unseen. To enhance user interaction, we've integrated CTA buttons for both Sparkle and the human matchmaker, streamlining the profile shortlisting process.
Queued Request
Received Request
