Bumble Bhive
Integrate new features into the existing platform that enable users to create and explore events.
My role
UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Visual Designer, Researcher
Team
Joanna K.
Khyati B.
Trev P.
Tools
Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Trello, Figjam
Category
Communication
Timeline
2 weeks
Type of projects
Concept
Design process
Overview
Bumble is a well-known dating app that offers three modes: Date (for romantic meetings), BFF (for meeting new friends), and Bizz (for networking). The brand positions itself as an app for meaningful relationships.
The user creates their profile, which includes a picture and a bio. They can choose some questions to answer and select some filters for their potential BFF matches. Swiping right means you like that person; swiping left means you dislike that person. If another user also swipes right towards you, you are connected and allowed to start a conversation.
Problem
Solutions
01
People struggle to initiate the conversation or make the first move.
02
People are afraid to meet one-on-one for the first time.
03
People felt disappointed while finding friends on a Dating App
01
Create opportunity to chat on a group.
02
Find events to attend (with similar inrests)
03
Create more opportunities to connect people with similar interests.
The first step of the sprint was to understand Bumble Bff. I conducted extensive research on their successes and pitfalls to build our knowledge and create a new, usable feature. My goal was to determine how we could help Bumble users stimulate activities, break the ice, and discover affinities.
Understanding the market
I began identifying special features, priority features, and layouts of some dating and friend-like apps, including Hinge, Meetup, OkCupid, and Tinder. My goal was to find the attributes users care about the most. I examined the features, benefits, and layout of the four apps. We paid close attention to meetup preferences, filtering, and sorting results to ensure optimal results. The information gathered from this analysis would help shape the key features we would include in the new feature.
How Bumble app stand out from the rest?
By offering what some of the competitors don't:
Finding a friend feature
Meetup preferences
Create activities
Find an event or invite to the event new friends
Understanding the users
After gathering competitive data, I was well-equipped to begin sending out surveys and conducting user interviews to collect both qualitative and quantitative information on people’s experiences with using friends and dating apps.
Me and my team interviewed 8 individuals all between the ages of 30-42.
All interviewees already use the Bumble app or have used the app in the past.
I compile all data received into an affinity map. This provided us with insights and common trends among users. As a team, this was key to prioritizing our design.
6
Surveys
8
User interviews
30-42
Age range
Interview insights
The group meetings is less nerve-racking
I prefer to meet people for a specific activity
I would like to see who from matches are going to the event
If the activity is suggested by the app then it's less awkward
Survey insights
Who are we designing for?
Based on my research conclusions, I created a user persona to help establish the problem that needs to be solved, focus our design decisions, and further empathize with our users. Persona Chandler emerged from our affinity map.
The user needs a better way to meet friends so that he can build a community in the new city he has just moved to.
Empathizing with the user allowed us to find pain points very quickly.
How might we...?
01
HMW facilitate an environment where Chandler can meet new friends who share the same interests?
02
HMW help Chandler find different opportunities to hang out with potential friends?
03
HMW help Chandler build a safer community so that he feels more comfortable meeting new friends?
Priority matrix
I prioritized the features based on the user insights to increase the user engagement ratio for the Bumble app.
Must have
-
Replicate swipe feature for events
-
Set meetup preferences
-
Create an event/explore the events
-
Event cards with photo, location, date, who is goin
-
Show events based on interests
Could have
-
Quick way to see bff’s meetup preferences
-
Group chat with event attendees
-
Conversation starters/easy prompts.
-
Rating/frequency for event preference
-
Pre-uploaded event images
Won't have
-
Rating/review for event
-
Rating/review for host
-
Paid events
.
Flow diagram
To outline all the necessary functionality, I created a flow diagram of the main tasks the user can perform. The flow is shown below. Fail state flows were also made, but are not shown due to space constraints.
Low-fidelity wireframes
Once the flow diagram and mood board was established, I started creating the low-fidelity wireframes of the main flows.
Usability test result for Lo-Fi wireframes
I facilitated two rounds of usability testing. Each round had five testers to discover any issues that might arise for the users in the proposed prototype.
5/5
Successfully
schedule an event
3/5
Swipe through
the events
4/5
Set bhive
preferences
5/5
Invite matched
friends to event
Proposed changes
Bhive filters were opening the screen to the new feature, but after usability testing, we decided to add a single screen to set preferences and get users quickly interacting with the app.
Alignment and grid
I selected an 8-point grid for the project and set the margins within groups to 8 and 16, with margins between groups at 24, 32, and 48 points.
Accessibility check
The app has been evaluated for contrast to match AA standards of WCAG. In some cases, I found that the contrast can be improved.
High-fidelity prototype
I connected my high-fidelity designs into a clickable prototype.