How to design a dating app, following the best practices the online daters are already used to but still making your future solution outstanding? In this article, we are going to discuss the main dating app design tips, trends, and best practices to help you grab winning ideas and get inspired.
Dating App Design Trends
Dating applications are trendy by themselves – in the background of the recent pandemic and in response to the never-ending busyness of modern people, they are easy solutions to satisfy the need for love, support, and friendship. That’s why we have already discussed how to build an online dating website from scratch, so now let’s take a closer look at the design for a dating application since this is one of the pillars that makes the most popular online dating apps so demanding.
1. Mobile Experience First
There are more than 40 million online dating app users, and half of them are using their favorite applications from a mobile device. The share of mobile users shows a stable growth during the recent three years (with a sudden peak in 2020) – there are 24,5 of them in 2024, while their number is projected to reach 25,7 by 2023.
So, if you are going to design a dating app, make sure to prioritize the mobile experience. This trend will only become stronger in response to modern people’s busyness and the dating apps UI design which becomes more advanced and convenient year after year.
2. Intuitive UX Writing
Despite all the benefits online dating applications come with, the users still have some concerns, especially those who are using these solutions for the first time. However, creating a friendly dating app UX and UI can be an option to make users feel more secure and engaged. Professional UI writing along with an engaging and friendly tone is a good tactic to help users relax, seamlessly onboard, and let the dating process start.
For example, Badoo is a perfect example of how UI writing can simplify the process of online dating. They have pretty friendly and creative captures, plus the application suggests sending an auto message to your match, in case you hesitate to write it on your own.
3. Gamification
Gamification is one more winning idea to design a dating app. What’s more, the list of the gamification features you can develop for your app is almost unlimited. For example, the option to send an automated message and begin a conversation is one of the simplest tricks, which, nevertheless, can break the ice.
Most dating applications also come with the features to play a game to know each other better, find additional common interests or meet somebody randomly. For 13% of singles, having gamification features inside the app is essential for getting started and proceeding with it.
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We are here to help!4. Bright and Inspiring Colors
How to create a dating app design? Choosing the right colors is essential, in addition to the dating app interface trends. When choosing the right colors for your future dating app, keep in mind that online dating is always about emotions and new experiences, regardless of the purpose your target audience pursues. What’s more, the first impression the users get is always visual so the colors of your design along with other dating app design ideas you would like to implement should instantly help the users tune into the right mood. For example:
- Bumble – Yellow. This color means positivity and friendliness. And its choice wasn’t random – Bumble has dedicated platforms for making friends and expanding a professional network.
- Tinder – Pink. Everything is clear with Tinder – this is a globally leading solution aimed at romantic but mostly serious dating and finding a partner.
- Badoo – Violet. According to the psychology of colors, violet is the color of wisdom, and indeed, Badoo can be a solution for conscious dating as well.
5. Likes as an Option to Swapping
Swapping left and right is already a classic dating app design practice. However, 15% of people have trouble identifying left and right, so for them adding even more classical Like or Dislike (in the way Badoo does) can be a better option. Still, leave the swiping feature in its place and just diversify the experience with likes.
6. Extensive Profiles
In 2021-24, not only the trends to design dating applications – the trends of users’ behavior and their expectations are changing as well. As for the most prominent ones, modern users are beginning to expect more honesty and transparency when dating online, and this is one of the consequences of the recent pandemic.
Also, those who have divorced or broke up during the lockdown, are now ready to get started with dating again, having the same expectations and the desire to be themselves.
How can the design, UI, and UX for dating apps satisfy this need? Thinking about the design of your user profile, consider making it more extensive so that the users can share the most important things about themselves and increase their chances of being carefully matched.
For example, Badoo profiles are pretty expensive, plus the users can fill them in by answering the templated questions and choosing the answers from the suggested lists.
7. Interactive Communication
As one of the prominent online dating app design trends, consider making the communication inside even more interactive. For example, you can do it by adding more emojis, emoticons, animations, disappearing photos, videos, and so on. Here is how it can look.
Dating App Interface Examples
Now, let’s take a quick look at the interfaces of the most popular online dating app. Most of them follow the same practices when it comes to UI and UX, so the only easily noticeable difference is the color. However, each of the applications has something to offer its users.
Example #1 - Tinder
Indeed, there is nothing special about Tinder UI and UX. However, it was the startup that made swapping popular in 2013, and in this article, we have researched how to build a dating app like Tinder. Another thing that makes Tinder outstanding is its matching algorithm which is based on both profile compatibility and user behavior.
Example #2 - Badoo
But when it comes to Badoo, their interface is a little more interesting compared to Tinder. For example, the project is great at UI writing, onboarding and engagement. The user profiles are very meaningful and extensive as well. The application is pretty intuitive to use, and this is also the case when the web version is pretty lame, especially compared to the mobile one.
Example #3 - Bumble
Bumble is well-known for the diverse opportunities it offers. The design of the app is something similar to Instagram, plus it also has an outstanding feature. On Bumble, only women can write the first message which can be both an advantage and a drawback.
Conclusion
Designing an online dating app is a fascinating process, especially if you have a reliable partner with tech expertise and creative thinking nearby. Binerals development team is highly focused on online dating applications development, so we would be happy to support your project as well.
