3 Reasons Hinge ISN'T 'Designed to be Deleted'
Part 2 of a series - Designing better dating apps
Hinge’s motto is ‘Designed to be deleted’. You find a relationship and leave the app. That’s what Hinge claims, at least.
Here we’ll lay down the top 3 reasons why Hinge is not actually ‘Designed to be deleted’. To wrap things up, we’ll ask: what would a dating app look like that actually is designed to help users get what they want?
This is part 2 of a series on dating apps. Check out Part 1, original research
1. Hinge makes money by keeping you single
To begin with, Hinge’s business model runs against the best interests of its users. They make money when people pay for features that, among other things, show you more potential matches.
Hinge is designed to make you want to see more people. You have a limited number of likes per day, and after that, you have to start paying. Each time you see a new profile, you get a tiny hit of dopamine, making swiping pleasurable. So, in essence, Hinge is designed to get you addicted to swiping, and then charge you money to swipe more.
A dating app ‘designed to be deleted’…
A dating app ‘designed to be deleted’ wouldn’t make money from getting people to want to see additional potential matches. Seeing more matches keeps you on the platform for longer. Why? Keep reading to find out.
2. Hinge keeps you eternally shopping
Hinge’s motto ‘Designed to be deleted’ is about helping you find connections that have potential. But the problem on dating apps isn’t generally finding connections with potential, it’s transitioning from ‘finding potential matches’ to ‘being in a relationship’.
The problem with Hinge (and all dating apps that rely on swiping mechanics) is it keeps you in the shopping journey forever- you’re never told to stop swiping and just focus on exploring a relationship that’s emerging.
Let’s say you go on a good first date. Do you stop swiping on Hinge, knowing the person you went on a date with might still be swiping? Swiping after a good first date primes your mind to focus on what better things might be out there.
Hinge does nothing to help you decide when it’s time to stop swiping. In fact, they deliberately make that decision harder. When you open the app, the first thing you always see is a stranger’s face (potential match), instead of the conversations you already have going!
A dating app ‘designed to be deleted’…
A dating app designed to be deleted wouldn’t keep you eternally shopping. It would help you go from first date, to second, to third (with the right person). But Hinge doesn’t do that because…
3. Hinge gets you comparing people against each-other, not your goals.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
You might think ‘the more people I see, the more likely I am to find the best match for me.’ But psychology research suggests otherwise. In truth, the more matches you see, the less likely you are to want to focus on one match, because you know that there’s a higher chance ‘someone better’ might be out there!
Hinge gets you comparing people against each-other through showing you lots of matches, and asking you to “shop” between them. But finding a relationship is not like shopping for a new pair of shoes. On dating apps, the ‘shopping’ works 2 ways, and that’s where the ‘shopping’ framework really breaks down.
Let’s say you go on 3 first dates. How are you supposed to compare Sarah, Mary, and Eva? What about all the other women you see who you might initially match with, but then never respond back?
A dating app ‘designed to be deleted’:
A dating app ‘designed to be deleted’ wouldn’t encourage you to benchmark matches against each-other, and would instead help you figure out if a new connection passes a basic threshold of compatibility to move forward with.
Conclusion
Compared to Tinder, Bumble, and other dating apps, Hinge might have features that are more connection-friendly. But it still fundamentally suffers from the same fundamental flaws as Tinder.
A dating app ‘designed to be deleted’…
would require braver design decisions from day 1, not just relying on tweaks to the traditional dating app formula.
Well said!