04
Gender-fluid dating app
People often assume that UX research is limited to user studies. However, many layers and actors in product development influence the user experience. In this project, I applied UX methods to investigate both users and designers through a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data.
In the realm of dating apps, women expressed mixed feelings about their experiences: they found these platforms efficient but not very welcoming. Dating apps have transformed how people connect for casual encounters or long-term relationships, enabling connections across cultures, geographies, and social groups. Despite these advantages, gender inclusion remains a major issue in app development. The under-representation of women in design teams, lack of in-depth user research, the assumption that the default user is male, and the influence of personal beliefs in decision-making all hinder the inclusion of women's needs in the design process.
In the first round of user research, I interviewed 40 women to explore their experiences, expectations, frustrations, and perceived benefits and disadvantages. A striking insight emerged: over 70% had been victims of harassment and objectification. I later expanded the study to include both male and female users, allowing for a comparative analysis. I coded the qualitative responses to enable statistical analysis and applied chi-squared tests to assess the interaction between categorical variables related to perceived "positive aspects," "negative aspects," and "feeling respected." Gender differences were statistically significant.
In a second phase focused on designers and developers, I created a method to investigate gender bias in app development. Around 100 participants (half developers, half designers) completed three tasks where they had to establish requirements and priorities for building a dating app based on a given persona and scenario. To detect unconscious gender bias, I designed a genderless persona and a gender-inclusive scenario in collaboration with fellow researchers and a gender expert. All stereotypical gender indicators, such as name, image, activities, and language, were removed without explicitly drawing attention to their absence.
Using the Mann-Whitney / Wilcoxon test, I found statistically significant differences between the decisions made by male and female participants regarding user needs, app behaviour, and feature prioritisation. The results revealed a general tendency to unconsciously assign gender to users, even when none was specified. However, the study also demonstrated that it is possible to design gender-fluid personas and inclusive scenarios that incorporate diverse gender needs, rather than relying on multiple personas that can reinforce gender hierarchies.
In the design group, for instance, 78% of participants did not notice the absence of gender in the persona or scenario descriptions, highlighting the potential for more inclusive design practices without necessarily making gender the focal point.
ROLE
UX researcher
LOCATION
Ireland
PARTICIPANTS
300+ volunteers
▪︎ Users
▪︎ Designers
▪︎ Developers
UX TOOLS
▪︎ Interview
▪︎ Persona
▪︎ Scenario
▪︎ Survey
▪︎ User journey
▪︎ User study
DESIGN ISSUES
▪︎ Women felt frustrated and disrespected.
▪︎ Women’s needs are easily disregarded in design.
▪︎ There are gender bias in the design process.
INSIGHTS
▪︎ Biases may emerge in the 2nd stage of design process.
▪︎ Personas may worsen gender issues as they are easily stereotyped.
▪︎ Using genders in user descriptions may lead to bias.
OUTCOMES
▪︎ Gender-fluid persona.
▪︎ Gender-inclusive scenario.
▪︎ A method to investigate gender bias.
To further explore gender fluidity in user descriptions, I conducted a third round of research through an online survey. I designed four personas based on insights from the first round of interviews: one male, one female, and two gender-fluid personas that integrated needs commonly expressed by both men and women. I recruited approximately 120 creative professionals, each of whom was randomly assigned one persona by the survey platform. Using Kendall’s Tau, I analysed the correlation between the requirement rankings generated for each persona. Results showed that the gender-fluid personas prompted more inclusive design requirements when compared to the male persona.
The complexity, plurality, and fluidity of gender challenge binary notions of "man" and "woman" and broaden the understanding of femininities and masculinities. In this context, the commitment to designing for marginalised users is not only a core principle of design itself but also central to a human-centred approach. Ideally, gender-fluid UX methods should encompass a wider gender spectrum. However, doing so presents challenges, particularly in quantitative research, due to the difficulty of recruiting a sufficiently diverse sample size for statistical analysis.
Even so, gender-fluid UX methods that do not explicitly reinforce binary gender categories can help reduce gender bias and stereotypes. By shifting the focus to users' actual needs, designers can foster more inclusive outcomes, even when participants unconsciously project gender onto users. In dating apps, this approach can lead to more welcoming experiences, new dating dynamics, and opportunities for more respectful digital and in-person interactions.
Although women and transgender people have gained greater autonomy and visibility in relationships, discriminatory behaviour and various forms of gender-based violence persist both online and offline. A worrying trend is the rise of anti-feminist movements in digital communities, such as the “Men’s Rights Movement” (MRM), “Men Going Their Own Way” (MGTOW), and “The Red Pill”, which actively oppose gender equality. In light of these threats, dating apps must become more inclusive by offering non-binary gender options, actively combating harassment, and addressing gender imbalances on their platforms.
This inclusivity must extend beyond features to encompass the entire design process. Inclusive algorithms and equitable decision-making structures are critical, but the design outcomes will only be as inclusive as the process that produces them. By recognising these challenges and embedding inclusive principles at every stage of design, dating apps can evolve into safer, more equitable spaces for connection.