Hinge: The app designed to be deleted

 The dating app Hinge has positioned itself as “the app designed to be deleted.” However, the app was not always used in this way. When the app first launched it became, like many other dating apps, a ‘hookup’ app with users not seriously interested in finding a long-term relationship. As many other dating apps were used in this manner, this type of reputation and business model was not sustainable and the leaders of Hinge decided a change needed to be made (Shahani, Pp.11). The way the company made the transition from hookup app to dating app, was by making some changes to the interface. They changed the layout of the app to encourage users to talk with other users with whom they had already matched. “When you open Hinge, you land in an unusual place: the people with whom you've already matched. By design, the app is encouraging you to converse -- not swipe” (Shahani, Pp.18). While many other dating apps have the option of swiping between profiles quickly, the company began to test a variety of alternatives to swiping in order to get the user to take a moment before making a decision. Ultimately, landing on designing profiles to be scrolled through. A way Hinge monitors users and ensures the app is being used for its intended purpose is through an embedded algorithm. These algorithms “keeping track of people who like incessantly but don't converse. Those people get dinged, shown less to others” (Shahani, Pp.21). This allows the app to continue to showcase users who are serious about finding a relationship and continue to position the app as a better, more serious relationship app.

Source:

Shahani, A. (2016). Can dating app hinge make you talk, not swipe? Washington: NPR.

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