4 Must-Haves For Dating Apps This Valentines

What’s the secret to a good dating app?
A conversation around dating and romance in 2016 is almost guaranteed to include talk about online dating and location-based apps. What once was a stigmatized practice, reserved only for older daters or those who were desperate for marriage, has now become one of the primary means by which people find new romantic partners.
There is a growing list of dating app options with a new format cropping up nearly every week. However, the mainstreaming of online dating happened for two primary reasons: the rise of location-based and double opt-in networks. Tinder was the frontrunner of both of these categories, and its novel model meant that you could use a lean and easy-to-update profile to connect only with those in your immediate vicinity. And more importantly, you could only speak to people who were mutually interested in you. This was a game-changer for females when it came to internet dating; whereas on earlier networks they would have been bombarded with advances that were not serious, or were downright hostile or invasive, with the double opt-in model all of a sudden they had more control over the dating process.
Fast forward a few years from when Tinder first entered the scene, and online dating is now entirely blasé. In fact, where once people were shy or embarrassed about having a profile, they now commonly have multiple apps running at once, and will consult their friends about their prospects or how they’ve presented themselves on their profile.
It’s important for entrepreneurs and developers looking to get into the online and location-based dating sphere to understand just how users interact on these platforms. When it comes to egos, attraction and reputation, subtleties and nuances matter more than anywhere else. Certain design or concept flaws can spell doom from the get-go if you don’t understand the mechanics of online love.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when trying to understand the mechanics of the online dating world:
Design with women in mind: While males might be seen as sexual aggressors or pursuers, the truth is that if you can’t get women comfortable using your app, it won’t be a success. Design your app more suited to women than men and make sure that they have a little more power when it comes to being “gatekeepers” of who gets to contact them.
Don’t expect exclusivity: Just as people like to date more than one person at a time, they also like to use more than one app at a time. Don’t create an app that’s time consuming and requires a commitment on behalf of the user to check in really often. A user should be able to drop in and out as frequently or infrequently as they please, and their success rate shouldn’t suffer for it.
Police your pictures: Pictures of dogs, the sea or beautiful mountain scenes won’t  help a user get to know a dating prospect. Have a seamless and easy to navigate vetting process to ensure that when a user uploads pictures they’re not uploading images which indicative of what they actually look like. If your app doesn’t have good quality pictures, no one will want to use it.
Integrate with social: A successful dating app will have a system that allows a new user to set up a profile in less than 5 minutes. Gone are the days when people painstakingly wrote bios and lists of their interests and hobbies. These days, people are using multiple apps at once and trying out the ones that work for them. Don’t expect a new user to commit to a lengthy signup process: keep it simple, streamlined and integrated with social.
The flexible nature of the cloud makes it the perfect environment to build and launch your app. Visit our website to find out more.