Yahoo! Personals
Interaction Design + Prototyping + Art Direction
Dating Profile Redesign
Redesigning the Yahoo! Personals dating profile was one of the most interesting design challenges I've had so far. On the surface of it all, the problem is extremely simple: create a profile, search for people, and communicate. In reality, however, designing an online dating experience is as complex as the emotions filling the customers' heads.
The essense of the design strategy aimed to cast a favorable light on people interested in dating. This strategy is exemplified by looking at direct and residual influences of design:
- The profile aesthetics can directly influence one's perception of a person. If the page is dull, so is the person.
- Organizing information so that natural behavior is effortless may increase number of dating profiles viewed.
Data from ethnographic studies was used to help define the hierarchy of information in the profile. By observing how people evaluate dating profiles and decide to communicate, patterns began to emerge. The best example of this is the creation of the "First Impressions" module. This module allows users view the topics they consider most important first. The idea for this module stems from observing users scanning a profile to primarily ensure that they fit what the individual is seeking, and second, that the individual has "deal breaker" attributes. By allowing a user to define these topics and see them first, profile evaluation became a much speedier process — and resulted in a 34% increase in profile views (a key performance metric).
Information was also better organized. Instead of two long lists (one for the customer and one for what they seek) of uncategorized attributes, information was grouped by subject. Groups, in turn, simultaneously displayed information about who the person is and what they seek.
I worked extremely closely with a Visual Designer to achieve a look that helped showcase daters. The art direction I provided led to a high level of collaboration between our disciplines.
Patent Application
Initial Impression Analysis Tool for an Online Dating Service - November 2006 (Applied)
The "First Impressions" module described above is a key differentiator for Yahoo! Personals. The ability to quickly evaluate a profile is a shared goal for online daters and the service providers. Daters don't want to spend time and emotions on people they know are not a good fit, since being able to evaluate more profiles may open the door to finding the right person. For online dating service providers, offering features that accelerate the evaluation process and yield more page views directly affects revenue streams from advertising.
The concept of an initial impression analysis tool is not confined solely to online dating. As explained in the application, one could use a similar system to help a customer find the right digital camera or evaluate a set of like objects.
Who's Viewed Me
Many online dating and social network web sites offer customers with ability to know who has looked at their profile. Unlike the status-quo implementations, this version takes into account the social dynamics of online dating.
Many people, for example, look at profiles of their ex-partners, close friends, or family members. In a traditional system, the profile owner would be notified immediately and may misinterpret the reason why their profile was viewed. Also, from prior ethonographic research, we know that men are more comfortable casting a wide net, and women prefer to not make first contact.
To address these two issues, I led the design of a system that allows users to choose whether or not they wished to make their presence known when viewing other people's profiles. While viewing a profile, confirmation that one's presence was registered or cloaked is made aparent. Users who chose to remain anonymous are offered the option to mark their presence as a subtle way of flirting.
The interface displaying a list of people who viewed your profile also lent itself to some innovative enhancements. In addition to a timestamp of the last time a specific person viewed your profile, a counter of the number of times they've viewed your profile is displayed. This counter, dubbed "the stalker counter" is helpful in differentiating casual browsing from legitimate interest from, well, stalking.