The Best Dating App for Pet Lovers.
When I was first approached to work on the Max & Molly app, I immediately thought of just how brilliant this idea was. The founder at the time knew the app had to be slightly gamified similar to other popular dating apps. The challenge here was how do we do that and still be original - authentic to the brand. After some extensive research and trying out different dating apps, it was pretty clear that the swipe left or right theme was the played out trend happening, so we wanted to try something a little different. We shifted our focus more on the pets and really incorporate them more into the design, almost as if our pets had a say in the functionalities of the app. The pets had their own profile right alongside the owner’s profile.
Registration / Profile
As you’ll see below, the app is playful and clean. We also wanted to make it exciting and a lot of fun. So from the start of the user’s journey, he/she will be able to complete a profile by inputting their zip code, age, and the type of person they are looking for (listbox of man, woman, gay, etc). Then they’ll be able to record a 20 second video with audio so that it can displayed when users are browsing other user profiles. They’ll be able to preview their recorded video, so they can decide to keep it or re-record it. From here, we made sure that the users will be able to access a saved profile so they can update their video, zip code, age, or person they are looking for. A user will have their recorded video deleted from the server if they have not logged into the app for 30 days. If a user logs into the app after 30 days they will be instructed to re- record their video.
Browse/Matching
We provided the users the ability to specify a search radius (5, 10, 25, or 50 miles) based on zip code so that they can be included in their search of other user’s profiles. We made it easy for users to view profile videos of other users based on their search criteria (distance and what they are looking for) along with the ability to watch a user’s video as many times as desired and pause, fast forward, or rewind it. We added an awesome like and dislike function by using a dog leash design and animation for dramatic effect. Users can receive a notification when they have liked a user that has also liked them. They can also view a video advertisement before watching a video after they have viewed certain amount of videos.
Communication
A user will be able to send a message to a user if both have tagged each other as liked (matched).
A user will be able to engage in a threaded discussion with a matched including sending text and photos.
A user will be able to view a list of all threaded discussions so they can tap on them to read or send additional messages.
A user will be able to delete a threaded discussion.
A user will be able to engage in a video chat with a matched user to allow them to communicate while viewing each other on their device.
A user will be able to report a user as inappropriate while in a threaded discussion or video chat so that they can be reported to the database admin.
A user will be able to block another user so that they can no longer communicate with them through text or chat.
A user will be able to share their 20 second video profile to Facebook, Twitter, email, and text so that other users can access it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this app was pretty straight-forward we were able to capture the essence of the founder’s vision and created something we were all very proud of. This app is one of my favorites in therms of style and gamified flow, which made it a lot fo fun. The playfulness and the pet-themed approach really works beautifully here. If you notice, each profile pic of the users all have photos of a dog tag in front of them with a picture of their pets inside. This was just another way to show that the pets are in equal footing as their owners. We really wanted to bring out the joy and love that pets bring into our daily lives. It created a lot of good energy, excitement, making dating less egocentric, and brought the fun back.
