Bumble XR- The Bumbleworld

Overview of User journey
Step 1; Entry point
Step 2; Onboarding philosophy
Step 3; Build your profiles
Step 4; Swiping
Step 5; View your matches
Step 6; Play interaction
Step 7; Chatting
Privacy and safety

Inspiration

We were inspired by Track 2; Mobile app to XR, and decided to create an XR dating app. Dating apps are a huge part of how people connect today, but are famously known for their pain points and the emotional toll they take on users. Being a platform that is highly social and experiential, we believed we could address existing challenges users of dating apps face through immersive design.

We chose Bumble, as we were impressed with their prioritisation of safety of their users, and their ideology of being a feminist dating app.

What it does

The Bumbleworld is an immersive version of the Bumble mobile app. In the Bumbleworld, users can create interactive spaces that represent themselves, in place of traditional online profiles. They can also engage with their matches through immersive games that help determine compatibility.

The Bumbleworld serves purely as a meeting point for two users. Once users have reached the 'Chatting' phase, they are encouraged to connect via the bumble mobile app or meet in person.

How we built it

Our team comprises a researcher, a designer and a developer. We crafted the user journey, and steps at each stage. We brought these to life and tested them using OpenBrush sketches of the interface, and Wizard of Oz prototyping.

Challenges we ran into

Since we spent time focusing on the larger flow of how users would navigate the world, we had a tough time visualising each stage as part of a cohesive flow.

On our platform, users swipe, play games and navigate different zones. These called for very different types of interaction, making it difficult to bring them together into a cohesive flow.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are very proud of

Our reimagining of online profiles in VR
Our visualisation of stages in the online dating journey as spatial zones
Our addition of the 'play' stage in between matching and chatting

What we learned

We learned that visualising new interactions in VR is tough! Our early iterations were either too alien or too similar to whats out there. Some of the VR film recommendations from immersive insiders (Like Dear Angelica) inspired how we structured our interface, keeping them innovative but still usable.

What's next for Bumble XR- The Bumbleworld

We feel confident in our concept and premise. We are now ready to take our sketches and prototype into more refined development to be able to test the experience with users.