Hi everyone!
This week we wanted to continue our running theme of dating apps. There are a few out there which are doing some really interesting things, and it feels like the industry is booming coming into 2022. One in particular has caught my eye through a trend spotted on TikTok, and that’s Hinge and their new and very interesting Voice Prompts!
So, what is this feature?
Beyond the standard dating app profiles, Hinge decided to add a very simple but effective option to the profile of its users – the voice prompt. Previously, users could post pictures and text to give an indication of their personality and their appearance to attract other users, but this does miss a crucial part of dating – what the other person sounds like…
Adding this prompt brings a lot to the table. There’s no specific direction to what people should say, so snippets can range from a brief straight-laced introduction, all the way to a terrible, terrible dad joke. It brings out a lot of personality that may have been missing from the dating apps previously – so much so that these prompts have made their way onto social media, as people are keen to show off what they’ve heard – here are a few (terrible) examples in a clip…
What values does this enable?
As you can imagine, the first value this really shows off is self-direction - both from Hinge and the people using it. Including voice prompts is a really simple, but really imaginative way to add a dimension to their dating app. It’s an element that differentiates it from others, and recognizes the importance of showing off personality in first impressions, beyond written and visual aids.
It’s also an easy way for users to express themselves. As you can tell from the clips, users will often deploy really wacky or cheesy humour to try and make themselves stand out. It encourages a different way of thinking beyond the standard bio and “opening message” that dominate the way peope use these apps.
There’s also a sense of real entertainment here. People can get tired and frustrated using these apps to try and find a suitable match, so adding something that brings a sense of joy and humour is a way to lighten the mood, and to allow people scrolling to actually enjoy their time browsing the app beyond the jeopardy of dating.
It’s also been a great way of marketing Hinge – I’ve anecdotally seen videos of these prompts on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube separately, all showing off multiple of these voice prompts, so while it’s not actually a marketing campaign, the feature has itself caused ripples across social media and made it really identifiable part of the app, which I find really impressive.
As always, have a great week, and thanks for reading!
Best
George
