The world’s most open-minded and discreet dating community. With over 15,000 daily sign-ups and millions of members in more than 50 countries, use Ashley Madison to find discreet relationships of all kinds.
I served as the Lead Visual Designer at Ruby Life Inc. for 2½ years within a small team, contributing to various dating platforms such as Ashley Madison, Cougar Life, and Established Man. Before the pandemic, this project was poised to become the next major iteration aimed at addressing our goals and challenges.
Personas
Research
Userflows
Sitemap
Wireframes
Prototyping
User testing
Branding
Visual design
Brian Offenheim
Adam Espinet
Andre Goncalves (me)
Figma
Google Docs
Adobe Photoshop
Ashley Madison, a global dating platform with millions of users worldwide, presented unique challenges due to its diverse user base across different languages, currencies, and devices. My task was to improve the user experience and ensure that the platform accommodated the needs of users globally while maintaining discretion and security.
Members who value emotional connections through detailed profiles often express frustration due to the lack of completed profiles, causing some to disengage from the platform.
Customer feedback suggests a need for enhanced discreet browsing options for users who wish to maintain privacy when using the product in public.
These users have no genuine connection with the product, deviating from its intended purpose and creating obstacles for those seeking meaningful connections.
Users have the ability to favorite others, send and request private keys to view private photos, and manage their blocked list. However, these features are scattered across the app, causing difficulties for users in accessing and utilizing them.
“I love my husband, but I feel like he doesn’t give me the attention I need anymore.”
Name
Maria M.
Location
Minnesota, United States
Gender
Female/Straight
Age
48
Status
Married; 25 years
Occupation
House Wife; $0k
Tier
Experienced
Archetype
Looking for emotional attention
Tags
Shy, extrovert, emotional, caring
Bio
Maria put her profession on hold at a young age to prioritize her family. With her husband, who is eight years her senior, often coming home exhausted from work, Maria finds herself longing for the attention and connection she craves. Now that her children have moved out and she has more free time on her hands, Maria has developed a proficiency with technology, using it as a way to fill the void of loneliness in her life.
Goals
“I wonder about how my life could have been if I did things differently.”
Name
John F.
Location
Montana, United States
Gender
Male/Straight
Age
58
Status
Married; 32 years
Occupation
Accountant; $80k
Tier
New user
Archetype
Curious but committed
Tags
Curious, introvert, rational, judgmental
Bio
John is a traditionalist who holds onto his ‘old-school’ values and prefers the simplicity of pen and paper. He’s not particularly tech-savvy and resists change whenever possible. When faced with software issues, he relies on his son for assistance. He married at a young age and occasionally wonders how life might have been different with more romantic experiences, yet his love for his wife remains strong.
Goals
Ruby’s analytics reveal that approximately half of user profiles contain only the bare minimum of information necessary for completion. This poses a significant challenge for users seeking meaningful emotional connections.
To address this issue, we’ve developed two potential theories:
For our current efforts, we will prioritize addressing the second theory.
In our effort to enhance the onboarding experience, we’ve chosen to introduce a set of additional profile questions. To respect the preferences of discreet users, these questions will remain optional.
Furthermore, we’ve innovated with the introduction of a new feature known as ‘Stories.’ These are personality-based questions that users can answer during onboarding or on their profile page. Users can also explore these ‘Stories’ in the dedicated tab on the Discover (home) page.
Our primary hypothesis is that these changes will lead to higher profile completion rates and increased user interaction.
According to user feedback, the current layout and color scheme of the platform draw excessive attention from onlookers in public settings. This issue poses a significant challenge for a discreet dating platform like ours, and we’re committed to resolving it.
We will introduce a toggle feature offering three layout options: large, medium, and small. Additionally, we will remove the Ashley Madison logo.
Our primary assumption is that these changes will enhance customer satisfaction and reduce the visibility of the platform in public spaces, addressing the issue of ‘side lookers’ with the new discreet browsing options.
Superfluous users, including sugar babies, swindlers, and catfish, have become a significant concern. Numerous users have expressed dissatisfaction due to these individuals disrupting their search for genuine connections.
If you encounter a profile that violates our rules, you can easily report it to our moderation team. Simply tap the plus icon, select ‘Report User’ from the menu, answer a few quick questions, and you’ll receive our gratitude for your assistance.
To enhance profile authenticity and boost user engagement, we’re introducing profile authentication. Users can verify their profiles by taking a real-time selfie, matching a model’s pose from a sample image (without revealing their faces). Our dedicated CSRs will then verify the submitted photo. Once approved, users will receive a blue verified badge next to their profile photo or name.
Our primary assumption is that implementing this feature will provide users with added assurance of authenticity, signaling their seriousness in seeking a partner. This will not only increase user engagement but also improve their chances of meaningful connections.”
Users can favorite others, send and request private keys (for accessing private photos), and manage their blocked list. Currently, these features are divided between two locations, and we’ve identified an opportunity to streamline and enhance them.
We will consolidate the existing ‘Favorites,’ ‘Viewed Me,’ ‘Private Keys,’ and ‘Blocked Profiles’ pages into a new ‘Interactions’ page.
Our primary assumption is that this consolidation will make it more user-friendly for individuals to efficiently manage their interactions from a single page.
