Enhancing User Experience in Dating Apps through Gamification

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2023 in the subject Computer Science - Applied, grade: 2,0, , language: English, abstract: The integration of game mechanics into non-game-related environments, also known as gamification, has gained increased attention in recent years. This practice can have a significant impact on the user experience in different contexts. In the past, gamification was mainly researched in the field of education. However, with the rise of dating apps, there has recently been an opportunity to use gamification as a promising way to improve the user experience in this particular context. This thesis focuses on the central research question: 'How does the integration of gamification elements impact the overall user experience in dating apps?'. To answer this question, three different prototypes for an iPhone application were developed. These prototypes are based on the well-known dating app 'Tinder' and mainly focus on the user interface while 'swiping'. One of the prototypes doesn't contain any additional gamification elements, while another prototype has integrated progress bars and a third prototype has integrated sound effects. In total 50 subjects were recruited to test the prototypes. Subsequently, the participants filled out a questionnaire that included both specially developed questions and questions from the 'User Experience Questionnaire Short (UEQ-S)' by Schrepp et al. (2017). The quantitative data collected was analysed to assess the impact of gamification elements on the user experience. The results of this research showed that the integration of sound effects resulted in an 8% increase in user experience, while the integration of a progress bar resulted in a significant improvement of 25%. These findings highlight the positive impact of gamification elements in dating apps and provide valuable insights for the development of future applications in this area. This thesis therefore contributes to the in-depth investigation of gamification in non-traditional environments and emphasizes the importance of a user focussed design of dating apps.