1. Overview & Problem Statement

Context:
Match Group identified a persistent user concern across its platforms (especially Tinder and Plenty of Fish): personal safety before and during first dates. Users, particularly women and vulnerable demographics, expressed anxiety about meeting strangers, even after in-app vetting.

Core Problem:
How might we empower users to feel safer when meeting someone for the first time, while respecting privacy and maintaining a seamless experience?

Business & Safety Goals:

· Increase user confidence to move from digital to real-world meetings.
· Reinforce Match Group’s commitment to trust and safety.
· Reduce incidents and improve user retention.

2. Research & Insights

Key Findings (Pre-Design):

· 60% of users shared date details manually via text/screenshots.
· This process was fragmented—friends often lacked context, location, or photo of the match.
· Many users wanted an in-app way to discreetly share plans without awkwardness.

Competitive Landscape:
Bumble had “Private Detector” and photo verification, but no integrated date-sharing feature. This was a whitespace opportunity.

3. Introducing “Share My Date”

Concept:
A native feature that lets users easily share their upcoming date details—time, location, photo, and profile link of the match—with trusted contacts via a single link.

Design Objectives:

1. Safety First – Provide essential info for emergency context.
2. Privacy Respect – Ensure the match’s privacy isn’t violated.
3. Simplicity – Minimal steps, intuitive placement.
4. Discretion – Avoid making the match feel “reported.”

4. UX Design Process

User Flow:

Upcoming match conversation → “Share My Date” button (in chat header) →
Preview screen (editable details) → Choose contact (via SMS, WhatsApp, etc.) →
Link sent with date card → Recipient can view details and live location (if enabled).

Key Screens & Features:

A. Entry Point

· Placed in top-right menu of chat screen (shield icon).
· Visible only when a date is verbally planned (detected via keyword triggers?)*
Note: Final MVP used manual user trigger only to avoid false positives.

B. Date Details Card
Users could edit:

· Date time
· Meeting place (auto-pulled from chat or manual)
· Match’s first name & photo
· A note field for additional info

C. Sharing & Recipient Experience

· Generated link led to a secure web view with date info.
· Recipients did not need the app to view.
· Optional live location sharing (via opt-in, time-limited).

D. Privacy Safeguards

· Match is notified that details were shared (transparency).
· Shared info limited to first name and photos already on profile.
· No personal contact info shared.
· Users could disable sharing for their profile in settings.

5. Trust & Safety Considerations

My Role as Trust & Safety Designer:

· Worked with legal to ensure GDPR/CCPA compliance.
· Collaborated with security engineers to encrypt shared links.
· Designed the match notification to avoid defensiveness (“I’m sharing for safety, not because I distrust you” messaging).
· Included safety tips in the flow (e.g., “Meet in public,” “Have your phone charged”).

Balancing Act:
Prevent misuse (e.g., stalking, harassment via shared links) by:

· Link expiration after date time passes.
· Reporting mechanism if a shared link is abused.

6. Launch & Metrics

Phased Rollout:

1. First launched on Plenty of Fish (Oct 2022), then Tinder (Feb 2023).
2. Targeted markets with higher safety concerns.

Success Metrics (Post-Launch):

· Adoption: 15% of PoF users who set up a date used the feature within first month.
· Sentiment: 80% of users felt “more comfortable” meeting in person.
· Safety: No increase in incident reports; slight decrease in safety-related support tickets.
· Retention: Users who used the feature were 10% more likely to schedule another date within 2 weeks.

7. Challenges & Iterations

Challenge 1: Low discovery of the feature.
Iteration: Added a proactive safety prompt when date-related keywords were detected in chat (“Looks like you’re planning a date. Want to share your plans with a friend?”).

Challenge 2: Some matches felt uneasy being “shared.”
Iteration: Refined notification copy to emphasize safety and normalize the behavior (“It’s becoming common to share date plans for peace of mind”).

Challenge 3: Recipients confused about what to do with the info.
Iteration: Added recipient guidelines: “Check in at X time” and “Here’s how to reach PoF/Tinder Safety Team if concerned.”

8. Reflection & Future Vision

What Worked:

· Integrated sharing reduced friction and increased likelihood of use.
· Transparent match notification maintained trust between users.