UI Design work:
Soul Mate Website
self-generated, 2018
I want to create a “mature friendship platform” for all middle-aged and elderly users. The reason is from my daily observations. Ever since I was a child, I have often heard elders complain about not being able to choose the right life partner when they were young, only to end up marrying someone like their father or mother. Then I discovered that it was a common experience for many of my friends. I think this phenomenon is very common, maybe because emotions and feelings are dynamic and each person’s thoughts, values, and views are different at each stage of life, so finding a life partner will also be different. So, while this is just an idea, I also asked some seniors how they view dating sites and what features or services might attract them to try.
Therefore, I believe it is necessary to create a friendship space for mature users, using interfaces, functions, languages , and information architectures that are familiar to them, specifically designed for their needs in building friendships. Finally, I also discovered that privacy and security are the most important concerns for seniors when it comes to dating sites. They don’t even want family and friends to know that they are using dating sites, which can be related to society’s stereotypes, social customs, moral values, and family upbringing.
Through such conversations, I found out that they are also very interested in not being considered “old people” even though the target age is set to be over 50. They like websites that feature fashionable and pretty models, for them, beautiful images and visual appeals are the key to attraction. I think it’s an interesting point to consider, which directly got me to delve into the design and further planning of the website. Also, from my own experience using dating apps, I see that there are no dating apps designed specifically for older people. As a result, older users are often marginalized or even seen as an underdog in the world of dating apps (called “uncle” or “auntie” if they are over 30). The most popular user groups on dating apps are usually young men and women between the ages of 15 and 28.
After all, in Eastern society, marriage means being faithful to one’s partner until death, the concept of loyalty is still deeply rooted. I think everyone has the right to choose a life partner to spend the rest of their lives with. Maybe the way Eastern society perceives relationships is not as open as Western societies. Yet, I believe that in the near future, Taiwan will have the same mentality.
