Bumble Sessions,
Location-based spontaneous dates to help users find meaningful matches.
Location-based spontaneous dates to help users find meaningful matches.
Client
Bumble | Concept
Year
2025
Role
UX | UI
Bumble is a dating app empowering women to make the first move in heterosexual matches.
Despite the app's success, women on Bumble still experience decision fatigue due to mass swiping by male users, leading to disengagement and low-quality matches. To address this, Bumble Sessions introduces spontaneous, location-based dating, enabling users to meet in real-time at partnered businesses. Bumble Sessions reduces choice overload, encourages meaningful connections, and leverages systems-thinking to create a circular revenue stream for Bumble through in-person business partnerships and premium subscriptions. By introducing behavioral science principles and precision location services, Bumble Sessions enhances user experience while driving engagement and monetization.
My Advanced IXD course gave me the opportunity to reframe a conceptual design breif to create solutions meeting both the needs of users and Bumble. The result was a new business model , new approach to dating, and built off Bumble's existing design system with 3 new components.
Despite the app's success, women on Bumble still experience decision fatigue due to mass swiping by male users, leading to disengagement and low-quality matches. To address this, Bumble Sessions introduces spontaneous, location-based dating, enabling users to meet in real-time at partnered businesses. Bumble Sessions reduces choice overload, encourages meaningful connections, and leverages systems-thinking to create a circular revenue stream for Bumble through in-person business partnerships and premium subscriptions. By introducing behavioral science principles and precision location services, Bumble Sessions enhances user experience while driving engagement and monetization.
My Advanced IXD course gave me the opportunity to reframe a conceptual design breif to create solutions meeting both the needs of users and Bumble. The result was a new business model , new approach to dating, and built off Bumble's existing design system with 3 new components.
● Problem statement & User research insights
Women face decision fatigue from mass-swiping male users.
“Exactly! Sometimes they even unmatch before I can even send them a message. Like why not be more selective.” –Reddit user
Decision Fatigue
Many male users engage in mass swiping to maximize match potential, often ignoring connections that do not meet their perceived standards. This was a screenshot of my actual Bumble account, which included only 1 photo of half of my face visible used to audit the platform.
Many male users engage in mass swiping to maximize match potential, often ignoring connections that do not meet their perceived standards. This was a screenshot of my actual Bumble account, which included only 1 photo of half of my face visible used to audit the platform.
Meaningless matches
As a result of mass swiping, even when women initiate conversations, they frequently experience disengagement or ghosting before meaningful interactions can develop.
As a result of mass swiping, even when women initiate conversations, they frequently experience disengagement or ghosting before meaningful interactions can develop.
● Proposed Solution
Bumble Sessions: Spontaneous, meaningful dates—fast.
Bumble's 'session' mode reduces decision fatigue and encourages authentic connections by enabling users in high-density areas to spontaneously meet at partnered local businesses.
Entering a Bumble Session reveals local users available for a spontaneous date.
In a session, only users in a 1.5MI radius also in a session can be seen. These users are not visible on the typical feed, which brings exclusivity through users' temporary nature—users have to act fast before they leave the Session.
In a session, only users in a 1.5MI radius also in a session can be seen. These users are not visible on the typical feed, which brings exclusivity through users' temporary nature—users have to act fast before they leave the Session.
Glowing Ring signals Presence and Availability
Constant motion indicates feelings of activity, in motion, and "fleeting" on an emotional level. As if your "radar" has turned on and gives a nod to the 1.5MI radius pool of users you're restricted to. Functionally, it indicates a state change: Your Session has begun.
Constant motion indicates feelings of activity, in motion, and "fleeting" on an emotional level. As if your "radar" has turned on and gives a nod to the 1.5MI radius pool of users you're restricted to. Functionally, it indicates a state change: Your Session has begun.
Session matching User Flow
Time sensitivity enhances engagement, leading to more meetups.
Users may swipe left on a match to decline the invite
Applied Behavioral Science
Loss Aversion
Studies have shown that humans are loss averse—meaning, they would rather not lose something than gain something new.
Value to User
Endlessly dwelling on or comparing options leads to more decisions and increased stress. The fear of losing a match motivates users to take immediate action, meet in person more often, and get closer to their goal of meeting someone genuine.
Elimination by Aspects
Elimination By Aspects (EBA) is a decision making strategy that helps people eliminate options that don't meet a set criterion, reducing the cognitive load to make complex decisions.
Value to User
Potential matches can suggest a local business to meet at, allowing the sender to stand out and helping users avoid matches who suggest places they don't enjoy.
● Revenue Touchpoints & Stakeholder value
A Systems Thinking Approach to Revenue Growth
With Bumble Coupons, local businesses benefit from more customers, users gain additional perks, and Bumble monetizes both in-person bussiness visits and premium subscriptions—ensuring sustainable growth for the platform.
Originally, Bumble's problem statement focused on increasing the number of premium users. Let's reframe this: What Bumble truly needs is increased revenue. While the proposed solution is user-centered and research-driven, ultimately Bumble is still our primary stakeholder.
Bumble Coupons provide a unique perk: Just like offering your date a drink at the bar, Premium+ subscribers can treat their date to exclusive Bumble Coupons. These rewards grant the recipient a significant discount at a sponsored location where both parties choose to meet.
Additionally, every time a user enters a partner business, Bumble earns $0.05 per visit. In turn, businesses see increased foot traffic and sales, creating a strong incentive to become Bumble partners. This strategy is similar to Pokemon Go's use of sponsored locations, which contributed to its success.
Ultimately, this creates a circular revenue stream: businesses benefit from more customers, users gain additional perks, and Bumble monetizes both in-person visits and premium subscriptions—ensuring sustainable growth for the platform.
Bumble Coupons provide a unique perk: Just like offering your date a drink at the bar, Premium+ subscribers can treat their date to exclusive Bumble Coupons. These rewards grant the recipient a significant discount at a sponsored location where both parties choose to meet.
Additionally, every time a user enters a partner business, Bumble earns $0.05 per visit. In turn, businesses see increased foot traffic and sales, creating a strong incentive to become Bumble partners. This strategy is similar to Pokemon Go's use of sponsored locations, which contributed to its success.
Ultimately, this creates a circular revenue stream: businesses benefit from more customers, users gain additional perks, and Bumble monetizes both in-person visits and premium subscriptions—ensuring sustainable growth for the platform.
User Flow & Revenue Touchpoints
● Data Driven Insights
Our target users live in walkable, dense cities.
Since location-based notifications were primarily adopted by users in walkable, high-density cities like New York, this intervention—Bumble Sessions and Bumble Coupons—is designed for a young audience accustomed to spontaneous travel and activities.
Average Adoption Rate of location-based notifications, by city.
Data was sourced from my course, Adv IXD.
● measuring success: key performance indicators
