Background
Bumble is a social networking app designed for dating, friendships, and professional networking. It features three distinct modes:
Bumble Date
For finding romantic connections
Bumble BFF
For finding friends
Bumble Bizz
For professional networking
Problem Statement
Bumble’s conversion rate of free users to paying subscribers is relatively low.
As of early 2024, Bumble reported approximately 2.73 million paying users out of an estimated 58 million active users, indicating a conversion rate of about 4.7%.
Most people use Bumble for dating, while only a few use it to find friends.
Around 15% of Bumble's monthly active users were utilizing the "Bumble BFF”.
Business Goal
1. Design a new Bumble feature using a new design system.
2. Drive higher conversion rates among non-paying users.
3. Boost BFF mode usage.
About the Users
72% of Bumble users are under 35.
Most were born between 1989 and 2006 (Millennials and Generation Z).
Their interests include: creativity, sports and fitness, food and drink, going out, movies, music, traveling, and more.
Why Don’t People Use Bumble BFF?
Bumble BFF lacks visibility and promotion.
It may not be as widely recognized or advertised as the dating feature, leading to lower user engagement.
Using apps to find friends feels socially awkward.
While dating apps are mainstream, seeking friendships online can feel less acceptable, causing hesitation to try the BFF mode.
People prefer organic friendships.
Friendships often form naturally in shared spaces like school, work, or hobbies, making Bumble BFF feel too intentional or transactional for some.
The functionality or appeal of Bumble BFF feels limited.
The feature might not stand out as a unique or robust platform for building meaningful friendships.
User Pain Points with Current Bumble BFF
I first collected user feedback from online sources like Reddit, and then I conducted affinity clustering of this feedback to identify the major pain points users encountered with the current Bumble BFF, which include:
Being rejected by a potential friend feels more personal and difficult than rejection in dating.
Users often feel they do not receive enough matches.
Many matches do not lead to conversations, making the experience feel unproductive.
Ghosting challenges the ability to maintain or build friendships.
Some individuals still treat Bumble BFF as a dating mode.
People are conditioned to focus on appearance, which impacts the experience.
Why Don’t People Pay for Premium?
The premium feature displays people who are not within the user’s selected preferences.
Core features are sufficient for finding matches, reducing the incentive to pay for premium.
Beeline, a key premium feature, is not seen as valuable enough to justify its cost.
User Needs
1. Users need Bumble BFF to be clearly differentiated from other app modes (dating, business) by focusing on friendship-specific qualities rather than replicating dating features, such as reducing emphasis on appearance.
2. Users need Bumble BFF to feel socially acceptable and natural, helping to reduce the stigma or awkwardness associated with seeking friends online, and avoiding a transactional or forced experience.
3. Users need tools or prompts to help initiate and sustain conversations after matching.
4. Users need premium features that provide unique, meaningful benefits beyond what is already free.
User Statistics Comparison
- 72% of Bumble's users are aged between 18 and 34.
- Bumble users spend an average of 24 minutes per day on the app.
- Bumble boasts 17 million monthly active users.
- 55% of Spotify's monthly users are between the ages of 18 and 34.
- Spotify users in North America spend an average of 140 minutes per day using the app.
- Spotify has over 600 million monthly active users.
Opportunities
1. Millennials and Gen Z are prominent users of both Bumble and Spotify.
2. Many in these demographics are passionate music lovers, spending significant time on music apps.
3. Shared music interests could offer a natural, low-pressure way to connect, addressing the awkwardness and transactional feel of Bumble BFF.
Feature Concept
Tune Match
Recommend a nearby Bumble user who is listening to the same song, album, artist, or genre as you at the moment.
Why Tune Match—How It Would Solve the Problems and Address User Needs?
1. Exclusive to BFF Mode to Encourage Its Use.
Tune Match is available only in Bumble BFF mode, differentiating it from other modes like Dating. This exclusivity encourages users to explore the BFF mode, as the feature is not accessible elsewhere.
2. Effortless Matching Based on Music Preferences
Music taste is the sole matching criterion, making the process automatic and reducing user effort. Since matching is based on shared interests rather than personal preference, it feels less personal if no conversation follows.
3. Attracting Music Enthusiasts to Bumble.
With millions of users on music apps, Tune Match creates an opportunity to attract these individuals to Bumble. Music lovers seeking kindred spirits may find this feature exciting, connecting their passion for music with social discovery.
4. Create opportunities for premium features.
Tune Match opens the door for developing additional features, some of which could become premium offerings. These sub-features can enhance the premium experience, driving conversions and revenue growth.
User Flow
Final Design
iOS
Music Sync + Match Preferences + Turn On/Off Tune Match
Music Sync
Connect your music app account to Bumble.
Match Preferences
Customize how you’d like to be matched with others.
- Distance: 0-5 miles away
- Match By: Same Song, Same Album, Same Artist, Same Genre
- Relative Time: now-24 hours ago
Notification
Using Bumble
Receive a sound notification and see the recommended user.
Not Using Bumble
Receive both text and sound notifications.
A Tune Match!
A Tune Match!
When a tune match occurs, see your match’s profile, their distance from you, the music they’re listening to, and the time they’re listening to it.
Send a Message
Chat with your match right away.
Save Profile for Later
Save your match’s profile to Tune Match History and check it later.
Tune Spark + Tune Jam Suggestion
Tune Spark
Provide a conversation starter to help users begin a conversation, with the option to regenerate it if needed.
Tune Jam Suggestion
If the conversation goes well, suggest trying the Tune Jam feature.
Tune Jam (Premium Feature)
Tune Jam + Switch Playlist
Share music with your match in real-time and listen together. Switch to the other person’s playlist if needed.
Tune Jam Retention
Keep the progress of Tune Jam while exiting the interface and continue chatting.
Tune Match History + Top Match of the Month (Premium Feature)
Sort Profiles By
Sort matched profiles by most matches, most recent, and nearest.
Top Match of the Month
See who you’ve matched with the most over the past month.
Profile + Tune Match Details (Premium Feature)
Tune Match Details
See the details of your Tune Match, including the number of matches, shared music, match times/dates, and relative distance.
Premium Features
Tune Jam
Share music with your match in real-time and listen together.
Top Match of the Month
See who you’ve matched with the most this month.
Tune Match Details
See the details of your Tune Matches, including shared music, match times, and relative distance.
watchOS
Notification
Music Sync + Match Preferences + Turn On/Off Tune Match
A Tune Match! + Send a Message
Tune Jam
macOS
Turn On/Off Tune Match
Match Preferences
A Tune Match!
Send a Message
Tune Jam
Tune Match History
