INDUSTRY:
Social Networking Apps
CLIENT:
Ashley Madison - Ruby Life
YEAR:
2020
ROLE:
Senior UI Designer
Ashley Madison
about.
Ruby Life, known for Ashley Madison, is a Canadian online dating and social networking platform with over 60 million users worldwide.
I collaborated closely with the Product Director, Product Owners, UX Researchers, and fellow Designers to refine and redesign core experiences across the app. Although my primary role focused on UI, I also contributed to UX decision-making, participating in research synthesis, interaction design, and feature definition. My work aimed to ensure discretion, accessibility, psychological safety, and alignment with business goals.
The older version of the app, which I worked on and improved, is shown below:
research strategy.
We began with a business and competitor landscape analysis to gain a holistic understanding of Ashley Madison’s market position, value proposition, and differentiation within the niche dating space. Establishing this foundation before user research allowed us to frame interviews, surveys, and product evaluations with a clear lens of viability, desirability, and feasibility, ensuring our questions were targeted and our insights meaningful.
Research Methods:
Competitive analysis: Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, POF, Match.com, Coffee Meets Bagel, Seeking, Adult Friend Finder, Pure, Victoria Milan, Gleeden.
Literature review on online dating behaviors and discreet relationship dynamics.
In-depth user interviews and survey insights.
Clickstream and heatmap analysis of the existing product.
Personas, affinity mapping and journey mapping.
User interviews were the primary research method used to uncover real emotional, behavioral, and functional pain points.
We interviewed both male and female users who are currently using or have previously used Ashley Madison (our primary target group), as well as users of other dating apps for comparison.
challenges.
Discretion was not consistently prioritized or communicated, which created hesitation in usage.
Outdated system and navigation that lacked flexibility.
Past data breaches contributed to trust issues, undermining user engagement and retention.
Need to balance privacy and security without making the experience feel complicated.
Onboarding lacked supportive guidance to help users set boundaries and expectations.
No built-in encouragement or structure to help users transition from online interaction to real-life connection.
Date planning emerged as a major friction point, 61.3% of surveyed participants reported cancelling at least one date due to planning difficulties, often associated with nervousness or indecision despite genuine interest.
The survey was conducted among 1,510 individuals, both men and women, who are aged between 18-60 years. We also interviewed 15 people, both men and women, who use or have used online dating apps.
To synthesize the findings, we conducted Affinity Mapping, which helped group recurring patterns and surface the core frustrations, needs, and expectations. This process allowed us to distinguish between technical pain points (e.g., usability, privacy features) and human-behavioral pain points (e.g., emotional risk, communication fatigue).
how might we.
Six problem statements emerged after doing the research, but I’ll be focusing on the first three for this stage:
HMW enable users to explore emotional or physical connections safely and discreetly without leaving their current relationship?
Reason for prioritizing: 39–54% of users consider outside connections; 64–68% flirt or interact discreetly via social media. This addresses the core need of the platform, safe, discreet exploration. It’s central to user motivation.
HMW provide ways to reignite excitement and intimacy within users’ relationships?
Reason for prioritizing: 42% lack excitement; 38–49% unsatisfied with intimacy; 45–58% see infidelity as a way to stay emotionally fulfilled or reignite passion. This tackles the primary motivator for use, users want to feel alive, desired, and emotionally satisfied.
HMW help users transition from online chats to meaningful in-person encounters?
Reason for prioritizing: Only 34% of encounters lead to a real date within 10 days; users struggle to convert digital connections to real-life interactions. Solving this increases platform value by moving users from passive online activity to real-world outcomes.
At this stage, I explored ideas to tackle user pain points and respond to the HMWs we identified.
prototype.
final designs.
The app redesign prioritizes privacy, discretion, and streamlined user flows. Onboarding collects only essential mobile information, no email, allowing login via a verification code without passwords. Users are given flexible photo management: images can be marked public or private, and photos can optionally be blurred. Private photos or sensitive content can be shared securely using a private key. Identity verification is handled through a government-issued ID and a biometric check via a trusted third party.
Overall, navigation and information architecture have been simplified. The Discovery page offers two browsing modes: a grid view for visual exploration and a list view for a more discreet display. Matches are presented in order of compatibility score, then online status, and finally proximity, ensuring the most relevant profiles appear first. Onboarding also captures relationship expectations and preferences, which feed into the compatibility algorithm. Reporting tools are accessible in chats and on profiles, allowing users to flag inappropriate content or interactions.
result.
The redesign improved clarity, privacy, and overall usability. Onboarding now allows account creation with just a mobile number and verification code, reducing friction and maintaining anonymity. Photo management is streamlined, letting users control public and private images, apply optional blur, and share securely via private keys directly from the profile. Discovery and matching were enhanced with prioritized results by compatibility, online status, and proximity, and flexible grid and list views support both visual exploration and discreet browsing. Safety and discretion are reinforced through reporting tools, custom app icons, and blurred photos. Finally, simplified settings and navigation make it easy for users to edit profiles, manage preferences, and control visibility efficiently.
What worked well:
Users could easily read profile info and identify tags.
Navigation and location-based searches were intuitive.
Users appreciated the list view for discreet browsing.
Scanning weights and heights took <2 seconds per profile.
