OkCupid

Accessibility & Usability Evaluation

OKCupid is a popular online dating platform emphasizing an inclusive dating experience "for every single person." In this study, we aimed to understand the online dating experience and the accessibility and usability of OkCupid.com for users who are blind. To achieve this, we conducted a comparison study, with eight user interviews followed by a task-based usability test with a group of four users who are blind and a group of four users who are sighted. Based on our findings, OkCupid.com is more challenging to navigate for users who are blind than for sighted users.

Overview

Role

Tools

UX Researcher

Zoom, Otter.ai, & Miro

Deliverables

Report

Duration

10 weeks

Team

Me, Asato Kobayashi, Stevie Ortell, & Emme Jochim

Responsibilities: My primary responsibilities were to prepare the literature review and to assist with moderation, note-taking, data analysis, & finalizing recommendations.

Process

Discover

Literature review

Explore

Protocol development

Mock profiles set-up

Recruitment

1 remote pilot test 

Test

Remote user interviews & usability tests

Analyze

Affinity map

Task completion rates

Ease of use ratings

Satisfaction rating

Deliver

Recommendations

This project began with a collaborative literature review examining publications on the dating practices of people with disabilities and academic usability studies on dating platforms and accessibility aids. Existing research has established usability challenges with popular platforms like Tinder and OkCupid's app. We focused on OkCupid’s desktop experience because it was previously unexamined in literature.

Background

  1. How accessible is OkCupid’s website navigation for users who are blind?

  2. What dating platform features are most important to users who are blind?

  3. What dating concerns do users who are blind have?

Research Questions

In 2019, 30% of Americans reported trying online dating, with the majority reporting an overall positive experience [1]. Despite the popularity of online dating, there is a gap in design and research that explores the online dating experience of people with disabilities despite evidence that people with disabilities use the internet similarly to people without disabilities [2].

Existing research does show that online dating can benefit users with disabilities because it allows them to control how they disclose their disability and gives them access to a broader dating pool [2]. However, users who are blind cannot access the potential benefits of online dating if platforms are not usable or designed with them in mind.

Problem

We conducted a comparative usability test between two groups: four users who are blind and four users who are sighted. Our recruitment strategy focused on users with previous experience with online or an interest in trying it. We conducted all tests remotely over Zoom with a moderator and at least one observer. Each session began with a short user interview exploring their online dating experiences and preferences.

Testing

  1. You want to edit your preferences to find matches between the ages of 25-35. How would you do this?

  2. You want to view a profile of someone close by and find their relationship status. How would you do this?

  3. You want to update the hobbies section of your profile to include the last TV show you watched. How would you do this?

Tasks

During the usability test, we asked users to complete three tasks:

Results

  • The blind group had lower success rates ( ≤ 50%), found tasks challenging, and had lower satisfaction rates.

  • Users who are blind frequently expressed being frustrated or upset.

Affinity Map

Key Themes:

  1. Positives Impressions

  2. Challenging Navigation

  3. Feature Preferences

To contextualize the testing results, we opened-coded interview responses and comments. Then, I organized them into key themes that highlighted the navigation challenges.

“I’m feeling kind of stupid.”
— Ava while trying view a profile

Some users blamed themselves for not understanding the platform. We focused our recommendations on ways to prevent negative feelings and experiences.

Key Findings & Recommendations

Despite the challenges, OkCupid.com made some positive impressions due to specific features and accessibility considerations, including good use of semantic headers and inclusive dating preferences, including gender identities & sexuality.

Positives

Users who are blind wanted features that would make them feel welcome and safe such as prompts for alt-text entry, background/identity verification, and voice-based interactions.

  • Feature modification recommendation: Consider adding photo verification during the sign-up process on the website

  • New feature recommendation: add voice features such as audio recordings on profiles which is consistent with competitors & consider adding a call/voice message feature

Feature Preferences

Missing & misuse of alt-text and unlabeled buttons

  • Recommendation: Remove alt text from decorative images, add descriptive alt text for profile photos, and add alt text prompt when users upload profile photos

Areas of Improvement

It was difficult for users who are blind struggle to understand the homepage was someone else’s profile (e.g., a suggested match profile)

  • Recommendation: Replace the homepage's page title (e.g., Discover page) from "Discover | OkCupid" to "Recommended match | OkCupid" to inform screen reader users they are viewing someone else's profile

Both users groups found the homepage “overwhelming”

  • Recommendation: Add an "Expand profile" toggle so the recommended profile on the homepage is condensed on load to display "my self-summary" and "details" only

Both user groups struggled to notice/find the “Edit Profile” button

  • Recommendation: Add descriptive ARIA labels to buttons and tabs to make navigation easier for individuals who use screen readers

  • Recommendation: Add an "Edit" label next to the pencil icon to maintain consistency across icon use across pages

Small blue edit icon was frequently unnoticed

Navigation labels did not resonate with users

  • Recommendation: Remove the carousel from the secondary navigation on the "Discover" page and have all tabs visible

  • Recommendation: Use terminology that reflects the real-world concepts in the navigation tabs, such as "International" instead of "Passport" 

Confusing language used secondary navigation bar

What worked: Remote usability testing with users who are blind was valuable and insightful. This experience taught me to advocate for including users with disabilities in usability testing.

What didn't: We chose remote testing due to internal schedule limitations and limited user availability. Although testing was smooth, our team was new to testing with screen reader users. We were unprepared for the speed of screen reader feedback. In-person testing may be better for capturing user behavior in this case. Additionally, Task 2 should have been simplified. This task was interpreted differently by users, which was unexpected. 

Reflection

References

  1. Monica Anderson, Emily A. Vogels, and Erica Turner. 2020. The Virtues and Downsides of Online Dating. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved October 16, 2022 from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/02/06/the-virtues-and-downsides-of-online-dating/

  2. Elizabeth Mazur. 2017. Diverse Disabilities and Dating Online. Identity, Sexuality, and Relationships among Emerging Adults in the Digital Age, 150–167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1856-3.ch010