Cupid's Powers on Dating Apps Boosted by New Algorithm
Some people perceive dating like a job
They must do this and that just to have the chance
Dating apps may help but with perpetrators running rampant, users must tread carefully
So, a new algorithm was proposed to improve the odds of finding the perfect match
At the University of Texas at Dallas, researchers offered an algorithm to help everyone seeking their the one
Published in the INFORMS journal Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, they showed what's the biggest problem in online dating and what could resolve it
Lots of users get frustrated because they struggle to look for a match that might lead to a lasting relationship
That issue is partly due to the inefficiencies in the functions of these apps
And during COVID lockdowns, people spent more time on these apps than ever before
Dating apps typically work with limited profiles a user can view in a day, a common rule in free accounts
Certain apps have swipe limits while others have like limits
With that, a set of profiles based on the user's preferences is displayed daily
The team collaborated with a US online dating company in 2018 to study how its platform chooses the set of potential partners
The platform had 800,000 active users in 150 markets and uses the same algorithm for these markets
Corresponding author Ignacio Rios and colleagues created a model to incorporate something new: user experiences
Using the industry's partner data, they analyzed users' preferences like age and religion
Results showed that the more matches a person received in the recent past, the fewer likes they would give to other profiles
Each extra match would drop their new like rate by 3% at least
What does it mean?
When someone gets many matches, they usually spend time on these matches
That lowers their interaction with the rest of the matching pool
This leaves out other potential matches waiting to be liked
Two other reasons may also contribute
First, the user updates their "beliefs about their own attractiveness," according to Rios, which makes them pickier
And second, the user thinks their new matches will work out, avoiding liking new profiles until the current matches are exhausted
But if none of those matches work, disappointment and frustration happen without realizing that the entire matching pool isn't fully explored yet
They incorporated that data analysis in their new algorithm, which acts on two sides
One, consider the chances that both parties will like each other
Two, prioritize users who haven't got matches in the recent past, with the assumption that they will be more likely to like the profiles shown to them
During the simulations, the algorithm enhanced the overall match rate between 20% and 45% compared to the industry partner's existing algorithm
The impressive rate has convinced the partner to test the new algorithm
The company already expanded the use of this algorithm in more markets, and the results were the same
How's your dating experience in the new normal?
What do you think are the common problems in online dating?
Share your thoughts in the comment section
'Till our next video! Thanks for watching!