The date you get sent on is engaging and topical: a dance class or a tennis class or a guided tour in a museum, something that's engaging in the right way and avoids restaurant first date awkwardness.
It strikes me that the problems are more related to increased isolation/individualism, increased distraction, degradation of real-world communities, and increased fear of making unwanted/unexpected advances. People who have free time just aren't choosing to use it in ways that encourage the creation of organic relationships.
Most dating apps try to answer the "who" and "where", but the OP is trying to answer the "how" as well which is brilliant.
Another twist I thought might be effective was suggesting a first date based on mutual interests.
Or, one person could lead with a blanket first date offer: 2 tickets to XYZ on MM/DD. Kind of like a timed auction where they select their date partner by a specified time.
I think it would be interesting to see the variety and creativity increase when you're showcasing a first date.
It would be more costly than even high end dinner dates, but at least your date like the same music you do?
It could work well if there is a mechanism to reduce serial abusers and moochers - maybe you can only get invited to a date after you invited someone else to one?
The faster you find a real partner, the less money the app makes. And the quicker its userbase shrinks.
You could brand yourself as the "one and done" dating site of you're really that good.
Or, come up with a payment model that's more like an a recruiter where you get paid when there's a match (assuming you can verify a successful relationship).
It's challenging but I don't think the industry is doomed towards conflicting interests for users and match makers.
Assuming word-of-mouth promotion doesn't do anything beneficial for the app makers.
If apps can teach us quantum mechanics, I think an app can at least attempt to teach us relationships.
I don’t think that’s what most people need help with, especially most females. The only people left would be supremely introverted males with a high dose of self-awareness (those few rare people openly admitting they need such help). Based upon my personal relationships who have used dating apps to meet people the audience is mostly people who have trouble finding people for dates or people completely lacking self-awareness. As a result that’s the audience most dating apps target and try to connect, which is why the real world results are sometimes underwhelming for many users.
Honestly, if the apps connected people with as strong compatibility as they claim users would not need multiple disappointing dates. The problem, in many cases, isn’t the app though (at least when the app does pick desired criteria). Some people seriously look into a figurative mirror and see something extremely different than what much of the world sees which likely explains why they might need a dating app in the first place.
I know, for me, when dating either I cannot think of things to say, or the date couldn't think of things to say. When you're on your computer (or phone) you have tons of time to get things moving.
I have a lot of ideas now from the one you stemmed. Maybe I'll be the one who builds this. I am in the middle of another site, but this would be fun to try as well. If it every turns into something, I'll make sure to look you up and thank you .
Also, by reading the previous statement "good luck", you have agreed to give me 92% of all future profits... jk
My mother taught these skills to me.
The fun feature would be "bumping phones". You could bump phones with people using this app, and it'd share additional details, and give you a list of questions and suggestions of things to talk about that you could ask your date to keep things moving.
I went to the settings, selected 25 miles radius and Black only. The next match I got was not Black, and over a thousand miles. Now we are married with children.
I think dating apps all look for a trick, a gimmick, or a twist. We will find you the perfect match. The real issue is as we get more disconnected from one another, we don't know how to deal with another person.
Here is what the dating app I won't build will do. It will tell you how to start a conversation. Help you get dressed on a first date. Help you hold a conversation. Teach you étiquettes. Tell you what to do when you don't get an answer. These are all real relationship building tips that dating apps don't bother with.