Building Hinge with Justin McLeod: Intentional Design for Meaningful Dating
Episode Release Date: April 8, 2025
Introduction
In the latest episode of Building One, Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn's Chief Product Officer, engages in a profound conversation with Justin McLeod, the founder of Hinge—the fastest-growing dating app in the United States. This episode delves deep into Justin's journey, the strategic reboot of Hinge, and the app's commitment to fostering meaningful relationships through intentional design. The discussion also explores Hinge's unique onboarding process, the delicate balance between simplicity and user effort, the importance of clear metrics, and the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing user experiences.
1. Justin's Personal Journey and Founding Hinge
Justin McLeod's venture into the world of dating apps was born out of personal necessity. Struggling to navigate the social landscape while sober and seeking a meaningful relationship, Justin observed the shortcomings of existing platforms.
"I wanted to create something accessible and fun for people my age, something that wasn't expensive or overly complex." [03:35]
Justin's initial foray into the dating app scene began in 2011 with a Facebook-integrated app named Hinge. However, recognizing the limitations and lack of genuine user engagement, Justin felt compelled to restart his venture.
"I felt like I couldn't not build it. It was coming out of me one way or another." [06:43]
2. The 2015 Reboot: Refocusing Hinge's Mission
By 2015, the dating app landscape had shifted dramatically with the rise of swipe-centric platforms like Tinder. Hinge found itself losing its unique identity amidst fierce competition.
A pivotal moment came with the publication of a Vanity Fair article titled "The Dawn of the Dating Apocalypse," which criticized dating apps for fostering superficial relationships. Hinge featured prominently in this critique, prompting Justin to reassess the app's direction.
"It wasn't resonating with me where it was going. I wanted to tear the whole thing down and start over again." [07:20]
This decision led to a comprehensive reboot of Hinge, emphasizing its mission to be a "dating app designed to be deleted." The reboot focused on creating a platform for intentional daters seeking meaningful relationships rather than casual hookups.
3. Intentional Design and Onboarding Strategy
A cornerstone of Hinge's success is its intentionally designed onboarding process, which strategically filters out users not genuinely interested in forming connections.
"We lose 20% of the people plus during the onboarding process. You know, if you were talking to a VC, you'd be like, 'Whoa, that's crazy.'" [10:14]
This 20% attrition rate is not seen as a drawback but as a deliberate feature to ensure that only those committed to meaningful interactions remain on the platform. By requiring users to engage more thoughtfully—such as filling out prompts, uploading multiple photos, and adding comments to likes—Hinge fosters a more genuine and deliberate dating experience.
"It's a filtering mechanism for people who really want to put in the right amount of effort and are intentional." [10:57]
4. Balancing Simplicity and User Effort
Hinge strives to strike a balance between maintaining a simple, user-friendly interface and encouraging users to invest effort into their profiles and interactions.
"We're always trying to figure out what is the right balance of getting people to do what is good for them in the long run." [12:52]
This balance is likened to creating nutritious yet enjoyable food—ensuring the platform is both beneficial and engaging without being overwhelming. Features are continually tested to ensure they add value without introducing unnecessary complexity.
5. Metrics and North Star: Measuring Success
Determining the right metrics to gauge Hinge's success is paramount to maintaining its mission. While the ultimate goal is to facilitate real-world relationships and encourage users to leave the app, this long-term objective presents measurement challenges.
"Our North Star metric is getting people out on dates. Our people are exchanging contact information and moving out on a date." [16:35]
Hinge employs proxies such as the rate of contact exchanges and user feedback through features like "We Met," where users can indicate if their interactions led to dates or relationships. These metrics provide tangible indicators of the app's effectiveness in fostering meaningful connections.
6. Embracing AI: Enhancing User Experience
Artificial intelligence plays a significant role in Hinge's strategy to improve matchmaking and user engagement. Hinge is in the process of overhauling its recommendation system to leverage AI, enabling more nuanced and intelligent matches based on a deeper understanding of user preferences.
"We're completely overhauling our recommendation system to be powered by AI... to make really thoughtful, intelligent matches." [36:24]
Additionally, AI-driven features like prompt feedback aim to help users create more engaging profiles by providing personalized coaching. This ensures that while AI supports the matchmaking process, it doesn't replace the authentic human interactions that Hinge seeks to promote.
7. Product Principles: Love the Problem & Keep it Simple
Hinge operates on a set of clear product principles that guide decision-making and product development:
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Love the Problem: Hinge prioritizes understanding and solving the core issue of fostering meaningful relationships. This principle ensures that all features and initiatives align with the primary mission, avoiding distractions from secondary metrics.
"Get clear on the problem that you really are ultimately here to solve and what's your number one priority problem." [25:02]
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Keep it Simple: Maintaining a streamlined user experience is crucial. Hinge avoids unnecessary features that add complexity without enhancing the core objective.
"Do few things and do them really, really well." [27:34]
These principles empower the team to make disciplined, mission-focused decisions, ensuring that every feature contributes to the overarching goal of meaningful matchmaking.
8. Building With, Not For: Emphasizing Team Diversity
Hinge emphasizes the importance of building the product with rather than for its users. This approach is anchored in having a diverse team that mirrors the platform's user base, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of varied user needs.
"Creating an incredibly diverse team... we need to have those perspectives with us in house." [30:42]
By integrating diverse perspectives, Hinge ensures that its features and initiatives cater to a broad spectrum of users, enhancing inclusivity and user satisfaction.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Justin McLeod's leadership and unwavering commitment to Hinge's core mission have been instrumental in its success. The strategic reboot in 2015 realigned the app with its foundational goal of fostering meaningful relationships. Hinge's intentional design choices, such as its selective onboarding process, balanced simplicity with user effort, and innovative use of AI, set it apart in the competitive dating app landscape.
Key takeaways from this episode include:
- Rebooting with Purpose: Sometimes, restarting a venture is necessary to realign with its core mission and ensure long-term success.
- Intentional Filtering: A deliberate onboarding process can enhance user quality by filtering out those less committed to meaningful interactions.
- Clear Metrics: Establishing clear, mission-aligned metrics is essential for guiding product development and measuring success.
- Responsible AI Integration: Leveraging AI to enhance, not replace, authentic human interactions can significantly improve user experiences.
- Strong Product Principles: Adhering to clear product principles fosters disciplined decision-making and maintains focus on the primary mission.
- Diverse Team Building: Building the product with a diverse team ensures that varied user needs are understood and addressed effectively.
Justin McLeod's insights provide a valuable blueprint for product leaders aiming to create impactful, user-centric products that prioritize genuine user needs and long-term value over fleeting engagement metrics.