The dating site tweaked profile compatibility to stimulate activity - and two more experiments on users
When you have millions of users at your disposal - apparently, it’s not so easy to resist the temptation to experiment with them. Facebook has already apologized for controlling the mood of its users by forming a news feed. A large OkCupid dating site uncovered after them, on the blog of which yesterday a description of three social experiments that were performed on its users appeared.
For some reason, they decided to illustrate their post with just such a title picture.
The first experiment was the result of Blind Date, when OkCupid turned off all photos for one day in support of the launch of the blind date mobile application. The result of this move was the fall of all site metrics, but at the same time, the users remaining on the site found amazing things: they began to respond to incoming messages 44% more often, conversations lasted longer, the time to exchange contact information decreased.
Does this prove that appearance is not important, and most importantly - the soul? And here it is not: when they “turned on the light”, activity began to decline. Including active conversations, which at the time of the return of the photos to user profiles, there were 2200 - they simply disappeared for the most part.
The second experiment was to study the influence of the text in the user profile on its assessment by other users. Some profiles were shown for some time with hidden description text, only with photos. Then we compared the ratings given to them by other users, with an equal period of time when the text was available to visitors to the page. It turned out that the absence / presence of the text practically does not affect the
estimates : But there is a very clear correlation between the assessment of appearance and the assessment of personality:
Which leads to a simple conclusion - appearance (or rather, photo) decides everything. “It’s hard to find me, it’s easy to lose, it’s impossible to forget” in the profile of points he will not add and will not decrease.
The third experiment concerns their famous algorithm for evaluating the suitability of user profiles to each other. OkCupid noted that if you tighten the eligibility rating in a positive way, then users are more confident in their behavior and make contacts. Here is the behavior of users with a real compatibility rating of 30% (very low):
- the chances that they will start a conversation with the user increase slightly as the percentage of compatibility increases. But the chances that the conversation will exceed 4 messages (the threshold value at which OkCupid believes that the conversation started) grow much more noticeable.
This dependency also works in the opposite direction - if you unscrew a good rating, then users begin to dislike each other's pages, even if they actually fit perfectly together.
Of course, after this publication there will be those who say that it is unethical to experiment with people. Well, once it was considered a criminal matter to study human anatomy. But knowing how we are actually built is worth it, right?
source: blog.okcupid.com
via Reuters , Techradar , Engadget
For some reason, they decided to illustrate their post with just such a title picture.
one.
The first experiment was the result of Blind Date, when OkCupid turned off all photos for one day in support of the launch of the blind date mobile application. The result of this move was the fall of all site metrics, but at the same time, the users remaining on the site found amazing things: they began to respond to incoming messages 44% more often, conversations lasted longer, the time to exchange contact information decreased.
Does this prove that appearance is not important, and most importantly - the soul? And here it is not: when they “turned on the light”, activity began to decline. Including active conversations, which at the time of the return of the photos to user profiles, there were 2200 - they simply disappeared for the most part.
2.
The second experiment was to study the influence of the text in the user profile on its assessment by other users. Some profiles were shown for some time with hidden description text, only with photos. Then we compared the ratings given to them by other users, with an equal period of time when the text was available to visitors to the page. It turned out that the absence / presence of the text practically does not affect the
estimates : But there is a very clear correlation between the assessment of appearance and the assessment of personality:
Which leads to a simple conclusion - appearance (or rather, photo) decides everything. “It’s hard to find me, it’s easy to lose, it’s impossible to forget” in the profile of points he will not add and will not decrease.
3.
The third experiment concerns their famous algorithm for evaluating the suitability of user profiles to each other. OkCupid noted that if you tighten the eligibility rating in a positive way, then users are more confident in their behavior and make contacts. Here is the behavior of users with a real compatibility rating of 30% (very low):
- the chances that they will start a conversation with the user increase slightly as the percentage of compatibility increases. But the chances that the conversation will exceed 4 messages (the threshold value at which OkCupid believes that the conversation started) grow much more noticeable.
This dependency also works in the opposite direction - if you unscrew a good rating, then users begin to dislike each other's pages, even if they actually fit perfectly together.
...
Of course, after this publication there will be those who say that it is unethical to experiment with people. Well, once it was considered a criminal matter to study human anatomy. But knowing how we are actually built is worth it, right?
source: blog.okcupid.com
via Reuters , Techradar , Engadget