Scaling Engagement Through Strategic Interaction Design
Text or Unmatch
Role
Product Designer
Time
2 weeks
Company
Mello App
Team
Sole Contributer
As part of a two-week collaboration with Mello, a parenting social network, I was tasked with increasing user engagement through a newly introduced swiping feature. While Mello’s mission was to help parents “find their village,” data revealed a significant drop-off post-match, limiting the platform’s ability to foster meaningful connections. Many users would enter the app but not engage with each other, creating a barrier to long-term retention. My approach prioritized a growth-focused product strategy, leveraging behavioral psychology, data-informed iteration, and interaction design to drive sustainable engagement.
Hypothesis & Strategic Approach
Hypothesis: Introducing a friction point that incentivizes conversation before allowing additional swiping would increase meaningful interactions and long-term engagement.
To test this, I designed “Text or Unmatch,” a mechanism requiring users to send a message to their match before continuing to swipe. This approach leveraged the Zeigarnik Effect, which suggests that people are more likely to complete an interrupted task, creating an intrinsic motivation to engage in conversations rather than accumulate passive matches.
Execution & Design Decisions
Interrupting Passive Behavior: Swiping was gated by the requirement to initiate a conversation, nudging users toward active participation.
Integrated Message Prompts: The first message preview was embedded in the swipe interface, reducing cognitive load and making engagement effortless.
Optimizing Language for Engagement: Usability testing revealed that “matching” carried romantic connotations. We repositioned the feature as “Teaming Up”, better aligning with Mello’s brand values and community-driven vision.
User Testing Insights & Strategic Recommendation
During testing, an unexpected behavioral insight emerged—parents were more interested in connecting over shared interests rather than personal one-on-one interactions. This indicated a misalignment between the engagement mechanism and user needs. While the swiping feature successfully increased initial engagement, a group-based interaction model was a more scalable solution for long-term retention and community-building.
Recommendation: Pivoting to Interest-Based Group Matching
Rather than optimizing one-on-one interactions, I recommended shifting towards interest-based group matching, enabling users to join micro-communities based on shared parenting experiences. This transition would:
Enhance engagement density by fostering ongoing discussions within groups rather than isolated one-on-one interactions.
Improve retention by providing structured community participation rather than ephemeral swiping-based engagement.
Align with Mello’s core mission of building a support network for parents, strengthening both user value and business objectives.
Results & Strategic Impact
Through testing and user feedback, it was clear that requiring interaction before continuing swiping led to deeper engagement. However, shifting toward interest-based groups became the more strategic direction for sustained growth.