Understanding LGBTQ+ Dating to Create Safe Spaces

A popular dating platform group came to us wanting to better understand how the LGBTQ+ community navigates love and friendship. Not a small question, but right in our wheelhouse. More specifically, they wanted to explore the lived experience of daters in this community, the role dating platforms play in their lives, and the perceptions daters have about the various platforms. Armed with new insights and a deeper understanding of the LGBTQ+ community, our client hoped to develop a safe and inclusive community for ALL romantic endeavors.

To ensure no stone was left unturned and to validate our findings, The Sound took a mixed method approach to exploration. On the qualitative front, we collected digital diaries of LGBTQ+ daters, where they documented what their personal dating lives were like and how dating platforms fit in. We then engaged in IDIs with select participants to gain deeper insights into the realm of LGBTQ+ romance. In our quantitative phase, we built a thoughtful and detailed survey using the discoveries we made during qual, reinforcing our observations with high-level data. Throughout the process, we were surprised to discover how unique every dater is in their approach to relationships, and how open they were in sharing their experiences with us.

We were able to provide our client with a highly intuitive and data-filled report, which included recommendations on how to further develop and improve their dating platforms to ensure LGBTQ+ daters feel safe and inspired to make new connections.