THE LOVE BUG

TEAM
Heston Wilson
Chapin Williams
Kianna Brabo
Izagani Aquino
LOVE

BUG

FINAL PROJECT REPORT

CHANGING THE DATING GAME

2

TABLE OF
CONTENTS

3 4-5 6 7-12
Team Problem Design Conceptual
Introduction Definition Requirements Design

13-18 19-22 23 24
Detailed Performance Lessons Team,
Design evaluation learned Sources

25-27
Appendix
3

changing the dating game

Team Introduction

Kianna Brabo: Wearable design, psychological research and

marketing. In charge of overseeing materials and outer design of
wearable. Also involved in surveys and creating and updating product
website. Responsible for problem definition, design requirements, and
overall lessons learned.

Chapin Williams: Field research and digital design. In charge of inner

workings of wearable and blueprinting. Also responsible for CAD
software usage. Responsible for detailed design.

Heston Wilson: Algorithm and software designer. Created and

implemented our algorithm and created our “app based” prototype.
Responsible for performance evaluation.

Izagani Aquino: General and legal research. Oversees legalities when

creating an app and capturing data to avoid any legal run-ins.
Responsible for conceptual design.

love bug
4

changing the dating game

Problem Definition

In the technology driven world, it is becoming

increasingly more difficult to discover facets of our
society that have been left untouched by new
innovations. Relatedly, the topics of love and dating have
become ripe for exploration, and a data driven approach
to relationship finding has exploded in popularity with
companies such as Tinder and OkCupid leaving
consumers with a multitude of options yet a lack of
variety in overall philosophies and intended goals.

As observed by our team through conversing with similarly aged individuals, team members
have found that one of the most prominent obstacles in dating is not necessarily identifying a
romantic partner, but mustering the confidence needed to ask an individual out on a first date.
At the current moment, there are not many dating applications available that address this
notion specifically, and have instead encouraged (although at times indirectly) more
superficial relationships based on looks, not mutual appreciation. When considered within the
totality of the circumstances, it can be hypothesized that giving individuals the confidence to
ask others out on a date while minimizing the fear of rejection may contribute to better
romantic relationships and decrease the likelihood of “missing out” due to fear.
As such, our team would like to tackle this problem by creating a new riff on a dating
application, aimed at providing the hypothetical probability of a person saying “yes” or “no” if
a certain individual was to ask them out.

love bug
5

changing the dating game

Problem Definition (continued)

This is differentiable from current applications on the market, as it is not specifically

pairing people together; users on the application must take their own initiative to
approach other individuals and the app itself is simply intended to supply them with the
data driven confidence to do so. Such an application will require a robust probability
algorithm, strict privacy protocols to protect users, and the potential addition of other
aspects such as product wearables.
While trying to create this product, the team has followed a methodical approach to
product design, dissecting each specific aspect of the project into specific objectives and
goals in order to understand all of the moving parts.

love bug
6

changing the dating game

Design Requirements
Creating an app in the best interest of the user is the
basis of Love Bug Tech. Design requirements for the
algorithm are made to protect and serve users in the
most effective way possible.The first requirement is
to ensure that there is a secure app base to protect
the privacy and safety of users. This is displayed in
multiple ways by having protected location services
and permissions as well as asking for user
permission to access certain things. Another
requirement is to make the algorithm as strong as
possible to avoid hackers and other suspicious
activity. The biggest aspect of this algorithm
is to ensure that probability is the premise. This app is set apart from other online dating
services because of the probable aspect. This would be implemented through in depth
questions asked at the beginning of application, getting to know people’s personalities as
best as possible. Ideally, this person that the user is interested in is also a user, making both of
their data available to the algorithm. Through this, probability will be calculated from personal
insight provided to the algorithm as well as needs and demands that someone would prefer in
a romantic relationship. Creating the most accurate model as possible within the time and
financial constraints is important to the validity of the product, using pre-existing models to aid
in algorithm development is crucial to the success of this product. Lastly, creating a system
that is user friendly is important because it gives more control to the user in that they feel that
the probability of creating connections is in their hands, pushing for a more enjoyable app
experience.

love bug
7

changing the dating game

Conceptual Design

alternative
concept ideas
(Padlet)

Throughout our research within multiple apps, we found two separate types; there
are dating apps, and there are hookup apps. The core structures and flow of these
apps may vary slightly, but the key difference between the two is the intention.
One would go onto a dating app to find someone that they could start a lasting
relationship with, while one would use a hookup app to satisfy an immediate need,
or to have a “one night stand”. This does not mean, however, that one could not
forge a relationship through a hookup app and a dating app could be used for a
one night stand. Although a possibility, one would find that the average user of a
dating app is interested in finding a relationship rather than a hookup, and visa-
versa. These brainstorming ideas were created with such concepts in mind to
make the best product for the user.

love bug
8

changing the dating game

Conceptual Design (continued)

First Take
The classification scheme was unique in that the team had to create two separate schemes for the
different aspects of our project. Most notably, the team split up into two different subgroups to
create a classification scheme for the app and algorithm, and a second classification scheme for
the wearable specifically.
For the algorithm and application, there was an emphasis on simplicity and efficiency throughout
the thought process. Most of the ideas that the team came up with were meant to be eventually
designed with UX being at the forefront of all processes, and as such, each design is meant to
reach our target audience in its own specific way.
For the wearable, specific emphasis was placed on making it sleek and “trendy”. The potential
wearable designs on the classification scheme came from research that was conducted on other
wearable devices such as the Apple Watch. Team members noticed that most of these devices
were created with the intention of looking “innovative”, meshing with current popular culture, so
the designs followed that principle.

love bug
9

changing the dating game

Conceptual Design (continued)

Second Take
Because the team had two different classification schemes for the app and the wearable, the team
had to find unique ways to combine both concepts into one coherent product/coherent product
concepts. To remedy this, the team created a modified selection path across both schemes that
connected the two together. The first scheme dealt with the app and algorithm, and the second
dealt with the wearable. We highlighted the specific concepts of each scheme that would “create
a whole” with shared colors (ie. blue, green), and the colors from each scheme also converged to
add up to the whole product. For instance, the blues of the algorithm and app matched up with
the blues of the wearable, and they would all be included within one coherent product concept.
For orange, the algorithm was meant to be extremely simple while the wearable compensated for
the simplicity by having a somewhat exaggerated concept. This wearable had a more expensive
and gaudy design that was meant to attract consumers by being “trendy”.
For blue, the algorithm struck a bit of a middle ground and was a bit more complex to have more
privacy features but not too many, the wearable in this case was designed to be rather sturdy and
less gaudy then the orange option.
For green, there was a heavy emphasis on the privacy aspect of the application, and it would be
projected that most of the money would go towards those features with a robust AI. Thus, the
wearable was made to be somewhat cheaper to compensate for these costs.

decision matrix to
determine other
quantifiable aspects of
different concepts

love bug
10

changing the dating game

Conceptual Design (continued)

More Details on each concept
Algorithm Concept 1: This concept made most functions rather simple for the user. For instance,
by employing a user interface similar to that of Tinder, it would be extremely simple for the user to
swipe through and find people that they would potentially want to ask out. Furthermore, the
algorithm uses a linear equation, meaning that it was made to be as simple as possible. However,
these simplicities put privacy in danger for the user. Because the algorithm was not as complex, it
would be rather easy for a hacker with malicious intent to access user information and leak it.
However, the team tried to incorporate the simplicity of the algorithm into our final concept.

Algorithm Concept 2: This concept built on the first concept in the sense that the algorithm was
made to be quite simple and easy to use for the customer. The main difference between the two
was in terms of scalability. The algorithm for the second concept is an ML, meaning that in the
case that a much larger number of data was introduced (ie. new users), the algorithm would be
able to grow with it. Another interesting feature of this concept was that it collects some user
information. This will allow for the algorithm to make more intelligent decisions, however it would
not take too much in order to provide more user safety.

Algorithm Concept 3: This concept is similar to concept 2 in that it also uses an ML algorithm.
However, this ML algorithm is significantly more complex and therefore will create more accurate
predictions in the long run. The user interface of this algorithm will be implemented via a social
media type application, therefore providing the user with a familiar environment to have a set
“dating profile”. However, it is important to note that a main difference between the algorithm and
others is that it will be collecting a large amount of personal data. This will be used for the AI to
make the algorithm become more accurate.

love bug
11

changing the dating game

Conceptual Design (continued)

Eventual Concept Selected

The eventual concept that was selected was essentially a hybrid of all three prior ideas, taking the
best from all three algorithms. The final algorithm is created in the programming language Python,
meaning that it is easily applicable to an online app as many current ones are made with the use of
Python. The application only uses some user information in order to make the results more
accurate while not sacrificing user privacy.

love bug
12

changing the dating game

Conceptual Design (continued)

More Details on Wearable Concepts
Wearable Concept 1: The first wearable concept was made to be the most cost effective for the
user. It uses a simple rubber wristband and an aluminum casing, however it includes ion x glass
glass in order to ensure that the wearable is sturdy and not prone to scratching. Because this
wearable is meant to be as cost effective as possible, it is not that flashy or made with the explicit
intention of “aesthetics”. As such, it might not be extremely appealing to consumers who find this
to be a large part of their selection process.

Wearable Concept 2: Wearable concept 2 was created with the sturdiness of the device in mind.
As such, its construction is made with steel, and the wristband is made with a sturdy plastic
material. Because of all of these specifications, the design is reasonably more expensive than
concept 1. However, this concept has the extra convenience of being customizable. The plastic
bands of this watch can be switched out, and therefore more aesthetically pleasing for the user.

Wearable Concept 3: This wearable concept was created with the specific purpose of being
aesthetically pleasing and trendy for the user, in turn appealing to a millennial demographic. As
such, the wearable in this concept is made with all copper and has a cuban link chain band.
Therefore, the wearable concept here is quite expensive and would have to be marketed heavily
in order to make sure it is purchased.

Eventual concept selected: The eventual concept selected was primarily based off of concept 1,
however some other aspects were incorporated in order to run testing and marketing. For
instance, the products were all tested for sturdiness, an action which was heavily motivated by the
use of steel in one of the concepts. Furthermore, an appeal to a millennial audience was
considered after the creation of concept 3. This was applied to marketing where the creation of
sleek materials was attempted, going along with a modern “silicon valley” vibe.

love bug
13

changing the dating game

Detailed Design
Main Features
The wearable is a simple design as it is meant to show
what a wearable that utilizes the app may look like. The
wearable would have the app installed and would have
the ability to safely and securely ping other devices with
the app installed to detect possible matches in one's
area.
The main functioning parts include a power button to
turn the wearable on and off, a scroll wheel for easier
navigation, an LCD screen to display information,
wristbands to secure the wearable to one's wrist, and
internal circuitry to get it all running. In layman's terms,
it's a smart watch.

Results of Analysis. Experiments, and models

After 3D printing the main features of the wearable (not including
the circuit board) and attaching the wristbands, the team found
that it will fit on one's wrist and it feels like any other smart watch.
In previous experiments the team had done scratch and drop
tests for certain materials, in particular glass and Ion-X glass. The
team found that Ion-X glass was the strongest glass as it did not
shatter at any point, it is also very scratch resistant compared to
regular glass. Team members dropped an older smart watch from
around 2013, and found that while the glass didn't shatter, the
watch was not very shock absorbent and it stopped working after
the 3rd drop from 8 feet.

love bug
14

changing the dating game

Detailed Design (continued)

Manufacturing Details
The materials used are Aluminum, Ion-X glass, coated rubber wristband, and a traditional LCD core
First would be obtaining the aluminum for the core casing. Bauxite mining does not release many harmful
emissions as most of the bauxite ore is obtained through surface-level mining, just removing most dirt to uncover it.
They use a crane to uncover layers of the earth and extract the bauxite. Bauxite creates 70% of the world's
aluminum. Getting the aluminum in its form consists of mining bauxite ore and refining to obtain alumina, which is
then smelted to create aluminum.
Next up is the ion-x glass type. To create this, normal glass production has to take place which consists of taking a
mixture of different minerals such as limestone as well as sand and heating them to a very high temperature to
cause them to melt and form together. To create the ion-x glass, the glass is tempered in a 400-degree potassium
salt solution. This causes the sodium ions in the glass to dissolve and make space for the potassium ions to move in,
making the glass stronger and shatter-resistant.
LCD cores contain liquid crystals to aid in the flow of electricity through the device to create images across the
device. The display consists of, in this order, a glass panel (in this case ion-x), silicon dioxide sheet, indium tin oxide,
polymer, spacers, liquid crystal, another silicon dioxide sheet, followed by indium tin oxide, and a back layer of
glass.

love bug
15

changing the dating game

Detailed Design (continued)

love bug
16

changing the dating game

Detailed Design (continued)

Overall produced emissions

While an app does not produce CO2, a smartphone does. While the newest Iphone, the iPhone 12, is an
extremely carbon efficient product; it still takes energy to produce, use, and recycle. One iphone 12
produces around 70kg or 154lb of carbon emissions throughout its lifecycle. Given that an iphones
lifecycle is on average 3 years, this is a very low number. The average car is said to produce nearly 4.7
metric tonnes of CO2 per year according to the EPA. So the app won't directly pollute at all and the typical
phone that houses it won't pollute too much, what about the wearable? Given that it takes around 2kWh to
charge an iphone in a year and about ½ of that to charge an apple watch, which is the closest comparison
to the wearable I could find, the wearable would produce about pounds of CO2 per year given the amount
of energy needed to charge it. The only other thing on the wearable that has the potential to pollute is the
lithium ion battery. A lithium mine, which harvests the lithium used to make batteries, produces between
64kg and 106kg of carbon emissions for every kilowatt hour of lithium. That's around 141 to 233 pounds of
CO2 in the air for every kilowatt hour of energy created. Worldwide, 127.2 million pounds of lithium were
mined in 2019, and on average 1.5 pounds of lithium charge 1 kWh. This translates to 84.8 million kWh of
energy available per year from lithium. This translates to nearly 5.5 billion kg to 8.9 billion kg or 12 billion lb
to 19 billion lb of CO2 per year produced by lithium mines. Since the wearable uses a lithium ion battery, it
is contributing to that pollution. Overall, the wearable will produce extremely low amounts of emissions and
its environmental impact would be minimal. Our wearable would be very similar to a typical apple watch
series 6, with near identical emissions within production and usage. People could reduce the carbon
impact of their wearable by using it less so they don't have to charge it as much but that is unrealistic.
Unless a better alternative to lithium is found then the impact of that could be difficult to change as well.
Solar powered chargers are an option but hard to use in many cases and would prove to be tedious due to
the fact that the user would typically wear the wearable during the day which is when it would have its only
opportunity to charge unless the user utilises a solar charger with a battery pack which is also an added
expense. Overall the wearable would produce very little emissions and the main problem is lithium mines.
While necessary for extracting lithium, perhaps a switch to carbon neutral extraction methods could be
done but there currently aren't any in the market.

love bug
17

changing the dating game

Detailed Design (continued)

Algorithm Test:
1. Compare the actual output to the output that would be expected. For instance, if we expected the algorithm to output a
success probability of 67% then it would be unusual if it put out 51%. Experimental questions would be a test with the
median male and average female based on profile data. If the expected matches the actual probability then it will have
passed this test. The algorithm will be based on arbitrary rated coefficients that are multiplied by each aspect of the
profile, these values will be added together to create a composite score.
2. Test if it takes reasonable time for the program to output a probability.
3. Test edge cases, things that are outside normal input for example what would happen if we put in someone who doesn’t
enter the values in right. Can it handle them cleanly? One edge case for example might be someone who puts in an input
that is not supported by the algorithm. This could be handled by filtering input.
Procedure:
1. Start Visual Studio Code and open the file.
2. The algorithm asks for input for each profile through the console.
3. Enter input for the profiles
4. Run program, receive output.
5. Compare output to expected output calculated through the algorithm formula.

love bug
 18

changing the dating game

Detailed Design (continued)

Time to Run:
The algorithm took less than 0.5 seconds to run each time

Edge Cases:
The algorithm filters out edge cases.
When the algorithm test was run it went smoothly. The algorithm is relatively simple and there isn’t much required for it to
work. The program continues to run efficiently and as such they believe that these results prove that they can be easily
implemented in an online environment. This algorithm can be effectively uploaded to swift and then used on IOS devices and
the like.

Analysis:
The algorithm is focused on simplicity and efficiency, based off the results of this test it appears that it satisfied those goals.
The team used visual studio code to develop it since visual studio code is a versatile editor and has python support. The first
test for the algorithm was primarily focused on ensuring there were no bugs in the main process of the algorithm which is
creating an output for a model. The algorithm also needed to run efficiently, the team was not worried about this test but they
ran it to maintain clean procedure. It ran in short time, as expected. Finally, the team ensured the algorithm filtered out edge
cases. The simplest way to do this was by filtering the input of the algorithm before it starts processing information. In
conclusion, the algorithm satisfied all the teams expectations.

love bug
19

changing the dating game

Performance evaluation
Objective: Through this lab, we are trying to discover ways that the
wearable will travel on an incline in order to manipulate exit velocity and in
turn determine simulate drop speeds and frictional forces caused by
scratching on the wearable face.

Hypothesis: If a 308 gram wearable is slid down a ramp with length of 29.5
cm and then subsequently exits from a height of 74.5 cm, increasing the
angle of the ramp will proportionally increase the amount of distance
traveled by the wearable and as such, its resulting exit velocity will increase
as well. This information can be used to consistently determine the speed at
which the wearable will fall:

Background Research: As a team, we discussed basic projectile motion

and how to calculate velocity, acceleration, and distance. Furthermore, we
learned how to graph each one of these metrics and analyzed how they
were connected.

Wearable Sliding

Phone Filming

love bug
 20

changing the dating game

Performance evaluation (continued)

Procedure
1. Consider the different set up of ramps that can be used. Determine which materials and
supplies will work best to alter the angle of the ramp.
2. Acquire a 29.5 cm long board and tape it 7.5 cm from the edge of the table. Onto this
folder, tape an additional strip of flimsy construction paper in a parabolic shape so as to
decrease the amount of “jumps” that may take place when the wearable travels down the
ramp.
3. Prepare the additional parts of the experiment in order to gather accurate data.
a. First acquire one meter stick and place it perpendicular to the edge of the table. This
will allow for you to take accurate measurements as the wearable hits the floor.
Additionally, use black marker to mark the stick in 5 cm intervals to ensure that the
movement of the wearable can be caught accurately on camera.
b. Set up the phone camera at least six feet away from the table and angled in such a
way that the entire lab can be seen. Start recording the lab.
4. Measure 24.1 cm from the edge of the bottom of the ramp to the resulting lower leg of the
triangle and prop up the ramp on the 23.3 cm tall box to keep it steady. Use tape as
needed.
5. Get wearable and release from the top of the ramp on the screen side. Be sure to release
from a consistent position to ensure clear results with little variation.
6. Exactly when a wearable is released, start the stopwatch. When the wearable hits the
floor, stop the stopwatch. Run three trials.

love bug
 21

changing the dating game

Performance evaluation (continued)

Graphs of Results

love bug
22

changing the dating game

Performance evaluation (continued)

love bug
23

changing the dating game

Lessons Learned
Throughout this project the Love Bug team had many major takeaways. The biggest being learning more about people
and how they interact with each other on an interpersonal level. Learning more about human interaction was crucial to
the success of this company in that if the founders did not understand human emotion, the app would not coherently
cater to the everyday human. Learning more about other dating apps and programs was also very important to create
as it is thought to be a successful application. Extensive research of pre-existing apps laid the groundwork for dating to
be reimagined in a contemporary setting as many dating apps that first kick started the wave of “online dating” did so
well. There is also an underlying juxtaposition between humans and the online realm of which was tapped into when
creating a new design for romance. Creating a sense of security within a space that also pushes for further exploration
and confidence is contradictory in the way that risks should be taken, but avoiding the fear of risk taking in itself.
Steering away from app based “hookups” was a priority and by taking this into account, further pushed the need for
more connection based software. Further research also revealed that the standards of which people are dating and or
making romantic connections differ vastly from the traditional american dating culture. Looking back, the tradition of
taking someone out on a date was always very personal. Words and conversations had to be exchanged in person,
face to face, bringing on the pressure to become impressionable and have a lasting effect on the person you are
pursuing. This differs from now, where fast hookups and shallow dating is at the forefront of connection making in
people in the dating scene. Learning and researching during this project aided in creating a successful company
because learning the basis of human interaction and contemporary changes is most important in creating a platform
that is palatable and interesting to the consumer.

love bug
24

changing the dating game

Project team Sources

Businessofapps.comhttps://offerkey.com/where-to-live/the-
Kianna Brabo best-neighborhoods-in-la-for-millennials/

Psychological research
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/realestate/millennial-
Wearable design first-time-home-
buyer.html#:~:text=In%20the%20five%2Dyear%20period,highe
Chapin Williams
st%20rate%20in%20the%20city.
Field research
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-
General application design
3030492/Take-peek-inside-Apple-Watch-Infographic-reveals-
Heston Wilson firm-packs-components-needed-power-wearable.html

Computer science research

https://sites.psu.edu/bigdataebook/chapter5/05-02/
Lead application designer
https://www3.nd.edu/~ghaeffel/OnineDating_Aron.pdf
Izagani Aquino
General research https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2020/11/20/this-
cuffing-season-its-time-to-consider-the-privacy-of-dating-apps/
Application design
Zachary Jablons https://news.stanford.edu/2019/08/21/online-dating-popular-
way-u-s-couples-meet/https://mashable.com/roundup/best-
Project mentor dating-apps-for-college-students/

Algorithm design guidance

https://www.kaggle.com/andrewmvd/okcupid-profiles
Engineer at OkCupid

love bug
25

changing the dating game

Appendix

love bug
26

changing the dating game

Appendix (continued)

love bug
27

changing the dating game

Appendix (continued)

love bug
changing the dating game