Appeals Center
Tinder's new tool allowing users to contest account actions such as bans, warnings, and content removals, with the goal of improving transparency, user education, and ecosystem health, all while ensuring compliance with the EU's Digital Service Act and beyond.
Platforms
Web: Mobile, Desktop
Problem
Lack of transparency and appeal
Users struggle to understand the reasons behind account actions without any means to appeal them. When faced with an account ban, users are met with a vague "You've been banned" screen, leaving them in the dark.
Consequently, they resort to contacting customer support, sharing frustrations on social media, or navigating through lengthy discussions in search of two answers — why was I banned and how do I recover my account?
Goal
Establish a user-friendly appeal center for users to address actions taken against their accounts, learn from their behavior, and ensure our team effectively handles appeals.
Success Metrics
1
Number of appeals submitted
Analyze the number and overall types of violations in appeals submitted within a specific timeframe.
2
Member engagement with tool
Understand how often and how long members engage with different areas in the tool.
3
Completion rate of appeal forms
Evaluate user engagement and process efficiency to determine how many users successfully complete the appeal flow.
4
Member time to complete appeal
Understand user efficiency in the process, providing insight into how long it takes for users to complete the appeal flow.
Challenges
Feature Prioritization
To quickly deliver the most valuable product, I collaborated with over 70 stakeholders, including PM, research team, engineering, and policy operations to develop a strategy for the MVP release. We agreed to prioritize two key workflows with high impact and low engineering effort: laying the groundwork for the appeals center and upgrading our internal moderation tool.
During these discussions, I worked with the same stakeholders to secure approval for fast follows in next year's product roadmap to improve the appeals center. We also began long-term brainstorming sessions to address current backend challenges, aiming to improve the front-end experience.
Solution
Introducing Appeals Center
Tinder's new web based tool allows users to contest account actions such as bans, warnings, and content removals, with the goal of improving transparency, user education, and ecosystem health.
Design Decision - Overall Structure
The design process started with the homepage, focusing on creating 3+ dynamic violation type templates. To accelerate delivery, we prioritized engineering efforts and concentrated on essential features: overview of account status, a list of violations by type, and access to violations in any status. This approach enabled us to quickly establish a solid foundation and consider future scalability for upcoming additions.
Design Decision - Progressive Appeal
Without an established appeal flow or a structured web portal, we focused on building a system that could support future improvements to the appeals process.
Feedback from design systems recommended reusing existing patterns and further developing new ones to help users clearly understand each step in the process.
Final Designs
After several iterations and thorough design critiques, there are the final designs for the MVP of the appeals center. These designs incorporate input from multiple review sessions and showcase a balanced approach to creating a space that is both practical and efficient.
01
Accessing and Understanding Violations
After logging in to the Appeals Center via the provided link, users can easily view their account status on the dashboard.
The homepage clearly presents violation details, including actions taken, description, and timestamps, helping users understand multiple violations.
Users can also access more information before initiating an appeal.
02
Addressing and Tracking Appeals
When a user starts the appeals process, they see the same details as on the homepage, designed to distinguish multiple violations and enable future appeal features.
As users proceed with their appeals, they can view available violations and track progress with a progress bar.
At the end, users receive guidance on next steps and actions. After submitting an appeal, it moves to "In Review" under "Appealed," allowing users to track the status, details, and updates.
03
Appeal Decision and Notifications
After moderators make a decision on the appeal, users are notified through the app and by email to review their appeal status.
In the appeals center, they can quickly see their account status, outcome and find detailed information about their appeal and the initial violation.
