During Euro 2024, I used football supporters in Germany to explain Spotted. One person wants to look everywhere. Another wants to find someone they crossed paths with. Those are two different starting points for a product.
This was the idea behind that release. For current settings, check the app. The design question remains: does the person understand what changes when they choose a different way to search?
In one example, the person was open to people anywhere. In the other, the person had more specific preferences and wanted to see people they crossed paths with. Those are different intentions. Giving both people the same default experience would miss that difference.
A useful filter should answer a recognisable question: who am I hoping to meet, and how far am I willing to look? Adding controls is easy. Making their meaning clear takes more care. Someone should understand what changes when they select a different option.
Crossing paths can provide the possibility of an introduction. It does not tell you whether you share values or whether the other person wants a conversation. A product still needs room for mutual choice.
That is the practical lesson I take from this announcement: describe the human situation before describing the feature. Then ask whether the person can use it without guessing what it does. For today’s settings and availability, check the current app.
That same idea had a specific setting in our plans for bringing dua and Spotted to Sunny Hill Festival.
Related reading and sources: that release