Redesigning Spotlight: From Confusion to Confidence

Context:
Spotlight is one of Bumble’s core consumables — a way for users to boost their profile visibility for a short burst of time. Once activated, it pushes a user’s profile to the top of the deck, especially during high-traffic moments, increasing their chances of getting seen and matched.

But here’s the problem:
Spotlight adoption was lower than expected. Users didn’t understand how it worked, when it was active, or what results to expect. And without clear feedback, the experience often left them thinking: Was this worth it?

The problem

We spoke with users. We looked at the data. The signals were clear:

Many users didn’t know what Spotlight even did.
Others expected it to bring an immediate flood of matches — and were disappointed when it didn’t.
Some assumed it activated the moment of purchase, while others thought it needed to be manually triggered.
And once it was over? There was no message, no feedback, no celebration. Just… silence.

This led to:

Hesitation to purchase
Low perceived value
One-time usage with little repeat behavior

What we built

1. Dynamic Spotlight cards

We introduced cards that adapt to user behavior and membership tier:

Time-limited offers for Premium+ users (e.g. 24-hour Spotlight on weekends) to drive retention
Bonus time on larger packs (e.g. buy 5, get 30 mins free) to nudge toward higher-value purchases
Clearer Auto-Spotlight surfaces to automate usage and reduce friction

These variations created both urgency and perceived extra value.

2. Unified entry points

Previously, users discovered Spotlight through inconsistent touchpoints. We brought all entry points together into a unified, clear system with consistent messaging, better visuals, and improved timing logic.

The goal: Make the “boost my profile” moment feel intentional and rewarding.

3. Real-time and post-Spotlight feedback

We designed a lightweight feedback loop that tells users:

When Spotlight is active
How long it will last
What’s happening during that time (e.g. “You’re 5x more visible right now”)
A summary at the end (e.g. “Your Spotlight got you 14 views and 3 new matches”)

The outcome

The redesign helped change the Spotlight narrative from “What did I just buy?” to “That was worth it.”

Key wins:

Significant lift in Spotlight conversions
Increased repeat purchases and engagement

Bumble

This case study is password protected