Aviary is a dating site designed specifically for prison inmates. It aims to present incarcerated users in a dignified manner and make finding a partner fun and easy by removing visual cues related to imprisonment. The site focuses on collecting profile information to find compatible matches based on things like location, age range, and interests rather than criminal history. Profiles display basic information about the user and their location in a clean format. Premium members can view more details and directly message others. The site also provides options for non-incarcerated users to write letters or schedule visits. Reviews from friends and family are included to help vouch for users' character.

1. Elliott Romano
Aviary
The New: Love Knows No Bars.com
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Aviary is conceived from the term “jailbird”
& is further abstracted to remove any direct
correlation to human imprisonment.
Just like everyone else, prison inmates seek meaningful
relationships. Aviary aims to make dating an inmate
friendly and easy.

2. Problem: Current Websites
In order to understand how to make a better Dating site for
prison inmates I took a look a existing websites.
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An immediate issue I encountered were the titles of the
sites themselves. These websites tend to emphasize the
terms “prisoner” or “inmate.”
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The names are embarrassing & further ostracize
incarcerated users & create a sense of pity.
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Empathy is not a bad thing but in the context of
relationships, no one wants to feel they are dating
a sad puppy.
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Additionally I encountered quite a bit of visual material
relating to Jail: ie alot of steel bars and stuff that says
“hey I’m in prison.”
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Finding a mate should be fun and exciting, and should
not reflect a prison cell.
Aviary

3. Problem: User Needs
Users on any dating sites should feel as though they accurately
reflecting themselves. If the the website does not offer respect for
an incarcerated user. it will be difficult for potential mates to have
any respect for them.
The website “inmatepassion.com” (a dating community
for inmates and ex-inmates) states that it is a place for
inmates that does not judge an individuals past mistakes.
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I take issue with this because this site and others are designed to
pass judgement and focus on the inmates past through its very
name and the prison iconography that they choose to include on
their page.
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I would think that if a prisoner was trying to meet someone online,
they shouldn’t have to immediately label themselves a prisoner &
and be put visually behind bars on the web.
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Additionally if someone was trying to meet an inmate online they
shouldn’t have to be constantly reminded that the person they
seek is in prison. If they are seeking an inmate, then they probably
already know that they are in jail.
Aviary

4. Goals:
From my analysis I have devised this set of goals:
Present incarcerated users in a dignified manner.
Make finding an inmate partner fun & easy.
Help establish credibility for inmates through recommendations by family & friends.
Reduce emphasis on inmates past & prison iconography
Aviary

5. Aviary
Design: Onboarding & Profile Data
Aviary
Aviary
Aviary
I am interested in...
I am a...
WELCOME!
LETS GET STARTED!
next
Aviary
Aviary
back
next
Aviary
Rate matters to you the most?
I’m looking for someone between...
I live here...
ADJUST THE SLIDERS
ADJUST THE SLIDERS
Friendship
Ahh, Maryland
Humor
20
back
next
back
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Loyalty
Spirtuality
next
not much
In this on boarding flow, I wanted to illustrate a how potential user (female) who is not in jail might find a potential male mate that is incarcerated.
I wanted to engage the user through a series of fun interactions that help create data that goes in her profile and helps find matches based on
her input.
alot!

6. Aviary
Design: Finding Other Profiles
Aviary
Aviary
7 People near you!
I’m looking for someone between...
James Owen
Jessup Correctional Facility.
Awesome!
We are finding some
matches for you!
20
30
40
50
60
DONE
10 miles from your location
70
80
90
Oliver Jones
Baltimore County Penn.
10 miles from your location
After entering information the site
will bring the user a list style feed
of profiles that match her criteria
Profiles are listed by location and
compatibility. clicking on on a
picture or name will open that users
profile page.

7. Aviary
Design: Profile
Aviary
I wanted the profile pages to be
clean and easy to read & navigate.
There aren't any prison references
and focus on the person as an
individual.
When viewing a profile,
users are greeted with
with a hello.
Introductions are friendly and
the user can immediately see
who the person in the profile is
representing, what kind of
relationship they are seeking
and where they are located.
85%
MATCH
“Hi, I’m James”
Hi My name is James Owen! I am from Baltimore
Maryland. I love reading and writing. I am a sucker
for the classics & detective novels.
I am currently seeking a female friend to write to on
occassion. I love a good story, I’d love to hear yours!
I’m currently residing at Jessup Correctional Facility.
Indicates how much of a match you are
to that that profile

8. Aviary
Upgrading
As a standard user, you can only scratch the surface of
viewing profile pictures. Premium users would also
ideally be able to communicate with other users online
(instant messaging, chat) but that would also require
some more extensive research as most prison in my
research pool had regulations regarding inmate internet
& social media usage.
Aviary
85%
MATCH
“Hi, I’m James”
Users will be incentivized to upgrade by a
a modal screen informing them of what they
are missing out on.
Upgrade to Premium
& see more of James!
Hi My name is James! Imembers can view
Premium am from Baltimore Maryland.
all member pictures and chat
I love reading and writing short stories. I hate to say
directly with other members!
it but I am a sucker for the classic detective novel.
No, thanks
Sign me up!
I am currently seeking a female friend to write to on
occassion. I love a good story, I’d love to hear yours!

9. Aviary
Design: Profile
Aviary
Users can also find out how
to contact inmates with ease.
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Contact information includes an
address to write James, as most
inmates have limited computer
access time. It is always nice to
receive a hand written letter.
visit
james
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In addition to displaying visiting
information There is also a button
“visit user” notifies that someone
wants to visit him or her(I figured
it would be nice to know if
someone wanted to visit me
if I was in prison.)
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You can reach me by mail at this address:
James Owen
7804 House of Correction Rd
Jessup, MD 20794
You can also visit me at the above address
monday-friday 12:00-2:30pm. learn more here.

10. Aviary
Design: User Validation
Aviary
Things people are saying about James
Reverend John Sanders:
Josh is a very strong individual. He has learned
so much from his past and has turned for the
better from those experiences.
Beth Owen:
My brother Josh and I have been close our whole
lives. He is very close to his family and is a very
loving brother.
Meeting strangers in any context is
always somewhat uncomfortable & I
can only imagine meeting a stranger
that has previously committed a crime
carries some weight along with it.
I thought that creating a means for
incarcerated users to have a friend or
family member vouch for them as a
way of saying “hey James is
a good guy!” in order to help reduce
the immediate prejudice inmates face.
Having someone vouch for you is
always a good thing.