Revel App FAQs

Current U-M undergraduate and graduate students on all three campuses who are at least 18 years of age are able to join this study.

In order to ensure only U-M students use the app, participants will have to login with their uniqname in order to verify student status each time they use the app. Uniqname will NOT be shared with other participants or directly linked to any other data.

Eligible students include individuals enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, JD, MBA, EdD, Deng, etc. programs but does not include those enrolled in postdoctoral programs, staff, or faculty members.

If you choose to participate, you will be asked to create a dating profile and select potential dating partners from a pool of other U-M students. You will be given the opportunity to send messages in the app to people you select who select you as well (i.e., “matches”). You will also be asked to complete surveys about yourself and your dating experiences before you begin viewing profiles and on a regular basis throughout your use of the app.

Initial onboarding surveys are mandatory and will be longer (we need to gather all of the important information about who you are and what you are looking for in a relationship partner before you begin dating). Other surveys sent to you through the app are optional and may take anywhere from 1-20 minutes per survey (most are pretty short).

Additional time spent in the study is up to you and will depend on your app usage (i.e., how often you use the app to look at potential partners, message with matches, etc.). This study is ongoing and may last only a few months or many years depending on study funding. Your involvement within the study will end either when (a) you graduate and are no longer a student at U-M, (b) you choose to withdraw from the study, or (c) the study ends.

Any time you use the app, anonymized data will be automatically sent to secure data storage (approved for handling sensitive data) including:

• your student status, UM campus affiliation, and age
• information you share on your profile
• amount of time you spend on the app
• which profiles you view
• matches you make
• messages you send
• status of your matches

We will also collect any responses you provide to survey responses.

We will collect your uniqname (and any uniqnames you add to the Block list) for student verification and blocking purposes, but that information will be stored in a separate data table and will not be linked to any of your other information.

When you first join Revel, you’ll be asked to provide information about your student status, campus, gender identity, birthdate, and matching preferences (i.e., gender, campus). We use this information to determine which profiles are shown to you and who your profile is shown to. Undergraduate and graduate students are entered into separate pools. You will be shown profiles that match your preferred gender(s) and campus location(s), and your profile will be shown to people who have indicated interest in your gender and campus location. We use your birthdate to confirm that you are 18 years or older and so that people can filter potential matches based on age for safety reasons (but you don’t need to actually show your age in your profile unless you want to).

Throughout your time on the app, additional information will be collected. This includes information shared on your profile, through messages, and in surveys, as well as information about your app use. The research team will use this data to better understand how people make, form, and maintain relationships. 

We will protect your information by securely storing it on U-M maintained servers and computers. We will replace your uniqname and any other identifiers with a unique ID. The key linking the unique ID and your uniqname will be retained in a separate file. We will use uniqnames for student status verification and identifying students who need to be blocked from viewing a participant’s profile. Uniqnames will not be directly linked to your other data. Data that has the potential to be identifiable (e.g., profile information, in-app messages) will be stored separately from other data. Data will be anonymized and scrubbed to remove any identifiable data (e.g., name, email address, phone number, address) prior to being used for data analysis. Anonymized data may also shared with collaborators solely for research purposes. Your data will not be shared or used for non-research purposes. In fact, we have a Certificate of Confidentiality to ensure that we are not compelled to share any of the data we collect as part of the Revel research study.

Anonymized data will be accessed only by researchers for research purposes only. The app will not be monitored in real-time and anonymity of participants will be maintained to the extent possible. Data will be accessed only by researchers for research purposes only. We have a Certificate of Confidentiality to ensure that we are not compelled to share any of the data we collect as part of the Revel research study.

Using Revel poses risks, but these risks are no different than interacting with strangers on other dating apps or in person. The main risks include:

• Discomfort from being asked sensitive questions (though you can opt out of answering any questions and still participate in using the app)
• Having people you do not know see your profile (though you can identify and block people who you don’t want to see your profile)
• Sending and receiving messages and meeting with people you do not know, which could lead to inappropriate or uncomfortable interactions, including sexual harassment (similar to the risks you would experience with any dating app or social interaction)
• As with any research study, there is a rare risk of breach of confidentiality (though data will be stored securely following safe data practices)
• Personal insights might reveal information that makes you feel uncomfortable, such as if you discover that the people you actually indicate interest in are different from the type of person you say you are interested in dating. You can choose not to view these insights.

Revel includes reporting features that let you report inappropriate content to us. If we judge the content to be inappropriate, we can block access to the app for that student. However, we are not monitoring the app in real-time and because of our Certificate of Confidentiality, we are not sharing information we gather through the app with people outside the research team. If you experience inappropriate behavior through the Revel research study, you should report it through U-M’s Title IX policy or to local and state resources. These resources are listed in the Resources section of the settings menu in the Revel app.

You can stop using Revel at anytime. In the settings menu in the Revel app you can choose to temporarily pause the app so that your profile isn’t shown to other participants or you can withdraw from the study completely.

If you regret a hasty decision, never fear. You can rejoin the study at any time by logging back in and re-consenting to join the study!

You can withdraw from the study at any time and we will stop collecting your data, but we will retain any data we have already collected. Your data is not directly linked to your uniqname and we will not post or share identifiable data with people outside the research team.

Once enrolled in the study you will be able to:

• Make a profile with pictures and information about you that other students will be able to see
• State your preferences about what profiles you would like to see
• View and make decisions about other profiles
• Get notified when you match with someone
• Chat with matches
• Answer surveys about yourself and your matches and learn more about your dating habits through personalized insights

Other students who match your gender preference and student status (i.e., undergrads will only see undergrads, grad students will only see grad students) will be able to see your profile. Researchers will be able to view profile information, but it will not be monitored in real-time.

If there are students who you would prefer do NOT see your profile (exes, friends, etc.), you will be able to tell us to block those students using their uniqnames or by blocking profiles you see in the app. You can edit your block list at any time. If you block someone, neither of you will see the other person’s profile.

As you create your profile, do keep in mind that other students using Revel who match your preferences will be able to view your profile information and could potentially show it to other people.

You can message with other students who you are matched with, and they will be able to view the chat history of messages between the two of you. The research team will be able to view messages for research purposes, but they will not be monitored in real-time. Messages will be scrubbed to remove any sensitive data (e.g., name, address, phone number) prior to being used for data analysis.

Our goal for now is to minimize the app’s interference in what matches you see while increasing your chance of making connections through Revel. We only show you potential matches who are in your dating market – grad or undergrad, queer vs straight, etc. – and who meet your filter criteria. For example, if you tell us you only want to see engineering or theater majors,  we will only show engineering or theater majors. 

Among the users who fit the criteria above, we will show you a mix of people who have already swiped right on you and people who have not swiped on you yet. We do this because we want to strike a balance between the people who you are interested in and the people who indicate an interest in you. After all, if Econ majors really like English majors but English majors don’t like Econ majors, we don’t want to give English majors a set of entirely Econ major options! 

From this set, we prioritize matches based on their engagement with the app and with other users. We are more likely to show you potential matches who have recently logged into the app, and those who tend to send messages to people they match with. 

Over time, we will refine this algorithm based on what we learn from the app about chemistry and compatibility. We will audit the algorithm periodically to ensure that it is fair to all types of users. To ensure the best scientific approach, you may not be informed when the matching algorithm changes and different participants may be assigned to different matching algorithms in order to test their efficacy. However, we will always share the results of our research with you as soon as we can.

We also limit how many profiles you see each day to prevent choice overload and decision fatigue.

With Revel, our research team hopes to gain insights into the mysteries of compatibility and dating. But we want to help Revel users gain insights as well.

Data suggests dating can be a frustrating and unpleasant experience for many people. And online dating can feel like a waste of time if you spend hours scrolling through profiles but don’t make meaningful connections. With insights, we hope you’ll find any time you spend on Revel useful.

Global Insights: These give you insights about your dating market. These insights answer questions like: When are people most likely to be using Revel? What types of profile attributes are people most likely to display? What do people filter on?

Personal Insights: These give you insights about your own dating behavior. They answer questions like: Do you spend more time looking at profile pictures or bios? Are you pickier at certain times of the day? Do you actually like the type of people you think you like?