Govt staff dating pilot will not match those from same agency: GovTech

He said the FirstDate questionnaire, which covers travel styles, whether a person wants children and what they bring to the table, does “give a sense of what the person is like”.

But he felt one close-ended question about dealbreakers had too few options: religion, smoking and dietary preferences.

“I felt a bit restricted for this question because it’s not very nuanced. I don’t mind dating someone from another religion, but I wouldn’t want to convert,” he said, adding that he prefers that the scheme be open to those outside of public service for more diversity.

Kenneth Tan, an assistant professor of psychology from the Singapore Management University, said that since FirstDate is a “government initiative”, there is no profit motive, making it more trustworthy.

Using the Gale-Shapley algorithm is a useful starting point because it takes mutual preferences into account, he added.

Psychology lecturer Jean Liu from the Singapore Institute of Technology said the algorithm’s single round of matching differs from most dating apps’ strategy. Most apps show profiles one after another, refining what they show based on swipes to learn what users like.

But experts said relationship research suggests that “spark” and compatibility are hard to predict before people meet.

Said Liu: “We’re not very good at predicting that spark from a person’s characteristics.”

She noted that relationship science supports FirstDate’s strategy of moving to an offline date quickly, since many aspects of compatibility are only discovered when people meet.

Tan noted that the algorithm addresses how people are allocated to one another, rather than whether two people will ultimately be compatible.

“The most a platform like this can realistically do is screen out obvious mismatches and make it easier for plausible people to meet,” he said.

Without knowing exactly how FirstDate’s questions are used to generate participants’ preference rankings, it was difficult to assess how effective the matching would be, he said.

Tan was also hopeful about the platform offering one match at a time, in contrast to unlimited potential partners. People tend to reject potential matches when there is choice overload.

Tan said another potential issue is what happens when many participants prefer the same person who possesses many highly desired traits.

The Gale-Shapley algorithm matches a highly sought-after person with their top preference while moving others who ranked that person highly to their next choice, he noted.

While the result is mathematically stable, people may be matched with someone below their top preferences, he said.

He said having an age limit for the pilot is a good start. “It can make recruitment, support and feedback more manageable while the team tests the service.”

But if there are too few sign-ups, Liu said the app may not expand a user’s options beyond who they already have in everyday life.

She noted that dating app Hinge also uses a Gale-Shapley-based approach for its daily “Most Compatible” recommendation.

Tan said using Singpass verification could increase confidence that participants are using their real identities, though a verified identity also does not establish someone’s intentions or guarantee respectful behaviour.

Both experts said users must be assured that their data will not be shared with employers or other parties.

FirstDate’s website states that only a participant’s match can see their profile, and contact details are shared only if both parties agree to connect.

Questionnaire responses are handled according to government data security standards, and users can deactivate their accounts and request that their information be removed.

Tan said a potential problem is if the system assumes that someone wants a partner who is similar to them.

But an introverted person, for example, might prefer someone more outgoing, he said.

Attraction also emerges through interactions between two people and cannot simply be reduced to matching characteristics on paper, he added.

Any compatibility score, therefore, should not be interpreted as the probability that a relationship will succeed.

“The strongest use of this approach is to facilitate promising introductions while giving people room to discover compatibility through conversation and shared experience,” he said.

“The pilot should assess whether people feel comfortable, meet, enjoy the interaction and mutually want another date.”

Liu said: “As a government app, FirstDate is well-poised to collect and share data on whether the algorithm works and what implementation challenges there might be.

“Most app developers keep such information proprietary, so FirstDate’s results could be informative for the field.”