Project Details

Background

I joined Jubilee to lead a redesign of Nectar, a dating app designed for individuals seeking intentional connections.

The project entailed converting the current state of the app, a romantic personality assessment (think Meyer-Briggs test for dating) into a full fledged dating app with social features including profiles, messaging, and personality-driven matching system.

Design Process

For this project, we were developing the bran aesthetic concurrently with the app flows. The brand needed to feel welcoming, casual, and trend forward.

We did through the use of intentional and deliberate use of color, typography, language, and psychology to build an engaging experience for the user.  

Redesigning the Onboarding Flow

A few of the major challenges we faced when designing the onboarding flow were:

• Keeping users engaged without dropping off
• Determining what types of basic information we needed to ensure a successful matching process
• Communicating how this information would help users connect with others
• Addressing privacy concerns to ensure that users felt safe sharing information
• Providing ways for users to personalize how they presented their gender expression and sexuality

Profiles and Matching

Early on in our conversations with potential users, we noticed a frustration with unequal expectations from the dating experience.

Some users wanted more causal interactions, some wanted something more serious, and some users were in-between.

As in all relationships, communication is key 🔑, and we wanted to give users an easy way to communicate their preferences.
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To support a more intentional approach to dating, we introduced the Loveprint and Relationship Readiness assessments, two assesments that users take during the onboarding flow to determine their dating preferences.
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Based on their results, users were matched with a specific Loveprint type, which also determined the visual design of their profile.

In testing, users cited that Loveprint made identifying others with similar relationship goals a more intuitive and enjoyable experience.

Each of these profiles has a different "Loveprint" type based on their relationship goals

Reimagining Messaging

One of our biggest goals within this project was to make messaging feel easy, comfortable, and safe. We did this by integrating:

• Prompt-based Messaging 🧊 to help users break the ice
• Clean Minimalistic UI 🧼 to keep interactions focused
• Reactions and Engagement Tools 🔥 to make conversations feel natural
• Safety And Reporting Tools 🦺 to prevent harassment.

Results & Impact

After implementing the new designs, the app saw:

• A 45% increase in new user sign ups.
• A 50% improvement in match engagement, with more users initiating conversations.
• A reduction in user drop-off rate by 20% due to clearer navigation and improved usability.
• Positive user feedback on the fresh, intuitive design and conversational UI elements.

Challenges

This project was a behemoth to undertake. We were up against competition that were well established, with large teams, and infinitely more resources.

The team at Jubilee were undoubtedly experts in marketing and content creation, which gave the project a solid foundation to build upon, but most of the key stakeholders did not have experience bringing a technology product to market which made for a steep learning curve and communication to realistically set expectations.
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Stakeholders often had shifting priorities, requiring adaptability in design iterations.
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As the sole Product Designer, balancing multiple priorities across user experience, visual design, copywriting, product strategy, and project management was demanding.

We had a small but mighty team for this work, and I'm proud of what we accomplished and built.

Key Takeaways

• User-first design: Understanding the emotional and psychological needs of users was crucial in crafting an engaging experience.
• Iterative approach: Rapid prototyping and continuous testing helped refine the product efficiently.
• Stakeholder communication: Setting clear expectations and explaining design rationale helped align the team towards a unified vision.

Conclusion

The Nectar Dating App’s transformation was a significant step toward creating a platform that fosters intentional dating.

By focusing on user needs, implementing a structured design system, and refining key interactions, I helped shape an experience that prioritizes genuine connections over casual swiping.

Nectar now stands as a unique alternative in the dating app space, offering users a more thoughtful and engaging way to meet potential partners.