UX/UI Project
Project Type
Real Client based Project, UX Academy at Designlab
Role
UX/UI Designer & Project Coordinator
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Zoom, Affinity, Notion
Timeline
4 weeks - 80 hours
Overview
Dating apps promise connection but deliver exhaustion. Swipe, match, repeat - an endless cycle of dopamine hits that leaves users feeling emptier than before. TwoVera was built to break this pattern through a simple but radical idea: you can't see someone's vulnerable side until you've earned it.
The app uses dual profiles - a polished "Curated" side visible to everyone, and a vulnerable "Candid" side that only unlocks through intentional interaction.
My Role
I joined this early-stage project mid-stream as UX/UI Designer and Project Coordinator, collaborating with two other designers over 4 weeks (80 hours) to redesign the matching experience and slow-reveal game.
The Inherited Challenge
We inherited a fragmented prototype where matching felt transactional, the dual-profile system lacked clarity, and the game didn’t yet build trust - our challenge was to turn a functional concept into a cohesive, emotionally intentional experience rooted in authenticity
The outcome
We delivered an MVP-ready prototype with testing confirming users now understood the core concept and—most importantly—described the experience as making them feel "seen" and "safe."
Research
What is TwoVera?
From previous teams work we gained a clear picture of TwoVera's dual-profile concept, its target users, and the pain points previous research had surfaced. We kept these foundational insights close throughout the project - using them as a reference point to ensure our design decisions stayed grounded in what had already been validated.
What wasn't working?
The concept was sound, but execution didn't support it. We needed to redesign these experiences to feel like TwoVera - calm, intentional, and emotionally safe - not just function like a dating app.
userflow
Mapping Interaction Structure
After identifying the main breakdowns in the existing prototype, we first reframed the problems and translated our research insights into clear “How might we” questions. These focused on intentionality, emotional presence, and progression—helping us define when users should connect, how trust should build over time, and where interaction needed more structure. Rather than redesigning screens immediately, we used these questions to shape the architecture of both the matching and game experiences.
Matching User Flow
Problem
“The matching experience felt emotionally flat - both profiles were visible upfront, eliminating progression and making the game unnecessary. This created a dopamine-driven validation experience rather than meaningful recognition, reducing users' motivation to build deeper connections.”
How might we..
How might we create intentional browsing that encourages users to engage with content rather than mindlessly swipe through profiles?
How might we transform matching from dopamine-driven validation into meaningful recognition that feels calm, safe, and authentic?
Solution
Users browse the Curated profile while the Candid side remains locked to support intentional pacing and spark curiosity. To match, they react to a specific element and can add an optional comment. If the interest is mutual, a match screen appears showing what each person noticed, with the option to start the game to unlock the Candid profile or go directly to chat.
Game User Flow
Problem
“Users playing with a match need to feel actively connected during the game, because real-time interaction and shared moments are what create trust and make the experience meaningful.”
How might we..
How might we make users feel like they're playing WITH each other, not just answering the same questions separately?
How might we design progressive reveals that build anticipation and connection over time?
Solution
For the Game Flow we explored three alternative models—fully asynchronous, fully real-time, and a hybrid approach—to understand how each affected presence, feasibility, and engagement. Through this process, we aligned with the client on a hybrid turn-based model, supported by a short lobby and real-time notifications. This structure preserved flexibility while reinforcing the feeling of playing together.
With these flows validated, we moved into low-fidelity wireframing to quickly explore layout options and screen-level interactions. This allowed us to iterate rapidly on structure before committing to any visual direction. From there, we refined our strongest concepts into mid-fidelity prototypes for usability testing.
Low and Mid-fidelity
From User Flows to Testable Experiences
To move beyond internal assumptions, we designed and tested four mid-fidelity flows focused on TwoVera’s core experience: matching and connection-building through gameplay.
Our goal was to understand how different interaction models impacted clarity, emotional engagement, and perceived intentionality.
Rather than optimizing for speed, we prioritized testing experiences that could foster meaningful connection.
Usability testing Objectives
Evaluate clarity of matching and gameplay
Test understanding of dual profiles
Identify friction points
Key Insights
Single reactions felt clearer than multi-reactions
Turn-based gameplay fit users’ schedules
The game drove strongest emotional engagement
Onboarding lacked clarity
Design Decisions
Removed multi-reactions
Standardized single reactions
Introduced hybrid turn-based flow
Added lightweight onboarding
branding
Establishing the design system
Previous Designlab teams had established core brand foundations, including color, logo, and tone. Building on this work, we translated these guidelines into a cohesive design system to ensure consistency and scalability across the product. While staying aligned with the original vision, we introduced Poppins as a complementary typeface to improve readability and hierarchy throughout complex flows.
High-fidelity
Refining for Clarity, Warmth, and Confidence
With validated interaction patterns and a shared design system in place, we developed the first high-fidelity prototype. This version translated mid-fidelity learnings into polished screens, incorporating clearer hierarchy, warmer microcopy, refined animations, and consistent component usage. We created a fully interactive prototype and tested it with new participants to evaluate clarity, confidence, and emotional response - ensuring that visual refinement supported usability rather than masking remaining friction.
Iteration & Final Validation
High-fidelity testing & Final Validation
High-fidelity testing showed that our core direction was strong: users clearly understood the dual-profile system, felt emotionally supported during matching, and consistently valued the game as a meaningful connection tool. Remaining friction points were concentrated around discoverability, pacing, and feedback - not core concepts.
This confirmed that the experience was working, but still needed refinement so we made targeted improvements across key moments in the journey, so we made some iterations based on that.
Final Outcome
MVP-ready prototype
After this iteration cycle, the final prototype demonstrated strong usability, emotional clarity, and product readiness. Participants completed core tasks confidently, described the experience as “intentional” and “safe,” and clearly understood how connection progressed over time.
This final version balanced warmth, structure, and scalability - providing the client with a validated, MVP-ready foundation.
Final Takeaways
What This Project Taught Me:
Organization is design work. Creating structure in scattered, inherited projects is essential before meaningful progress can happen.
Research builds alignment. Testing both client ideas and team hypotheses helped us make confident, evidence-based decisions.
Leadership is about clarity. Leading a small team strengthened my ability to align different perspectives into one cohesive experience.
Design can be messy but with structure, empathy and iterative testing you can turn complexity into a clear, meaningful experience.