Prathiksha DhandapaniPrathiksha D.
← All work

UX/UI case study · Dating app · 2024

FuseLuv: dating with intention

A dating app redesign with verified profiles, matches on shared values and safety tools in every chat.

Role
UX research, UX/UI design, visual design
Timeline
4 weeks, 2024
Tools
Figma
Deliverables
22 hi-fi screens, style guide, prototype flows
FuseLuv cover: “Dating with intention.” beside an “It’s a match!” screen showing shared interests with Meera, 26.

Context

A dating app built on compatibility, not endless swiping.

FuseLuv helps people find relationships based on values, intentions and shared interests. Version 1.0 had the right idea, but the experience didn’t show it: unclear options, low-contrast pastel screens and no visible safety features. Version 2.0 is a full redesign of the app and its visual system.

The problem

Dating apps are wearing people out.

Research into dating apps documents a link with anxiety, low self-esteem and emotional fatigue. People also face fake profiles and verbal harassment — and the more they swipe, the less they trust what they see.

Process

People want fewer, better matches — and to feel safe.

Secondary research (market reports, competitor reviews and app-store feedback), two personas and three task flows, then an audit of 1.0. Four rules guided every screen: intent first, safe by default, fewer, better matches, and warm, not cute.

Four research themes — dating fatigue, safety concerns, authenticity and time — each with an opportunity.
What I learned
Two personas: Joel, 24, looking for a long-term relationship, and Amrutha, 23, looking for friends and community.
Personas
Audit of FuseLuv 1.0: low-contrast text, the unclear “Secret meetings” option, a busy home and no safety tools.
Auditing 1.0
Four design rules: intent first, safe by default, fewer, better matches, warm, not cute.
Design principles
Eight low-fi wireframes: sign up, intent, values, selfie check, discover, profile, chat and date plan.
Low-fi wireframes

Key decision · Before & after

Same idea, rebuilt.

FuseLuv 1.0 and 2.0 side by side for login, preferences and home.
Before & after

What changed

  • Login: pastel bar and Georgia replaced with clear fields, Face ID and readable contrast.
  • Preferences: “Secret meetings” removed; four clear intents with descriptions.
  • Home: one card, one decision, with shared values shown up front.

Final work

Intent first, verified profiles and safety in every chat

Five short onboarding steps where every question changes who you’re shown, a 10-second selfie check behind a green verified badge, an icebreaker built from shared interests, and report, block and share-your-date-plan from any chat.

Onboarding screens asking what you’re looking for, your values and dealbreakers.
Intent and values come first
Photo upload, selfie pose check and the green verified badge.
Every profile is a real person
Match screen with an icebreaker from shared interests, and the chat that follows.
From match to first message in one tap
Chat safety menu with report, block and share date plan with a trusted friend.
Safety tools, one tap away

Reflection

What this redesign taught me.

Safety is a feature, not a setting

In 1.0 safety lived nowhere. Putting it in the chat header changed how the whole app feels.

Contrast is part of the brand

Pastels looked soft but were hard to read. Rose and plum keep the warmth and pass AA.

Ask fewer, better questions

Intent and dealbreakers up front do more work than a long profile form.

Testing plan: a moderated usability test with 5 people aged 21–34, with four tasks and what each measures.
Testing plan