UX Design Intern
Assistant Project Lead
UI & UX Design
Mobile & Web Design
4 UX Design Interns
2 Developers
1 Product Manager
Landing Page Design
I designed the initial landing page, focusing on clear messaging, user engagement, and smooth navigation. Although another designer later iterated on it, my designs laid the foundation for the final product.
Design System
I refined the design system, creating cohesive, reusable components that aligned with the brand's evolving image. This collaborative effort ensured consistency across all digital touchpoints.
Questionnaires and User Accounts
I crafted engaging questionnaires and account screens for both desktop and mobile web, ensuring responsive design and gathering key data to personalize user experiences.
The Founding of OurDate
In the fast-paced world of tech startups, adaptability is essential. When I joined OurDate, the product was undergoing a major pivot. Initially planned as a dating app in a saturated market, the founder, Dora, shifted focus after identifying a significant market gap. OurDate evolved into a niche date night planning service, combining AI with curated experiences.
This strategic change brought both challenges and opportunities, requiring a complete rethinking of the product's offering, user experience, and brand identity. As an intern during this pivotal phase, I contributed to a project that was redefining its purpose and laying the foundation for future success.
A Market-Driven Opportunity
The pivot wasn't just about standing out; it was driven by a key insight from Dora, the founder. Research revealed a significant market gap: while couples sought meaningful date nights, 70% struggled to plan them due to busy schedules, and 60% were frustrated by the lack of personalized options.
This unmet need became the catalyst for OurDate’s new direction. Dora envisioned a platform that offered curated, hassle-free date experiences tailored to each couple's preferences. This shift transformed OurDate into a service focused on deepening connections, guiding our design and development efforts.
A Strategic Pivot:
From Dating App to Date Night Planning
The dating app market was saturated, but a date night planning service struck a chord. The pivot was strategic, recognizing that couples sought more than just matches - they wanted memorable, personalized experiences.
As an intern at the time, I joined the OurDate team during this critical phase, building on previous design efforts to refine and expand the user experience, helping bring the founder's vision to life.
Understanding the Market
Before any design work could commence, it was crucial to explore the problem space, as well as the market and users we aimed to serve. The pivot from a dating app to a date night planning service meant that our target audience had shifted and expanded as well. We were no longer only appealing to singles looking for matches, but also couples seeking to enrich their relationships through carefully planned experiences.
Research Insights
There had been extensive research sessions made by the previous designers before I joined the team, trying to understand user needs. This research informed every design decision we made, ensuring that our solutions were not only innovative but also resonated with our target users.
Couples have different preferences when it comes to planning, with some preferring spontaneity and others valuing regular planning.
Scheduling and finding time for dates can be a common challenge among married couples with children.
Understanding each other's preferences and maintaining a positive mood can contribute to successful date experiences.
Frequent, smaller, and enjoyable activities can also constitute meaningful dates for some couples.
Childcare arrangements are a significant factor for parents when planning dates.
Couples with children often face challenges in finding child-friendly venues that suit their needs.
Couples with children may prioritize family outings in addition to alone time.
Competitor Analysis
I conducted a competitor analysis to identify areas for improvement and craft a solid value proposition that stands out in the market. This research helped us identify and highlighted the need for a personalized approach, setting OurDate apart from generic date night recommendations.
Click here to zoom in and view the full image
SWOT Analysis
I also made a SWOT analysis to examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for growth, and threats of OurDate.
Design System: Rebuilding a Consistent and Scalable Foundation
With the pivot, developing a flexible design system was crucial to align with OurDate’s new direction and support future growth. I collaborated with my team to create a cohesive visual language, establishing standards for all components—from buttons to complex interfaces—ensuring both aesthetics and functionality. The evolving design system provided a consistent foundation, enabling efficient and unified design work.
From Questionnaires to AI-Driven Insights
In developing design prototypes, personalization was central to the OurDate experience. I designed detailed questionnaires to gather users' preferences, interests, and relationship dynamics, which were crucial for AI-driven recommendations.
Collaborating with the product manager and another designer, I ensured the questions were intuitive and engaging, balancing data collection with a seamless user experience. The result was a set of thoughtful questionnaires that provided valuable data and enabled the AI to deliver truly personalized date night experiences, differentiating OurDate in the market.
Designing Mobile-First
- Personalized Questions: Curated to help the AI system tailor activities and experiences to each couple’s preferences.
- Intuitive Dashboard: Prioritizes and keeps information easily accessible.
- Date Plan Results: Displayed in the user dashboard and sent to their email for convenient access.
Personalized questions that help the AI system curate activities and experiences suited to the couple’s preferences.
A simple and intuitive dashboard that prioritizes information and keeps it easily accessible to users.
Date plan results displayed in the user dashboard and also sent to their email inbox for ease of accessibility.
A Personalized Date Plan Itinerary
- Users receive 2-3 itinerary options, each featuring 2 activities.
- Key information, such as prices, reservation tips, parking, and hours, is provided to aid decision-making.
- Itineraries are color-coded for easy recognition and recall.
- Each option includes buttons to the relevant website and images to give a visual preview of the experience.
Users are given multiple (2-3) itinerary experiences to choose from, with 2 activities under each itinerary.
Important information are listed to also help them decide if they’re on a budget (i.e. prices, reservation tips, parking, opening and closing hours, address, etc.)
The itinerary experiences they are offered are differentiated with colors to help with recognition and easy recall.
Buttons to the website of each place / activity is also included under each option to help them see more features and help ease their decision making.
Images are displayed under each option to give a peek of what they could experience. This helps with visuals.
Crafting the Web Experience
The Landing Page
I designed the initial landing page, focusing on clearly communicating the platform’s value proposition and creating visual appeal. Although the final iteration was completed by others after my departure, my contributions, along with previous designers' work, laid the groundwork for these improvements.
The final landing page reflects a collaborative effort, showcasing how iteration and user feedback shape a compelling first impression.
Scroll within the image below
MVP Testing: Navigating the Path to a Perfect Date Experience
Following the design phase, we conducted usability tests with users to evaluate the effectiveness of the date planning form. Below is a screenshot from our Maze.co usability test results, highlighting the usability score and user feedback on the form's length and design elements. These insights were instrumental in refining the form, ensuring it was user-friendly while maintaining the integrity of the questions. This approach also provided a clear direction for future development, highlighting the potential for a more dynamic and adaptive user interface.
The feedback provided valuable insights that informed our design iterations:
Form Length and Question Relevance
- User Feedback: Users found the form a little long and some components, like fonts and touchpoints, were too small.
- Action Taken: Streamlined the form by removing unnecessary questions and improving visual accessibility for a smoother experience.
Confusing Questions
- User Feedback: Questions like "What are you not in the mood for?" were confusing due to wording, and some questions conflicted, leading to a disjointed experience.
- Action Taken: Rephrased questions for clarity, removed double negatives, and ensured answer choices aligned with previous responses to improve flow.
Form Flow and Navigation
- User Feedback: Users appreciated the intuitive navigation but wanted a more personalized experience with dynamic questions.
- Action Taken: Implemented minor adjustments and identified the need to develop a dynamic questionnaire feature for future updates to enhance personalization.
A Few Screens from My Other Contributions
In the fast-paced startup environment, the OurDate project underwent numerous design iterations, each refining the product. As a design intern, I adapted quickly to these changes, using user feedback and testing to guide improvements.
Embracing feedback as a growth tool, I contributed significantly to the product's development, ensuring each iteration advanced towards a polished, user-friendly experience.
Ensuring Seamless Collaboration
As my design phase started to conclude, the focus began shifting to a critical phase: the developer handoff. Ensuring that the transition from design to development was smooth and efficient, was paramount to maintaining the integrity of the user experience we had crafted.
Detailed Documentation
We provided the development team with high-fidelity mockups and a comprehensive design system, ensuring all design elements were clearly defined.
Annotated Screens
Each screen was annotated with key details like user flows, spacing, button states, etc, making it easy for the developers to maintain the designs correctly.
Continuous Collaboration
Regular feedback and check ins insured that any issues were promptly addressed. leading to a final product that stayed true to the vision.
Outcome and Impact
Although my internship ended before the official product launch, my contributions were foundational to the final product. As OurDate enters its beta stage, it is refining its offering based on user feedback. The design system and user experience work I contributed to, especially through iterative cycles, were key in creating an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
This collaborative effort aligned the product with the brand’s vision and set the stage for a successful launch. I wish the OurDate team continued success as they refine the platform and look forward to their growth and achievements.
Reflections
My internship at OurDate was a significant opportunity for showcasing adaptability and learning while contributing to a dynamic project. This case study highlights my growth in user experience design and design system development, as well as effective collaboration with a team.
The transition from a dating app to a date night planning service required a deep market understanding, commitment to personalization, and thoughtful design - elements I supported and learned from.
As I advance in my career, the insights and experiences from this internship will guide my design approach and collaboration. This project was more than contributing to a product; it was about creating meaningful solutions that enrich users' lives, reflecting the true power of design.
