Meet the profile.
Start with what someone shares about themselves. Photos stay hidden while you decide whether you’re curious.
Person before pictureA dating app, reconsidered
Less swiping.
More showing up.
The point of a dating app should be a date.
We’re designing backward from that.
THE ORDER MATTERS
A little curiosity.
A different beginning.
A different beginning.
OUR WORKING THESIS / V.02Built for the part that happens offline.
01 — The thesis
A match is a start.
Not the outcome.
Our starting belief: dating apps have their incentives backward. Attention is easy to count. Connection takes more intention.
Three ideas guide the design: person first, photos second; optimize for actual dates; and match on demonstrated intent. Each date and its feedback help us make the next introduction better.
Our north star
Real dates.
Confirmed by both people.
02 — Person first. Photos second.
Meet the person.
Then see the picture.
Attraction matters. We’re giving the person a chance to make an impression before the photos do.
Reveal the photos.
When both people are at least open, selected photos are revealed. Each person privately considers their interest again.
Attraction gets its momentMake it mutual.
If both are still open or more interested, it’s a full match. Conversation and date planning become available.
Two willing peopleMake a plan.
Propose a date inside the app: a time, a public place, and something to do. The other person can accept or suggest a change.
From a chat to a calendarClose the loop.
Afterward, each person independently confirms whether the date happened and can leave private feedback.
Measure what actually happened03 — Optimize for actual dates
Make a plan.
Show up.
A match opens the door. A date is the point. Propose a time, a public place, and something to do, right inside the app.
The other person can accept or suggest a change. Once you both agree, there’s a real plan to follow through on.
Our measure of success: dates that happen, confirmed by both people.
From conversation to a dateExample
Coffee & a walk?
- When
- Saturday, 11:00 am
- Where
- A neighborhood café
- The plan
- Coffee, then a walk in the park
Agreed by both people
Next comes the part that happens offline.
Propose → agree → meet → confirm
04 — After the date
Good conduct.
Different from chemistry.
A person can show up, be kind, and still not be your person. Our feedback should understand that.
What happened?
After each date, both people independently report on themselves and their date: attendance, punctuality, cancellation, and notice.
A no-show means an agreed date missed without notice. Day-of cancellations and lateness are tracked separately.
Good faith, visible.
Profiles show actual counts based on the other parties’ feedback. Self-feedback records acknowledgment or disagreement. Completed dates require both people’s confirmation.
Private responses build a public record of follow-through. Matching accounts of the same incident count once.
Would you meet again?
Respect, accurate representation, and boundaries matter. Whether you felt a connection is a separate, private question.
A lack of chemistry doesn’t make someone unreliable. Declining a date isn’t flaking.
On the profileIllustrative numbers
- 8Confirmed dates
- 1Reported no-show
- 2Day-of cancellations
- 3Reported late arrivals
05 — Match on demonstrated intent
Real dates make
better introductions.
Intent is something you demonstrate. As people make plans, meet, and give feedback, the app learns who follows through—and connects people with a similar willingness to meet.
Learn from what happens.
Match-to-date and conversation-to-date conversion help us understand whether introductions lead to meeting. These signals inform matching privately.
Connect people who want to meet.
After enough history, someone who repeatedly matches and chats but never agrees to a date receives fewer introductions to people who consistently go on dates.
Make participation count.
Actual dates and honest feedback improve future introductions. The app distinguishes your willingness to meet from a plan that fell through because of someone else.
Make a planMeet in real lifeGive feedbackBetter introductions
The ambition is simple
Find a reason
to close the app.