App Design Process
User Research and Product Discovery
Me and my fellow designers conducted product discovery research through competitor analysis and virtual user interviews to gather essential insights into user needs and preferences. This research formed the foundation for Seahorse's value proposition and idea generation for app features.
Defining The Problem Statement and Value Proposition
We found that in our society, there are a lot of people that are not ready for love and that current apps often fail to help users find a real connection. The goal of Seahorse Dating is to get users to focus on their own wellness, healing any past trauma, and being able to love themselves in order to be in a headspace to love someone else, romantically or otherwise.
To tackle the problem of relationship-readiness and creating meaningful connections, Seahorse offers wellness modules, resources, coaching, and matchmaking.
The platform aims to create a personalized digital experience, recommending activities or resources that may be beneficial for the user’s wellness. The interactive activities and lessons measure underlying emotional and social well-being. If a user is opted in to the dating feature, the app groups users based on similar individual cognitive conceptualizations to match them with like-minded singles that also are looking to better themselves.
Information Architecture and User Flows
After completing user research and conducting design audits of the initial app concepts, my team and I redesigned the app’s information architecture to include the new key features identified in the idea generation phase. Our research informed our decisions in the creation of user personas and flows. We created user flows to map out the user experience and enhance overall usability and navigation, making the app more intuitive for users.
Wireframes and Prototyping
My team and I implemented a design system for the app which included the primary, secondary, and accent colours and typefaces used in the designs as well as multiple reusable components with varying states.
Leveraging the new app architecture and user flows, me and my fellow designers started with lo-fidelity designs and worked our way up to hi-fidelity. We focused on ease of use and kept user needs in mind as we designed the new interfaces, while staying true to the Seahorse Dating brand.