An app for people who can't afford to be catfished.
An app for people who can't afford to be catfished.
An app for people who can't afford to be catfished.
High-net-worth users, executives, founders, professionals needed a dating platform that matched their expectations: verified identities, airtight privacy, and a UI that didn't embarrass the premium price tag. I redesigned the entire product from scratch as a the sole UX/UI Designer.
High-net-worth users, executives, founders, professionals needed a dating platform that matched their expectations: verified identities, airtight privacy, and a UI that didn't embarrass the premium price tag. I redesigned the entire product from scratch as a the sole UX/UI Designer.
High-net-worth users, executives, founders, professionals needed a dating platform that matched their expectations: verified identities, airtight privacy, and a UI that didn't embarrass the premium price tag. I redesigned the entire product from scratch as a the sole UX/UI Designer.
My Role
UX/UI Designer
Platform
iOS + Android
Timeline
~1 Month
The existing product was promising the wrong thing and
delivering less
The existing product was promising the wrong thing and delivering less
With the existing app, the gap between its ambition and its reality was hard to miss. It was positioning itself as a luxury platform for discerning professionals and then greeting them with low-contrast UI, competing fonts, and bright colors bleeding into a dark background.
With the existing app, the gap between its ambition and its reality was hard to miss. It was positioning itself as a luxury platform for discerning professionals and then greeting them with low-contrast UI, competing fonts, and bright colors bleeding into a dark background.
A rich user's trust threshold is much higher than average. They're handing over income documentation and real photos to a platform full of strangers. Every visual inconsistency, every moment of friction, reads as a signal that the product isn't serious and neither are the people on it.
A rich user's trust threshold is much higher than average. They're handing over income documentation and real photos to a platform full of strangers. Every visual inconsistency, every moment of friction, reads as a signal that the product isn't serious and neither are the people on it.
Beyond the surface, the product had deeper gaps:
Beyond the surface, the product had deeper gaps:
No verification system
No verification system
Anyone could create a profile. For a platform selling exclusivity, this was a foundational contradiction.
Anyone could create a profile. For a platform selling exclusivity, this was a foundational contradiction.
Incomplete core flows
Incomplete core flows
Chat, matching, and video calls were either missing or broken.
Chat, matching, and video calls were either missing or broken.
Onboarding that asked too much, too early
Onboarding that asked too much, too early
Too many steps before a user saw any value.
Too many steps before a user saw any value.
I looked at the category's best to understand what "premium" actually felt like
I looked at the category's best to understand what "premium" actually felt like
I created active accounts on Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble and went through their full flows firsthand. A few things stood out:
I created active accounts on Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble and went through their full flows firsthand. A few things stood out:
The absence of verification and intent signals leads to low-effort behaviour.
The absence of verification and intent signals leads to low-effort behaviour.
Incognito needed friction in the right places.
Incognito needed friction in the right places.
Makes profiles feel personal without losing structure.
Makes profiles feel personal without losing structure.
Informed how I approached profile setup in Incognito.
Informed how I approached profile setup in Incognito.
Surfaces safety tools upfront
Surfaces safety tools upfront
Informed how I approached profile setup in Incognito.
Informed how I approached profile setup in Incognito.
The most polished apps shared one trait: restraint. Fewer elements, cleaner hierarchy, interactions that never make you think. That became the north star.
The most polished apps shared one trait: restraint. Fewer elements, cleaner hierarchy, interactions that never make you think. That became the north star.
Since 90% of the existing user base was on iOS, Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for iOS 15 stayed open throughout, every navigation pattern and component behavior was cross-checked against it.
Since 90% of the existing user base was on iOS, Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for iOS 15 stayed open throughout, every navigation pattern and component behavior was cross-checked against it.
The design decisions that changed what the product could mean for the users
The design decisions that changed what the product could mean for the users
These weren't just UI calls but a deliberate answer to a trust, privacy, or usability question the product had been failing to answer.
These weren't just UI calls but a deliberate answer to a trust, privacy, or usability question the product had been failing to answer.
The design system wasn't optional, it was what made the product coherent.
The design system wasn't optional, it was what made the product coherent.
Color
Dark neutral base with a warm gold accent, used sparingly for CTAs and premium indicators. Light mode wasn't a visual flip; it was a separate surface hierarchy built independently.
Dark neutral base with a warm gold accent, used sparingly for CTAs and premium indicators. Light mode wasn't a visual flip; it was a separate surface hierarchy built independently.
Glassmorphism
With only 2–3 grey tones in dark mode, a third grey would have felt flat. Glass effects added depth and hierarchy without new colours and read as iOS-native to the primary audience.
With only 2–3 grey tones in dark mode, a third grey would have felt flat. Glass effects added depth and hierarchy without new colours and read as iOS-native to the primary audience.
MODAL / OVERLAY
Blur 12px · 7% white fill
CARD SURFACE
Blur 8px · 4% white fill
Spacing & Radius
Numeric scale: exact values, no guessing during implementation.
Base unit
4px
Component padding
16 / 20 / 24px
Section spacing
32 / 48px
Radius — small
8px
Radius — default
14px
Radius — large
20px
Shadow
0 4px 24px rgba(0,0,0,0.3)
Components & States
Every component shipped with all interactive states, not just the default. Developers had a complete reference, not a starting point.
Buttons
Default · Disabled ·
Loading
Default · Disabled · Loading
Input fields
Empty · Active · Error
Profile cards
Default · Expanded ·
Liked
Default · Expanded · Liked
Verification badge
Verified · Pending ·
Failed
Verified · Pending · Failed
Match indicator
Pending · Matched ·
Expired
Pending · Matched · Expired
Modals & sheets
Default · Error · Confirm
Makes profiles feel personal without losing structure.
Makes profiles feel personal without losing structure.
Beyond designing the App
Beyond designing the App
Alongside the core product, I covered the landing page and email notification templates, enough to ensure the experience didn't break outside the app.
Alongside the core product, I covered the landing page and email notification templates, enough to ensure the experience didn't break outside the app.
Alongside the core product, I covered the landing page and email notification templates, enough to ensure the experience didn't break outside the app.
What I’d Do Differently
What I’d Do Differently
Validate the verification flow with real users
Validate the verification flow with real users
The decisions around what documents to require and how to sequence them were made on research and client input, not actual user testing. The gap between what a client thinks their users will accept and what users actually accept is often significant. Even a small round of testing with the target demographic would have
sharpened those calls.
The decisions around what documents to require and how to sequence them were made on research and client input, not actual user testing. The gap between what a client thinks their users will accept and what users actually accept is often significant. Even a small round of testing with the target demographic would have sharpened those calls.
A more structured handoff
A more structured handoff
Development was external, which meant design intent had to survive without me in the room. I'd invest in annotated component specs, a usage guide, and at least one design QA round during build, to catch implementation drift before it reaches users.
Development was external, which meant design intent had to survive without me in the room. I'd invest in annotated component specs, a usage guide, and at least one design QA round during build, to catch implementation drift before it reaches users.
Location
Ahmedabad,
India
Socials
Contact
jaysuthar.design@gmail.com
Location
Ahmedabad,
India
Socials
Contact
jaysuthar.design@gmail.com