The problem
Through early research, I found that many people don’t struggle to meet potential partners. They struggle to:
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understand their own communication patterns
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manage expectations in modern dating
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maintain healthy conversations
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build confidence in emotionally charged moments
The dating app space is saturated with platforms like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge—tools that primarily focus on matchmaking, not skill-building.
79%
of respondents pointed to low self-confidence
Love Not Anger Project, 2019
47%
of U.S. adults say dating is harder now than it was 10 years ago
Pew Research Center, 2020
37%
of people report a decline in social skills, with a significant portion saying they lack basic communication confidence
Forbes, 2025
Research objectives
To better understand how people experience love, dating, and long-term relationships, I conducted a series of one-on-one interviews with adults at different life stages — from singles exploring modern dating for the first time to long-term partners seeking ways to stay connected.
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Identify the emotional and behavioral challenges users face in dating or maintaining relationships.
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Understand how users currently seek support, guidance, or learning around communication and emotional growth.
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Explore motivations for improving relationships — what drives users to take action.
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Validate opportunities for a relationship coaching product that feels approachable, inclusive, and habit-forming
Key insights
After conducting research aligned with these objectives, I synthesized the data into key insights that highlight users’ core challenges, motivations, and opportunities for design.
Confidence & self-discovery
Many participants feel underprepared for dating or re-entering relationships
Communication & emotional awareness
Struggles with communication are universal — from expressing needs to reading emotional cues.
Modern relationship learning
Participants of all ages feel confused about how relationships “work” today — shifting norms, technology, and identity exploration.
Sustaining connection
Long-term partners and older daters emphasized the need to maintain spark and emotional connection over time.
Time & effort barriers
There’s strong interest in bite-sized coaching moments — short, impactful, and easy to sustain.
Inclusivity & representation
Queer users and younger daters value seeing their experiences represented authentically.
Personas
The personas were created by grouping shared behaviors and challenges uncovered in my interviews. Patterns in communication habits, emotional needs, and dating struggles shaped each persona, ensuring they accurately represent real user motivations and pain points.
From here, I begin to form short, open-ended questions to reframe insights from research into actionable starting points for ideation.
How might we...
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help users build confidence and emotional literacy before they start dating?
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make relationship guidance feel safe and nonjudgmental for people just beginning to explore their identity or dating experiences?
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design an inclusive relationship coaching experience that adapts to different orientations, life stages, and comfort levels?
Ideation
By reframing user challenges through these How Might We questions, I began exploring what kinds of tools and resources the app could offer—solutions that would be approachable, practical, and supportive for anyone, regardless of where they were in their love journey.
Sitemap
I couldn’t stop thinking about single people navigating the early stages of dating. From research and casual conversations with friends, one frustration kept surfacing: the uncertainty and anxiety around how to reply to texts from new potential matches.
MVP user flow
Early designs
With the sitemap established, I moved into early low-fidelity wireframes. It was important that the designs remained clean and simple, guiding users without distraction, while integrating an immediate onboarding questionnaire to ensure profiles and suggestions were personalized from the start.
Branding
App: Muse
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Evokes inspiration, emotional intelligence, and creativity — all qualities tied to love and self-expression.
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Feels personal (“my muse”) yet universal.
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Has a soft, gender-neutral sound and clean visual balance.
Brand essence: Inspire confidence. Nurture connection.
In-app feature: Cue
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It’s an extension of Muse, like an in-app companion.
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Has a double meaning: a hint or prompt (what to say next), and a signal that guides your timing or tone.
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It’s short, conversational, and intuitive.
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Possible sub-brand phrasing: Meet Cue — your smart texting coach.
The MVP
Cue
As I developed the broader concept for Muse, my research revealed a common pain point among daters: texting anxiety. From flirting to conflict, people were at times unsure how to respond to their love interest.
This insight sparked the idea for Cue—a built-in smart text assistant that gives users confident, tailored guidance for both fun and difficult conversations.
Usability test
Objectives
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Evaluate how effectively first-time users can navigate to Cue.
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understand its purpose, and generate a funny and witty text response using the Smart Text Coach feature.
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The goal is to assess clarity, usability, and perceived helpfulness of the flow.
Results
Most testers grasped the purpose of the Smart Text Coach within a few seconds and found it intuitive. Users also responded well to the broader concept of Muse as a self-improvement + love advice companion, emphasizing that the “support-at-every-stage” approach made the app feel more inclusive and meaningful than apps focused solely on dating.
100%
of users liked the concept and branding
3/5
said they could have used Cue repeatedly this month alone
100%
of users completed the task of getting text assistance
"It makes me feel so safe, comfortable, and supported"
Iterations and refinements
Despite the overall positive reaction, testing helped identify opportunities for improvement:
A more human-centered experience
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Add a progress bar
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Fade transitions and micro-animations to create a more seamless, supportive feel.
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Human-centered copy for a thoughtful and emotionally guided experience
Create a Tone Slider
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Gives users control and personalization
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Builds confidence in communication
Implement a Dark Mode
User testing inspired a dark mode specifically for tough conversations, such as breakups or boundary setting. This includes:
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Dark, muted color palette (charcoal, midnight blue, soft mauve tones)
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Calmer animations
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Gentler microcopy
Takeaways
This project was one of the most enjoyable I’ve worked on—partly because the idea for Cue didn’t come from a brainstorm or a workshop, but from a casual night on the couch with my two best friends. Both were asking me how to respond to texts from their love interests, and in that moment it clicked: people don’t just struggle with finding matches, they struggle with communication.
What started as a real-life conversation turned into an MVP validated by user interviews, affinity mapping, and usability testing. It reminded me that great product ideas often come from noticing everyday frustrations—and that design becomes more meaningful when it’s rooted in authentic human moments.
This project strengthened my confidence in listening deeply, designing with empathy, and translating real-world patterns into digital tools that actually support people where they need it most.