A dating app
built from
scratch.
built from
scratch.
A bold idea for a new kind of dating app — with nothing yet to show for it.
Zate Nite had a concept that reimagined how people connect socially — a dating app built around a different kind of interaction model. The idea was compelling. But an idea without a prototype is just a pitch, and the team needed something tangible: something they could put in front of developers to scope the build, and in front of early users to validate the concept before committing to full development.
They came to us with no design precedent, no existing visual system, and a blank canvas to work from.
No design precedent. No existing product. Everything from zero.
The core challenge with designing a genuinely new kind of app is that you can’t lean on established patterns to guide decisions. There was no existing category to benchmark against, no user research from a prior version, and no working product to reverse-engineer. Every decision — from the interaction model to the visual language — had to be reasoned from first principles.
The prototype needed to communicate the vision clearly enough that a developer could scope it and an investor could believe in it. That’s a higher bar than just making something that looks good.
Wireframes to UI. Brand system. Beta site. Full product support.
We designed the complete UX and UI for the app — user flows, wireframes, and a visually consistent interface built around the app’s unique interaction model. We also provided product management support throughout, ensuring the design decisions translated cleanly into development requirements rather than creating ambiguity for the build team.
Alongside the app, we developed the brand direction and a beta version of the product as a website MVP — giving Zate Nite a public-facing presence to build an early audience and validate demand while the app was being prepared for launch.
From concept to clickable prototype — ready for development and investors.
The completed prototype gave Zate Nite exactly what they needed to move forward: a tangible product they could share with developers for scoping and with early investors to communicate the vision. The beta website went live alongside the prototype, allowing the team to begin building an audience and validating the concept in the real world while the full app prepared for development.
The brand system established a clear visual identity that would carry through from the prototype into the finished product — ensuring consistency from day one of launch rather than retrofitting a brand onto an already-built product.
What we built.
- UX wireframes & user journey mapping
- Mobile UI design — full screen coverage
- Clickable prototype for investor and developer use
- Brand direction & visual system
- Product management support
- Beta website MVP
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