With over 80,000 members and 36 documented marriages since 2017, Dear Mac has distinguished itself by focusing on meaningful connections between business professionals. By de-emphasising factors like location, age, height, genotype, and work status, Nirvanae prioritizes emotional compatibility above all else. The Nirvanae app aims to enhance customer experience even more and ensure the formation of deep, genuine, and lasting bonds.

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Background —

Dear Mac had been operating its innovative matchmaking and dating services offline, starting from scratch in 2017. Their unique approach, which prioritized emotional connections between corporate professionals and business-class individuals in Africa, yielded remarkable success. Despite the limitations associated with non-digitized dating services, Dear Mac recorded over 80,000 members and celebrated 36 documented marriages. As the offline operations flourished, Dear Mac recognized the immense potential for growth and impact through digitization.

Realizing the need to reach even more people and provide easier access to their services, Dear Mac embarked on a digital transformation journey. They envisioned creating a mobile app, Nirvanae, to extend their matchmaking platform to a broader audience, eliminating the bottlenecks typically associated with offline services. By embracing technology, Dear Mac aimed to revolutionize the dating landscape further, enabling a larger user base to experience the benefits of meaningful and authentic connections. With the development of the Nirvanae app, Dear Mac is set to amplify their impact, making their unique matchmaking services readily available to individuals seeking genuine relationships throughout Africa.

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Project Goals —

The following key points encapsulate the objectives of the project:

1. Increase User Base: Through the Nirvanae app, Dear Mac aims to significantly increase its user base and expand its reach beyond its current 80,000 members. The goal is to attract a larger audience of corporate professionals and business-class individuals seeking authentic relationships in Africa.
2. Streamline and Automate Processes: With the transition to the Nirvanae app, the project aims to streamline and automate various processes involved in matchmaking and dating services. This includes automating the matching algorithm, profile creation, messaging, and other essential functions to provide a seamless and efficient user experience.
3. Foster More Meaningful Connections: With the digitization of their services, Dear Mac intends to continue prioritizing emotional connections between users. The project's goal is to facilitate a higher number of meaningful connections and successful relationships, ultimately leading to more documented marriages and success stories.
4. Develop Robust Matching Algorithm: To achieve effective and accurate matchmaking, one of the project's major goals is to develop a robust matching algorithm for the customers. This algorithm should consider various compatibility factors, emphasizing emotional connectivity above traditional metrics like location, age, height, genotype, and others.
5. Ensure User Security and Privacy: A critical project goal is to prioritize the security and privacy of users' data within the Nirvanae app. By developing the app and translating from offline to digital services, Dear Mac aims to further protect user information and ensure a safe online dating experience for all app users.

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User Personas —

Nirvanae caters to individuals with varying needs and aspirations in their search for genuine connections.

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User Flow —

With Nirvanae, the team sought to prioritize user experience by streamlining processes and minimizing complexities, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly platform for customers seeking genuine connections and meaningful relationships.

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Onboarding —

Nirvanae's onboarding process is thoughtfully designed to prioritize simplicity and user-friendliness, allowing users to easily and seamlessly sign up on the platform and begin their journey towards forging meaningful connections.

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User Information —

These are some of the screens where necessary user information is collected.

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Matching —

When a user finds a love interest and sends them a rose (request to match), the receiver is promptly notified, and important facts about the sender, such as their emotional quotient (a proprietary Dear Mac detail) is shared, equipping the receiver to make better decisions.

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Outcome & Insights —

The design process for Nirvanae, an innovative dating app, revolved around achieving simplicity, enhancing security and privacy, and fostering genuine connections between African professionals and business-people. As a designer, my objective was to create a user-friendly platform that empowers these individuals to form sincere and enduring relationships.

Throughout the project, collaboration and effective communication played a pivotal role in delivering successful outcomes within the specified timeline. Working closely with developers, a product manager, and the founder, I gained valuable insights into the needs and aspirations of the target audience, enabling me to tailor Nirvanae to meet their specific desires.

This collaborative approach allowed me to address intricate design challenges while building strong relationships with stakeholders. By prioritizing effective communication and employing a user-centric approach, I successfully delivered a solution that simplifies the dating experience, ensures a secure environment, and encourages authentic connections.

This experience has helped to hone my skills in crafting simple but unique user experiences and equipped me to contribute to future endeavours that seek to redefine how people connect and forge meaningful relationships. I am enthusiastic about applying the knowledge gained from designing Nirvanae to create impactful experiences that bring individuals closer together, regardless of the industry.