Ramora

Background

Ramora is a product concept developed by a collaborative team for a Boston startup, designed entirely from ideation to prototype.

This project blended user research, UX strategy, and interface design to rethink how people consume reality tv apps.

Through user testing, iterative prototyping, and intuitive user flows, the team created an application that brings fun, lightness, and educational value to the dating app space, offering users a refreshing way to connect, learn, and have fun.

Timeline

6 week sprint

Team

2 UX Designers

My role

Project Manager

Business Plan

UX Research

Conceptual Design

UI Design

Sales Strategy

Copywriter

UX Design

Tools

Sketch

Figma

Jira

Google Suite

Photoshop

Miro

Dating Game Show App

Inspired by reality TV, Ramora brings the thrill of dating shows to the palm of your hand. Couples, matched by their dating preferences, would chat and video call while the audience watches and votes. The excitement of live interactions combined with the power of audience participation redefines the dating game show experience.

2020 Mockups

2024 Mockups

The Concept

Bringing reality TV dating shows to your fingertips

Ramora is a dating game show app where most users are the audience, and a small group are contestants participating in a structured, time-bound dating competition. Contestants are paired and have two weeks to get to know each other through video calls and text messaging inside the app.

Meanwhile, the audience watches, engages, and votes on which couple has the strongest connection. The winning couple receives a cash prize, and the cycle restarts with a new cast. The audience makes up ~99% of users, with contestants hand-selected from a waitlist by admins.

Audience

Mobile App

Watch livestreams & clips, read exchanges, vote for couples, join group chat

Contestants

Mobile App

Video call matched partner, text conversations recorded for audience viewing

Admins

Web Dashboard

Select contestants, manage pairs, control show cycles, moderate content

Challenges

Key obstacles we faced and overcame during development

User Engagement Challenges

Users hesitated to donate money to support couples, indicating a need for alternative engagement mechanisms. There was limited interest from users in participating as daters for the audience.

Protecting Participants

Shielding daters from harmful comments from the audience to ensure a safe and positive experience. Ensuring daters are not influenced by the audience's conversations and opinions during their interactions.

Cultural Sensitivity and Inclusivity

Designing the app to be culturally inclusive and sensitive to different dating practices. Considering cultural norms and behaviors for successful international scalability and broad appeal.

Monetization Strategy

Transitioning from donation-based to sponsorship and voting required careful planning to balance engagement with sustainable revenue generation while maintaining user trust.

Research & Insights

Data-driven insights that shaped every design decision

Validate desirability of a dating game show where ~99% are audience and ~1% are contestants.

Identify what motivates audiences to watch, vote, and return weekly.

De-risk core concerns: participant privacy/safety, moderation at scale, and international appeal.

Pressure-test business model assumptions (donations vs. sponsor-funded prizes and voting).

Methods & Sample

User Interviews

Reality-TV fans, disillusioned dating-app users, live-stream viewers

100+

Pitch Feedback Sessions

Rapid concept crits with founders, producers, and VCs

Competitive Audits

POF Live, Filteroff, Love or Host, LoveCast

Research Activities

Usability tests on low → high-fidelity Figma flows: onboarding, show hub, couple profile, voting, and results
Competitive analysis: Plenty of Fish Live/NextDate, Filteroff, Love or Host, LoveCast

User Persona

Ari

Age 25

Behaviors

Watches dating shows and social livestreams (Love Island, Twitch, TikTok Lives)
Follows influencer relationships and internet culture
Enjoys playful social spaces where they can react, vote, and comment
Comfortable engaging online but doesn’t always want to date themselves

Needs and Goals

Wants to feel part of something entertaining and communal
Wants to root for people, pick favorites, and participate in outcomes
Wants transparency and authenticity in how matches play out
Wants a positive, drama-light environment where things feel fun and safe

Pain Points

Gets bored with dating apps because they feel repetitive or performative
Doesn’t feel emotionally invested when swiping — wants a story to follow
Feels disconnected from typical streaming communities where they don’t know anyone
Avoids dating apps due to pressure or awkward first interactions

Key Insights

Donations ≠ Durable Motivation

Interviewees balked at donating to strangers without personal upside. Voting + sponsor-funded prizes felt fair, fun, and repeatable.

Pivoted away from donations

Voyeuristic Learning is a Hook

Audiences want to observe how others flirt/resolve conflict and 'steal' playbooks for their own dating. Highlight reels and post-call debriefs are key.

Created highlights rail feature

Psychological Safety Dictates Participation

Contestants fear public shaming more than losing. Clear community rules, AI-assisted moderation, and private-to-public controls reduce risk perception.

Implemented safety-first design

Global Curiosity, Local Logistics

A city/region map and time-zone cues aid discovery. Culturally flexible prompts widen appeal across different regions.

Added map + locale filters

Changes From Research

User insights guided shifts in interaction, content, and structure to create a more engaging, fair, and easily understandable experience.

Donations

Voting + Sponsors

Raw Streams

Curated Highlights

Generic Prompts

Cultural & Reginal

Hidden Rules

Visable 'How it Works'

Problem & Solution

Problem Statement

Dating apps often lead to shallow conversations and emotional fatigue. Users want meaningful connection but lack guidance on how to build it. Meanwhile, reality dating content is entertaining but passive, leaving a gap between watching relationships and learning how to create them.

Solution Statement

Ramora turns dating into an interactive social experience. Contestants engage in a guided, two-week dating cycle, while audiences watch them foster realationships and vote for their favorite couple. Structured prompts and moderation support authentic connection while making the experience fun, shared, and community-driven.

Our Impact

Our testing showed users felt more confident watching conversations and enjoyed following relationship storylines together. Ramora encourages supporting meaningful connection while making the process more engaging, supportive, and enjoyable.