Bondi - A dating app for intercultural couples
Overview
Bondi is a mobile dating app for intercultural couples, people building relationships across cultures, languages, and traditions. Where most dating apps stop at matching, Bondi supports what comes after: reducing cultural bias, improving communication, and helping couples understand one another. It works in two modes: Dating & Matching for singles, and In a Relationship for established couples.
Client
Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
Date
Categories
Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
App Design
The Problem
Intercultural relationships are enriching, but they come with real friction, cultural bias, conflicting expectations, and language barriers. Existing dating apps handle matching and messaging, but offer nothing for the deeper work of a cross-cultural relationship. How might we design an app that helps intercultural couples not just match, but connect and communicate with empathy?
Research & Insight
We grounded the design in user research, defining three personas across different relationship stages and mapping their full user journeys, from onboarding through conflict to growth.
One insight shaped the entire product: users didn't only want matches. They wanted tools to reflect, communicate, and understand their partner's culture, especially around sensitive moments like first dates, disagreements, and cultural differences.
User Journey Map
Design Approach
We chose Glassmorphism as Bondi's visual language, soft, translucent layers that feel welcoming and emotionally safe. We built a full design system with a calm color palette and SF Pro typography to keep the experience consistent and clear across every screen.
Standout features we designed:
Culture-based profiles and culturally-aware matching
An AI cultural chat assistant that suggests sensitive phrasing and flags potential misunderstandings
A shared cultural diary for couples to reflect and grow together
Chosen Style for our app = Glassmorphism
Typography = SF Pro
Color Style
Process
We moved from low-fidelity paper wireframes to high-fidelity interactive prototypes in Figma, refining both app modes at each stage through iteration and testing.
Final Design
Outcome
Testing showed users experienced Bondi as calm, emotionally safe, and well-suited to early-stage intercultural dating. They valued the cultural features and short, situational guidance over long-form content, validating the product's core direction.
What I took from this project: designing for emotional and cultural sensitivity means backing every decision with research, and treating visual storytelling as seriously as the interface itself.
Bondi - A dating app for intercultural couples
Overview
Bondi is a mobile dating app for intercultural couples, people building relationships across cultures, languages, and traditions. Where most dating apps stop at matching, Bondi supports what comes after: reducing cultural bias, improving communication, and helping couples understand one another. It works in two modes: Dating & Matching for singles, and In a Relationship for established couples.
Client
Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
Date
Categories
Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
App Design
The Problem
Intercultural relationships are enriching, but they come with real friction, cultural bias, conflicting expectations, and language barriers. Existing dating apps handle matching and messaging, but offer nothing for the deeper work of a cross-cultural relationship. How might we design an app that helps intercultural couples not just match, but connect and communicate with empathy?
Research & Insight
We grounded the design in user research, defining three personas across different relationship stages and mapping their full user journeys, from onboarding through conflict to growth.
One insight shaped the entire product: users didn't only want matches. They wanted tools to reflect, communicate, and understand their partner's culture, especially around sensitive moments like first dates, disagreements, and cultural differences.
User Journey Map
Design Approach
We chose Glassmorphism as Bondi's visual language, soft, translucent layers that feel welcoming and emotionally safe. We built a full design system with a calm color palette and SF Pro typography to keep the experience consistent and clear across every screen.
Standout features we designed:
Culture-based profiles and culturally-aware matching
An AI cultural chat assistant that suggests sensitive phrasing and flags potential misunderstandings
A shared cultural diary for couples to reflect and grow together
Chosen Style for our app = Glassmorphism
Typography = SF Pro
Color Style
Process
We moved from low-fidelity paper wireframes to high-fidelity interactive prototypes in Figma, refining both app modes at each stage through iteration and testing.
Final Design
Outcome
Testing showed users experienced Bondi as calm, emotionally safe, and well-suited to early-stage intercultural dating. They valued the cultural features and short, situational guidance over long-form content, validating the product's core direction.
What I took from this project: designing for emotional and cultural sensitivity means backing every decision with research, and treating visual storytelling as seriously as the interface itself.
