We see three key reasons why a friend would be part of an inner circle.

First, it scratches the itch of being on a dating app when not single. It’s common for someone who is not single to comment about wishing they had the apps to at least just try when they were dating.

Second, they love to brag on their friend and say the things only they would say. Not only gushing about this person they love, but also a light roast is something we expect. An element completely missing from apps today. This is the good stuff. We don’t want to see the resume. We want to hear how they are known with friends.

Last, they love playing matchmaker. There is an element of joy people get out of actually being a part of the story. This gives them a chance to play an active role in finding the perfect fit for their friend.

There are a ton of apps out there for sure. But they are all doing the same thing. We want to usher in a new era of online dating. One that gets away from the shallow swiping Tinder set the pattern for. We believe everyone is ready for things to change.

Dive throws out the dating formula and approaches things fresh with something that feels more genuine while living in an ever increasing artificial world. As we move more and more into a world of automation and filters, this will only stand out more in the pack of apps who look to make things more mindless, rather than more thoughtful and authentic.

Creating a web of inner circles is something that zero apps are doing out there and we are committed to making the experience deep and meaningful, leading to high quality dates rather than idle lists.

Because what’s out there is not working. It’s not uncommon to hear someone who is on the dating apps to complain about deleting and reinstalling constantly out frustration and claiming to despise the thing they feel they have no choice but to include in their dating process.

The current experience requires you to wade through a sea of ads, bots and matches with zero accountability to their authenticity, intentions and the safety of the person.

The time is ripe for an app that provides a safe haven for intentional, real dating.

We are targeting March 14th, which is the Friday of the last weekend of Austin’s SXSW festival. We would love to have a huge launch party there where people will be ready to get on together. If we are not happy with where we are then, it will serve as a big public brand launch giving Dive a solid name that we can spring off of. So as long as we get moving on development this summer, we expect to be able to have the MVP live in the app store by then. If we need more time in development, we expect late May or early June to be also another great window as people are heading into the summer and the dating scene is in full swing.

The Friends and Family round will run from June 17- July 31 with the goal of raising 150k to get things moving and provide funds for pitching the seed.

The Seed Round will run during the third quarter during the months of July, August and September. Our goal is to raise 2m that will be enough to get across the finish line. Our stretch goal is 5m that will allow us to have double the team (24) allow us to have more of the 9 key features at launch and give us more marketing budget that will be key to its success.

Users. Leading up to the launch we want to build a lot of excitement surrounding the brand by providing clarity on the concept and putting the need for it to the forefront. We will be working as hard on getting a strong word of mouth out as we will be building it.

Our approach here is unique and we believe will be a massive selling point. There are two key focus’ for monetization.

First there is a single subscription that gives you full access to all Dive has to offer. This levels the playing field and they never have to think about having to keep up with others who are giving out roses, compliments, boosting their profile or other things that require constant infusions just to maybe get matched with a potential user. We plan to really put this at the front of the marketing as it is a common complaint that floods the reviews of all the dating apps out there. You are either all in on a trial or paid subscription or you are out. This will bring a sense of exclusivity as well as inclusivity so people know that they won’t be upstaged with someone who can afford to pour into potential matches financially with no promise of matching.

Second is date planning. The user actually benefits from this model as we partner with restaurants, places for activities, movie theaters and other date destinations that will not only be present on the app for a fee, but will bring with them exclusive discounts for the user. So not only does the user not need to pay for this service, but it helps support the very expensive nature of dating and gives us a chance to bring in profits by providing value to our users.

The inner circle isn’t something that is seen publicly unless going through the app. It’s not similar to a social media app that shows your circle for all to see. But we typically know if we’re part of an inner circle and who someone’s inner circle is.

Dive celebrates it. Dive provides a place where you can gush about those who are important to you and let others see what you see. So while someone might see data points with other apps, with Dive you see why people have claimed their friends as their ride or die.

There will always be social dynamics at play with something that involves choosing friends. But the intention here is to have those who know you best give an accurate picture of you as well as sharing what it is that draws them to you.

We know that B2C is both very difficult to break into as well as costly. Like an amazing, critically-acclaimed movie (See Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Furiosa, The Fall Guy for recent examples) that lacked the proper buzz, we know the marketing and launch strategy is as important to the success of the app as the app itself. Therefore, Dive should consider the following strategies:

Strategic Partnerships:
Collaborate with established brands or influencers in the dating and lifestyle industry to leverage their existing user base and credibility, thereby expanding Dive's reach and credibility.

Targeted Advertising:
Utilize targeted advertising on social media platforms and dating-related websites to reach potential users who are more likely to engage with the app, maximizing the impact of marketing efforts.

Content Marketing:
Develop engaging and informative content related to dating, relationships, and app features to attract and retain users, positioning Dive as a valuable resource in addition to a dating platform.

User-Centric Approach:
Prioritize user experience and feedback, ensuring that the app's features and interface are designed to meet the needs and preferences of the target audience, ultimately driving user acquisition and retention.

Marketing Campaign:
Engage with dating podcasts focusing on failures to highlight Dive's unique approach and solutions.Host a grand launch party at SXSW to generate brand buzz and attract a large user base, drawing inspiration from Hinge's successful user acquisition strategy.Implement a hyper-clear social media campaign emphasizing Dive's value proposition and problem-solving capabilities.Build a substantial waitlist of potential users ready to join upon the app's launch.Leverage the exponential nature of bringing friends on board by offering incentives, such as extending premium access with each referred friend.Target social circles in sports clubs, community events, and team gatherings to ensure word-of-mouth promotion within close-knit communities.

By recognizing the critical role of marketing and launch strategy, Dive can effectively position itself for success in the competitive B2C market, ensuring that the app receives the attention and user base it deserves.

Cam Cheline
Cam has spent over half his life designing human experiences working in a variety of verticals including, but not limited to Conversational AI, Entertainment, Productivity, Big Data, Health and Real Estate.

He has been leading teams and projects into successful launches that value an experience that is both beautiful as it is intuitive.

He lives in Austin, Texas with his teenage son he loves to find adventures with and is often found on a mountain or beach, finding trouble to get into whether swimming with sharks while scuba diving or riding a board down a mountain. He’s also in love with his blue nose pittie pup Sawyer and cat Badger, who both look like twins.

Until Dive launches, you can get a better picture of Cam at his Instagram.

Miranda Gordon
Miranda brings over a decade of marketing & GTM Strategy experience to the team providing a cohesive vision for her team to align product & marketing effectively.

Dive ditches the mindless swiping for more thoughtful holistic profiles curated by your inner circle. As a diver you invite those who know you best. “I know you better than you know yourself” is something most of us have head from a close friend. Where other apps encourage quick judgements, Dive requires thoughtful matching - not through a personal biased filter - but through the filter of friends.

Bringing friends into the mix makes matches more authentic, intentional and safe because they are more motivated to represent someone unfiltered

When you join Dive, you’ll send invites to up to 6 friends who will make up your inner circle. When someone taps on your profile they can see not just who those friends are, but tapping on each of them will show what their friend has shared about them.

This could be pictures of the both of them, some “Deep dives” where they share insights or a combo of the two.

If that friend is also single and diving, the user can alternatel match with one of their friends instead.

We’re not afraid of commitment. This is our pact with our users.

1. You will never see an ad.

2. You will never be charged for anything beyond the single subscription.

3. We will never let you see someone you blocked or unmatched (ai photo matching will keep duplicate accounts from creeping back in)

4. You will not see a match that hasn’t had at least 3 pictures shared in the inner circle that match with the main profile pic.

5. You will not get matched with someone you didn’t like

We believe safety should be something we think about preemptively, not after something happens. While we have the standard features planned for education, reporting and verification, we also have a few features to better vet the match.

First is sharing the match with the inner circle to get their take. They can share a comment and give a thumbs up or down on whether you should go out with them.

Second is location sharing with your inner circle. If you want, they will know where you are during the time of the planned date. Not only does this help you feel safer because they know where you are - but your match is also aware of this safety measure in place and the accountability it provides.

Third is a post date feedback. We believe accountability is sorely missing and it should be surfaced to other users. We will have an objective feedback step after a date that allows someone to share if they felt like the date was who they said they were - both in integrity and appearance.

We want matches to lead to meet ups. With more vetting up front, we believe the matches will be higher quality and more purposeful because you are more aware of what you are getting into.

By allowing the circle to weigh in, we believe this will weed out a lot of matches a diver is on the fence about. But the main feature we are putting a lot of focus on is the date planner where you can both share when you’re available, what kind of date you are into as well as some of your favorite spots to hit.

Where most conversations don’t lead to dates, a key metric we want to be laser focused on is how many matches lead to actual dates. We want to move away from idle conversations that either never start or don’t find their way to dates and we want to take high quality matches that have gone through the vetting process and take acton on them.

With Dive will have a standard verification process, by bringing friends into the picture the verification of a profile grows exponentially.

The profile picture of the Diver will need to match the pictures with their friend who will also need to match their profile picture.

One extra measure of verification is signing in with FaceID so that you know the person Diving is the person in not just the profile picture, but all the pictures shared by friends

When you plan a date through the app. it will know when and where you went. After it wil ask for feedback based on whether or not the experience matched the expectations.

This will not be an opportunity for review bombing, but a way for people to know how accurate the profile is and whether or not the person is a good person with integrity. Not whether or not they were a good match with them.

We believe Dive is for those who are over the apps. We believe it will be a fresh change of pace from mindless swiping.

So while we welcome all ages 18+, we expect the crowd that will be in the right phase in life to be around 28-55 years old. We want this to be a place where people are looking to get into a relationship, not wade around in shallow dating.

Our goal isn’t speed. Anyone has used other dating apps can tell you that they’ve deleted out of frustration and jumped back on multiple times. They’re able to do that because it doesn’t take much thought and effort to put yourself out there. With Dive, the pool we want is intentional, thoughtful users who are willing to put out some effort. So the barrier of entry is higher than other apps.

But we believe with thoughtful profiles made by close friends that fosters authenticity, a focus on intentionality with actionable steps and especially our care for safety fist, not last, we believe women will flock to Dive as a safe haven and others will follow. Wit that said, where women are on dating apps are where men want to be.

Being purposeful and thoughtful on creating a Dive profile will foster a community of people who don’t have low standards that allow for easy access. But requires people to step up and be intentional.

Most matches aren’t on the same level as if you both met in person and exchanged numbers.

There is another level of vetting that happens as each side takesa closer look. Our hope is the matches with Dive are higher quality because they have gone through more vetting, But sill matches will need to be narrowed down. We provide 3 clear actions to take when you match.

The first is your traditional messaging. We want to make this dynamic and eventually bring in Marco Polo style asynchronous video chatting that helps get the vibe better. But generally this is a vibe and chemistry check. But many don’t even message.

The second action is polling your inner circle to get their take on the person. This is where they can give a thumbs up or down on the match and provide any additional comments.

The biggest action you can take though is planning a date. Each side provides dates they are available, what they are wanting to do on the date (ie coffee, drinks, dinner, movie, activity, etc) and they can even share spots they like to it or ones they would like to hit. Each can look at each other’s preferences as well as see the overlap.

We believe these actions will reduce the amount of awkwardness and create a bridge between matching and meeting.

When you tap on ‘Plan a date’ either right after matching or in your list of matches, you will be taking to a screen that shows 3 different filters. One is your dating preferences, one is your match’s preferences and one is where you will see overlap as you both fill in.

The 3 key things you can share is what days you are free, what kind of dates you like going on (ie movies, dinner, coffee, drinks, activities, etc) and then last what specific things you like to do or would like to try. (ie Stand Up Paddle Boarding on the lake, movie you want to see, going for a walk, a coffee shop you love, Putt Putt Golf, your favorite restaurants, laser tag, etc)

Once you match with someone, it gives you the option to poll your inner circle, message or plan a date. If you take on ‘Poll Your Friends’ it will show your circle and you simply toggle on who you want to send the request to. Once you tap ‘Send’ they will get a notification where they can see the match’s profile and inner circle. They can browse the same things you can and then give their opinion with a thumbs up or down and an optional message to explain why.

Safety is very important to us and one of the 3 pillars of Dive. Your location will only be shared with your inner circle and when you both agree to it. When you add a friend to your circle you can choose to share your location with them and they can choose how if at all they get notified. This will be tied to where you are going given you use the date planner with the match on the other end. This will ensure that the date knows your location is connected directly with your inner circle and only they know where you are at all times during your date. Once your date is finished the location is still shared until the diver goes into the app and says they are home safe. The timing and preferences around this will be adjustable to be conducive to each diver.

This is where we really want to make sure intentionality is at the forefront. We want to have actionable steps when you make a match. We want the vetting to happen before the match and lead right into planning a date. But if you’re still on the fence you have two options. You can feel them out chatting with them. We want to make this more engaging and hope to bring in the functionality of something like Marco Polo with asynchronous video chatting that alleviates the awkwardness currently in apps with doing a live video chat that serves as an awkward first date. The second thing they can do is poll their inner circle to see if they should follow through. The most important thing though is that action is taken. So we want to either follow through on the vetting or cut the match loose. By making the process more intentional and the action steps clear to get to a date, we hope engagement is something people would come to expect with Dive.

Dive stands out because unlike someone like Hinge whose tagline is commendable, but flawed “designed to be deleted,” at Dive we know that dating doesn’t end when you make it official. Even married couples often say the key to success is to “keep dating each other.” That’s where we anticipate the date planner to be something that keeps couples engaged as they choose together what they are feeling and what they aren’t. Aside from the subscription, the partnerships we make to build out the date planner will keep profits coming in from people who are long matched. We hope this feature is so strong that people will want to keep their subscription to keep dating.

The second reason we see people staying engaged in the app is by helping others by being in their circles. With this, we are creating influencers within the app that are marketing it for us. We hope they tell their friends that they can help them if they get on Dive and can give them a good shot at getting quality matches.

So while we continue monetization through the date planner, we also will continue to have previously single divers continue to support those around them. We see Dive as being a part of the lives of singles and those who are in committed relationships.

The narrative we plan to go with is that others are interested in quick matchmaking. Their approaches make it so broad and easy that you’re left playing a numbers game with a bunch of matches that don’t go anywhere.

Our approach is less is more. We want the matches to be higher quality because they have gone through a vetting process where your expectations are more in line with your experience and you go into a date knowing the work has been done, your date is as intentional as you are and you have the safety and accountability backed by two inner circles.

With other apps, their concern is finding new ways to get you paying for matches. While they say they are wanting you to find a meaningful relationship, the experience does not match. When it comes down to it, they want to keep you mindlessly swiping and dropping more and finding new ways to create paywalls you have to break through to have any chance of success.

This is key to navigating Dive.

One of the issues seen often in current dating apps is group photos or even just a friend in the photo. You cross your fingers hoping the one that caught your eye is acually the one you would be matching with.

With Dive, you clearly know from a single avatar who is diving. But like real life, if you find yourself talking to a group of friends and you find yourself drawn to someone else in the friend group who is also single, you can go for them instead.

This align with the intionality of dating in real life. You get to show interest in who you want, no matter how you were led to them.

What this unlocks is a web of matches navigating through friend groups to find people that you are actually into in the context of the connected inner circles.

There are two ways for a friend to join who is not actively dating. On the home screen there is a button that says “Here for a friend” where they can search for their friend who they want to share about.

The other side of that is the diver who sends an invite to a friend with a hotlink that is connected to their profile. This invite can be resent and rescinded as well.

At any time the friend can convert their profile to be an active diver. The only thing they need to do that they have already done, which is give some very basic information and a profile pic. The only thing they would need to do is start inviting their inner circle and Dive will automatically cue up the people they have shared about as potential friends in the inner circle. This person likely recently became single or decided based on their experience that they’d like to use Dive for dating.

As with everything else, we will certainly test and consider additions. But we don’t want to slowly become what is out there and want to make decisions based on pushing people to get to know the match in person and through the friends. Not a dating resume.

There are two key things to note here.

One is that navigating through inner circle to inner circle is a key way to get around. It’s all about connections and going through a web of friend circles.

Second is that it's actually right in line with authenticity because many who are using dating apps make it difficult to distinguish between who they are. They might be in a group picture or with one other friend. You might be drawn to someone in particular and often times it's not the one you would be matching with. Like the person who ends up dating the roommate of their crush, we want to make sure that each match is intentional and if someone is single, you know it and you have the chance to match with them. Not your second choice.

They will not need a Dive account. They will verify they are who the invite was sent to via phone number or email and will be able to access what they have shared. But they will not technically have an account. They can convert their access at any time to a full profile. But they will only loosely be connected to what they have shared without having to go through the full process of creating an account.

We want the process to be as frictionless as possible to make it easy for a friend to contribute and we want it to be as frictionless as possible for them to be able to go from a friend in a circle to a diver with a circle.

While not a planned launch feature, we definitely want to make the process of date planning as automated and easy as possible so you don’t have to jump out of Dive to know when you’re available. We have Google Calendar and Apple Calendar integration on our roadmap beyond MVP. We know this would be a big win for Dive.

We are aware that relationships go through ebbs and flows and sometimes a friendship has had its time in the sun. At any time the Diver can choose to remove that friend from the circle and invite someone else in their place. Dive will be sensitive to the situation and not actively notify the friend that they don’t have access to the circle. This is no different than common practices seen in social media with unfriending, blocking and even to a degree the close friends filter on instagram. With any social app, there is always the possibility of uncomfortable fallouts and we will be diligent in handling it in a respectful and thoughtful way.

While it makes sense to have as little friction getting started, we are approaching Dive differently than others whose goal is to get you on in the quickest way. We see Dive as something that requires intention and thought.

With that said, we will keep the profile private until at least 3 are in the circle. What we are creating at Dive is a place that gives high quality matches with enough information to match with confidence. If someone does not have 3 people that will share about them, we see them as not meeting Dive standards, which are far higher than Tinder, Bumble and Hinge where you can be on there with little effort and no support from those around you.

This is a hard stance that we believe will be a big selling point for women who don’t want to wade through a bunch of matches that they could easily find in swiping. We expect this to draw the right people in and push out those who aren’t serious about an authentic connection.

To do something completely different than we’ve seen the last 15 years of app dating, we have to strip out what we know and see how online dating can push to authentic in person engagement. We want people on Dive to get to know the person in organic natural ways. We see that in two key ways.

The first is through hearing what their friends say. This won’t feel like a job resume when a friend shares, but a more genuine take on the person with some light roasting.

The second is in person. We know. Crazy. When you meet someone at a coffee shop, a local dive bar, a fitness class, you don’t ask for a resume to see if you’re a fit. You find that out by - we know this is foreign these days - talking to the person.

We want to provide divers with confident matches based on their inner circle and then send you off to get to know each other in a natural way. With that said, we will keep the information needed to a minimal. Our philosophy is that necessary information will be included. Things having to do more with personality, we’re saving that for the friends and in person conversations. We believe this brings back what used to be fun about dating and removes the superficiality of reading someone’s data points. Also, gives you something to actually talk about.

It’s like when you see an old friend and they ask how you’ve been and start sharing, but they have nothing new to share because it was all on their instagram stories. We’ve removed the aspect of getting to know someone by laying it all out there in an impersonal way on profiles.

This is something we will consider beyond the MVP. This won’t be necessary for launch, but will be explored. We don’t want to overcomplicate it. But it if it doesn’t add noise, but value it’s something we will want to design and test. We expect a fair amount of roasting and this could potentially allow for the Diver to see the back and forth relationship with someone in their inner circle. So there is definitely a strong case to be made for including it.

Our philosophy is on this is that we only want to make their contribution to their profile minimal. Anything that is not necessary we leave to the friends and for the actual dates. Currently this is strictly their sex, what sex they are interested in, age, height and how many if at all kids they have. As for pictures they will only need to a single avatar. We will use detection tech to make sure they aren’t wearing glasses, it’s a full face shot and there is no one else in the picture. We are throwing out the formula that everyone is sick of and doing something different.

One massive upside to this is the ease to get the profile started, leaving room for reaching out to their inner circle. The other side of that is that if someone in the inner circle becomes single or decides to join as someone that is already single, their work will be done and will just need to start reaching out to their inner circle (part of which might be who they shared about).

Yes! We imagine scenarios where they are hanging out with someone from their inner circle and their friend takes a good picture of them and they say “Can you add that to my Dive?” We want to encourage always keeping things fresh and their friend is always welcome to jump in and add things they think of, new photos, stories or other insights they think people would find interesting or funny.

Never has there been a dating app where you’re profile changes without you. We think this will bring a lot of creativity and a fun ongoing connection with your inner circle where they become more a part of their friend’s dating life.

As many as you want! When you are an official Diver, there are zero restrictions. That means you won’t be paying anything extra to keep diving. You won’t be buying boosts. You won’t have to pay to unexpire a match because you got busy. Once you’re in you’re in and you get to enjoy the labyrinth and web of circles without waiting for that paywall to hit.

No! This is something normally shown when you pay for a subscription. Often times a more premium tier of a subscription. We want to encourage people being direct as if they were approached in public. We don’t want to play games at Dive and that means if you like someone, they’re gonna know it. There will never be ambiguity at any level with Dive. There will never be times where Dive takes advantage of someone by hiding a potential match behind boosts, packs, add ons or any other strung along paywall. We want everyone to have the full experience. Not just those who are emptying their pockets.

Your friends have the option to edit what they share about you at any time. We’ve thought about a veto system or some sort of approval, but we feel like that might overcomplicate it. They just need to take it up with their friend. We know they will be playing a role often played where a friend takes over and shows what they believe to be the best representation of them and something that would be attractive. But we think it will be hitting the sweet spot of the blind spot. We will of course be testing this back and forth and listening to our users as we see how it is used. We know with someone’s inner circle they will be choosing people they trust blindly to some degree. We anticipate that to be part of that dopamine hit where you don’t know what they are going to say or show and then you get a little mini gift form your friend in the form of them sharing what they love about you.

Yes. As a premium member you’ll be able to browse the different divers moving through from inner circle to inner circle. We will maintain privacy to those who are subscribers. If the friend who is in the inner circle is also diving, they will have full access as well and you will see a D badge on their profile to indicate that you can potentially match with them as well. If they are not an active diver, they will be able to see the matches of the divers with whom they are in inner circles with (there are no limits to how many circles a friend can be in) but they won’t be able to see the matches outside the inner circle. They will also have access to see the others in the inner circle as we see this as a fun way for them to build up their friend together and also spot pictures others have shared already.

We are aiming for SXSXW, which ends on March 16, 2024. We know this is ambitious and we don’t want to launch something that won’t have the impact we want. But we want to get to market as soon as possible. If that means another few months of development, we want to anticipate that possibility.

Month to month for development is:

July- September: Development of core framework and interaction
October - December: Core development of design
January to March: QA
January to March: marketing push

We aligned all our features under our core values of Authenticity, Intentionality and Safety. If a feature does not support one of those values we put it in the parking lot. In terms of how we zeroed in on the 9 features we are focused on, we did a heuristic study to hone in on what resonated and what was less important to users looking to ditch the swiping model.

We will continue to define, refine and evaluate the features as we prioritize them according to the timeline for the Beta and V1. There are core features that we cannot launch without such as the dive inner circle and friend share and some we love, but we can launch without like getting feedback from your circle of friends. Depending on the size of the team we get funding for, we will likely have to make hard cuts, but we hope to get most if not all of the 9 core features at launch to come out with our best foot forward.

We continue to gather user feedback through studies that walk through the prototype to study how people used the app and evaluate our hypothesis of the concept while doing regular surveys as the app and concept has developed. We plan on continuing the process throughout development with monthly heuristic studies, focus groups and surveys.

As March gets closer and closer, there is a lot to get in before launching. We hope to have enough resources to get a well rounded development team that has worked together who is able to coordinate the backend, front end and data structure that will be critical to connecting this web of inner circles. We believe the biggest challenge will be making this new navigation pattern of diving and surfacing rather than swiping through profiles that is now a common pattern to uncover unexpected challenges as we charter new territory. We will need to have a strong coordination between the development team and ongoing design as we work in a very agile and fast paced environment.

To adapt to changing user preferences and technological advancements, Dive plans to implement several key strategies. We will conduct continuous user research, including regular surveys, interviews, and focus groups, to stay attuned to evolving user needs. An agile development methodology will allow us to iterate quickly and respond efficiently to feedback and technological changes.

By closely monitoring industry trends and new technologies, we can proactively incorporate relevant advancements into our app. We will actively collect user feedback through in-app surveys and social media, integrating this feedback into our updates and new features. Regular updates will not only fix bugs and improve performance but also introduce new features based on user preferences and technological innovations.

Before rolling out major updates or new features, we will conduct beta testing with a select group of users to gather feedback and make necessary adjustments. Partnerships and integrations with other platforms and services will enhance Dive’s functionality, while our scalable architecture will ensure the app can easily adapt to new technologies.

We will establish a dedicated research and development team focused on exploring innovative technologies and potential features. As new features and technologies are introduced, we will provide comprehensive user education and support to help users adapt and make the most of Dive’s capabilities.

By implementing these strategies, Dive will remain innovative and responsive to changing user preferences and technological advancements, ensuring we continually meet and exceed our users’ expectations.

User research has been a cornerstone of Dive's development over the past year. By thoroughly examining the online dating landscape, including both traditional and experimental approaches, we have analyzed over 1500 dating apps. This comprehensive study allowed us to identify what resonates with users and what deters them, giving us valuable insights into market frustrations.

Our research used a variety of UX methods to ensure a deep understanding of user needs and preferences. We conducted user interviews and surveys to gather direct feedback. Usability testing and heuristic evaluations helped us spot usability issues and improve the overall user experience. We also performed competitive analysis to understand the strengths and weaknesses of existing apps in the market.

Despite the market's saturation, it's clear there is a significant opportunity for disruption. Many users feel disillusioned with existing platforms, sticking with them only due to a lack of better alternatives. Our research shows a clear demand for innovation, highlighting users' desires for a more satisfying and engaging dating experience.

Our extensive user research included hands-on experiences with the best and worst apps available, deepening our understanding of the market's strengths and weaknesses. With this knowledge, we are ready to introduce a groundbreaking solution that addresses the current deficiencies and revolutionizes the dating world. We are excited to bring a platform that aligns with what we, and countless users, have been searching for.

Post-launch, Dive plans to implement a robust strategy to swiftly address potential technical issues and bugs. Our approach includes:

Monitoring and Reporting: We will implement monitoring tools to continuously track app performance, including metrics like response times, error rates, and user feedback. This allows us to promptly identify and prioritize issues.

Bug Tracking System: Dive will utilize a structured bug tracking system to log, categorize, and prioritize reported issues. This ensures that every bug is documented and addressed systematically.

Rapid Response Team: We will establish a dedicated team responsible for promptly addressing technical issues. This team will triage and resolve bugs based on severity, aiming for quick resolutions to minimize impact on users.

Regular Updates: Scheduled updates will include bug fixes and performance enhancements. By releasing regular updates, Dive ensures that the app remains stable and responsive to user feedback and technological advancements.

User Feedback Channels: We will maintain open channels for users to report issues and provide feedback. This includes in-app feedback options, customer support channels, and social media platforms, ensuring comprehensive issue reporting and resolution.

Post-Mortem Analysis: After resolving major issues, Dive will conduct post-mortem analyses to identify root causes and implement preventive measures. This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of recurring issues.

Quality Assurance Testing: Before each update release, thorough quality assurance testing will be conducted to validate bug fixes and ensure new features perform as expected. This helps maintain a high standard of app reliability post-launch.

By implementing these measures, Dive is committed to ensuring a smooth and reliable user experience post-launch, addressing technical issues promptly and proactively to uphold user satisfaction and app performance.

It’s incredibly important for us to keep Dive from being an overstuffed, convoluted mess that is trying to do too much. When look at the main 3 dating apps, there is so much thrown in the users face trying to get their attention. So we’ve come up with 5 key guidelines to keeping Dive a clean, simple and intuitive experience.

1. Every feature should fall under the pillars of authenticity, intentionality or safety.
   
   

2. There should only be one main call to action on each screen.
   
   

3. Onboarding for a diver or friend should take no longer than 5 minutes on average.
   
   

4. We analyze each component on each screen looking for things to pull out that don’t take value with it.

5. We will do live user testing sessions each month to analyze how users are moving through the app.

First, we will invest in a scalable cloud-based infrastructure. This will allow us to efficiently manage increased user traffic and data storage needs, ensuring smooth performance regardless of user growth. By leveraging cloud services, we can dynamically adjust resources to meet demand, avoiding potential bottlenecks and downtime.

Second, Dive will implement an agile development process that supports rapid iteration and deployment. This methodology will enable us to quickly roll out updates, fix bugs, and introduce new features in response to user feedback and emerging trends. Our development team will be structured to handle continuous integration and delivery, ensuring our app evolves seamlessly alongside our growing user base.

Additionally, we will prioritize data analytics and monitoring. By employing advanced analytics tools, we will gain insights into user behavior, app performance, and potential issues. This data-driven approach will inform our decision-making, allowing us to proactively address challenges and optimize the user experience.

To support a larger user community, Dive will expand its customer support team. We plan to implement multi-channel support, including in-app chat, email, and social media, to ensure users receive timely assistance. Our support team will be trained to handle a wide range of issues, ensuring high user satisfaction as we scale.

Furthermore, we will establish strategic partnerships and integrations to enhance our app's capabilities. By collaborating with other platforms and services, we can offer users a richer and more diverse experience, maintaining our competitive edge as we grow.

Finally, we will invest in continuous learning and development for our team. By staying abreast of the latest industry trends and technologies, we will ensure that Dive remains innovative and capable of scaling effectively.

Through these strategic initiatives, Dive aims to scale its operations smoothly, ensuring a robust and responsive platform that meets the needs of an expanding user base.

The current design, while seemingly done, was only to conceptualize the product to see if we could make something that accomplished what we had in mind. When we start moving into development, we will be doing a full redesign that will adhere to the main features but is subject to improvements. We don’t want to be tied to the specific design, so we have flexibility when the full team is in place. But we want to keep what’s working in the concept intact.

Once we begin development, we will go through a full design process that will be defined with the team.

Ensuring compliance with data protection and privacy regulations is a top priority for Dive. We have implemented several measures to safeguard user data and maintain privacy standards.

Data Encryption: All user data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. This ensures that sensitive information is protected from unauthorized access.

Strict Access Controls: Access to user data is restricted to authorized personnel only. We use role-based access control (RBAC) to limit access based on the role of the employee.

Regular Audits: We will conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify and address potential vulnerabilities. This includes both internal audits and third-party evaluations.

Compliance with Regulations: Dive adheres to major data protection regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant laws. We have implemented policies and procedures to ensure compliance with these regulations.

User Consent: We prioritize user consent and transparency. Users are informed about how their data will be used, and we obtain explicit consent before collecting any personal information.

Data Minimization: We practice data minimization by collecting only the information that is necessary for the functionality of the app. Unnecessary data collection is avoided to reduce privacy risks.

User Control: Users have control over their data, including the ability to access, modify, and delete their personal information. We provide clear and easy-to-use options for managing data preferences.

Incident Response Plan: In case of a data breach, we have a robust incident response plan in place. This includes prompt notification to affected users and relevant authorities, as well as steps to mitigate any potential harm.

By implementing these measures, Dive is committed to protecting user privacy and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.

Dive will prioritize user feedback as a catalyst for continuous improvement. We will employ various mechanisms such as in-app surveys, feedback forms, and user reviews to collect insights directly from users about their experiences and suggestions. Regular analysis of this feedback will categorize and prioritize it based on its frequency and impact on user experience.

User input will play a pivotal role in prioritizing feature development. We will integrate user demands and preferences into our agile development process, ensuring that updates and new features align closely with user expectations and needs. Transparent communication will be maintained throughout this process, keeping users informed about how their feedback is being utilized and when requested improvements will be implemented.

Before deploying significant updates or features, Dive will conduct thorough user testing and validation to verify that changes meet user expectations and effectively address identified issues. Continuous engagement with our user community through communication channels will foster a collaborative relationship and ensure responsiveness to ongoing feedback.

By leveraging user feedback in these strategic ways, Dive aims to deliver a responsive and user-centered app experience that evolves in direct response to user needs and aspirations.

There are a few things we are looking for when it comes to assembling the dev team.

First, because we need to move fast we are talking to not just siloed developers. But a group of devs that know each other, work well together and can be super efficient.

Second, we are looking for people who are actively wanting to be involved with Dive, are motivated by the concept. Our philosophy are Midnight Aurora is “we make what we want” and what we mean by that is that we make what we wish existed in the world - either for us or someone we love. We know that will show in the final product.

Lastly, we are looking for top talent that has a proven track record of making the best user experiences and ones that are strong with a tight development that can handle growth.

Dive's strategy to lead in technological innovation will center on several core pillars. We will establish a dedicated research and development team to explore emerging trends and technologies specific to dating apps. Adopting agile development methodologies will enable us to swiftly respond to market changes and user feedback, ensuring our app remains technologically current and user-focused.

User-centric design will be paramount; regular user testing and feedback loops will guide our development, aligning technological advancements with user needs. Strategic partnerships with industry leaders and integrations with complementary services will expand Dive's capabilities, leveraging cutting-edge technologies for unique user experiences.

A robust, scalable infrastructure will support our growth and adaptation to new technologies, ensuring Dive maintains high performance and reliability. Continuous updates and feature releases will enhance our app's competitiveness by introducing innovative functionalities that elevate the user experience.

Through these initiatives, Dive aims to stay ahead in technological innovation within the dating app industry, delivering a compelling platform that exceeds user expectations and sets us apart from competitors.

Here’s how we plan to conduct the beta testing phase for Dive’s development:

Recruiting Beta Testers: We will start by recruiting a diverse group of beta testers. This will include individuals from various demographics, device types, and usage patterns to ensure comprehensive feedback.

Closed Beta Launch: Initially, we will launch a closed beta version of Dive to a select group of users. This controlled environment will help us identify and fix critical issues before a broader release.

Feedback Collection: Throughout the beta phase, we will actively collect feedback from our testers. This will include surveys, user interviews, and in-app feedback tools to gather qualitative and quantitative data on their experiences.

Usability Testing: We will conduct in-depth usability testing sessions with beta users to observe their interactions with the app. This will help us identify usability issues and areas for improvement.

Performance Monitoring: We will closely monitor the app’s performance during the beta phase. This includes tracking metrics like load times, crash reports, and battery usage to ensure the app runs smoothly on various devices.

Iterative Improvements: Based on the feedback and data collected, we will make iterative improvements to the app. This agile approach allows us to address issues quickly and continuously enhance the user experience.

Feature Validation: The beta phase will help us validate the effectiveness of key features. We will assess how users interact with new functionalities and make necessary adjustments to meet their needs.

Bug Tracking and Resolution: We will establish a robust bug tracking system to log and prioritize issues reported by beta testers. Our development team will work diligently to resolve these issues before the public launch.

Open Beta Expansion: After addressing initial feedback, we will expand the beta testing to a larger audience. This open beta phase will provide further insights and help us ensure the app is ready for a full-scale launch.

Final Preparations: As the beta phase concludes, we will make final preparations for the official launch. This includes final bug fixes, performance optimizations, and ensuring all user feedback has been addressed.

By following this comprehensive beta testing plan, we aim to refine Dive and deliver a high-quality, user-friendly app that meets the needs and expectations of our users.

To ensure seamless integration with various devices and platforms, Dive will employ a multifaceted approach focused on compatibility, performance, and user experience. Here’s how we plan to achieve this:

Cross-Platform Development: We will use modern development frameworks and technologies that support cross-platform functionality. This will allow Dive to run smoothly on multiple operating systems, including iOS, Android, and web browsers.

Responsive Design: Our app will be built with responsive design principles, ensuring it adapts to different screen sizes and resolutions. Whether users are on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop, they will have an optimized experience.

Comprehensive Testing: We will conduct extensive testing across a wide range of devices and platforms. This will include functional testing, performance testing, and user acceptance testing to ensure compatibility and smooth performance.

Regular Updates: Dive will be committed to continuous improvement. We will regularly release updates that enhance compatibility with the latest devices and operating systems, ensuring that our app stays up-to-date with technological advancements.

API Integration: Dive’s backend will be designed with robust API integrations, allowing seamless connectivity with other platforms and services. This will enable features like social media integration, third-party authentication, and more.

User Feedback Loop: We will actively collect and analyze user feedback regarding device and platform performance. This will help us identify and address any issues promptly, ensuring a consistent user experience.

Performance Optimization: Our development team will prioritize performance optimization to ensure the app runs efficiently on all devices. This will include optimizing load times, reducing resource usage, and ensuring smooth interactions.

Cloud-Based Infrastructure: We will utilize cloud-based services to provide a reliable and scalable infrastructure. This will ensure that Dive performs consistently well, regardless of the user’s device or location.

By implementing these strategies, Dive will be dedicated to providing a seamless, high-quality experience across all devices and platforms, ensuring users can enjoy our app anytime, anywhere.

Dive came about one evening while Cam was commiserating with a couple friends at The Proper Bar in Austin, TX. They talked about how broken the system was and how fake and disingenuous it had gotten. While acknowledging how it doesn’t work, they also acknowledged that they didn’t have any other choice. There was no going back to a world where the dating apps weren’t part of dating today. That’s when they started dreaming up what would make the dating apps something we’d enjoy using and that the missing element was among them. Each other. So the two words that started the journey was a simple “what if.”

Coming soon