Feeld
a dating app built on consent and curiosity
Manifesto: it opens when both say yes
Feeld · a NUUKE concept · sample people
Most apps ask who you are, then hand you two boxes. People don’t fit in two boxes. Feeld offers 20+ genders and 20+ sexualities, in your own words. Some of you is for everyone. Some is only for people you choose, and it opens when both say yes.
01 · Discover · The brief
A dating app where every yes has to be mutual.
Feeld is a London dating app “for the curious”: singles, couples and constellations of partners who are “open to experiencing people and relationships in new ways.” Designer Dimo Trifonov launched it in July 2014 as 3nder, after his then-partner Ana Kirova told him she had feelings for other people; a trademark suit from Tinder’s parent company led to the name Feeld in 2016. Kirova joined in 2016 and has been CEO since 2021. Members choose from 20+ genders and 20+ sexualities, keep a public bio and a hidden one, and can link their profile with up to five people. It’s ad-free and promises it “will never rank profiles.” In 2023 a rebrand by Made Thought, with type by Charlotte Rohde, gave it an Aura of heat-map gradients and motion modelled on breath, heartbeat and touch.
- 14M+
- Registered accounts, as of February 2026
- 2014
- Launched as 3nder; renamed Feeld in 2016
- £64m
- 2025 revenue, up 24% (The Guardian, Oct 2026)
- 20+ · 20+
- Gender and sexuality options; 50+ desires
- Up to 5
- Linked profiles per member (Constellation, 2024)
- 80+
- People on the Feeld team, worldwide
Design problems we chose
- 01
Identity without boxes
Twenty-plus genders, twenty-plus sexualities and fifty-plus desires have to feel like a conversation, not a form. Nine in ten members update their bios, so change has to be easy too.
- 02
Consent you can see
Hidden bios, private photos and chat open at different moments. People should always know what a like shares, and that the closest layers open only on a mutual yes.
- 03
Privacy you can feel
In Feeld’s own survey, 58% of member respondents said they highly value control over their personal information. Incognito, blur and private photos should show their effect, not hide in settings.
Our goal
Every layer of a profile says who can see it, and the closest layers open only when both people say yes.
How this app gets made: nine phases in eight weeks
This page follows the path we’d take with the Feeld team, from listening to launch. Pick a star to see what happens in that phase, what you get and how much of your time it takes.
Phase 1 of 9 · Week 1
Discover
Desk research, App Store review mining, a teardown of the current app, and Feeld’s own published research on identity, safety and self-expression.
Phase 2 of 9 · Weeks 1–2
Listen
Paid interviews across identities and relationship styles: newcomers, couples, trans and non-binary members. Opt-out at any moment, no photos recorded.
Phase 3 of 9 · Week 2
Language
An audit of every identity word in the product, a plain-English glossary and copy rules, reviewed with community members.
Phase 4 of 9 · Week 3
Consent model
Every layer of a profile mapped to who can see it and when. The rules become a spec engineers can test.
Phase 5 of 9 · Weeks 3–4
Structure
Flows for joining, discovering, connecting, linking profiles and staying safe, including what happens when someone withdraws.
Phase 6 of 9 · Weeks 4–6
Design
Wireframes first, then layered screens: grid, language, colour and the aura, consent states and motion.
Phase 7 of 9 · Weeks 5–7
Prototype & test
A tappable prototype with guided tasks, tested with five people per round. Sample people only; nobody shares their own profile.
Phase 8 of 9 · Weeks 6–7
Trust & safety
Abuse-case reviews (outing, stalking, unwanted images) for every feature, a privacy pass and a calm report flow with the safety team.
Phase 9 of 9 · Week 8
Ship & learn
Design system handoff, a staged rollout and the measures we’d watch, including how safe people feel, not only how many connect.
02 · Define · Personas
Three people, three kinds of careful.
Built from the audience Feeld describes publicly: people exploring non-monogamy and queer identities, couples who meet people together, and a fast-growing group of newcomers, including women over 40. Tap a card to see goals and frustrations.
Personas are NUUKE research assumptions built from the brand’s public audience, not real customers.
03 · Define · Journey map
Maya’s first month, and the moments that ask for trust.
Tap each moment to see what she’s doing, how she feels and the design opportunity we found. Every low point is about not knowing who can see what.
Stage 1 · Signs up
Doing
Downloads it after a friend mentions it and reaches the identity step.
Feeling
😐 Curious, a little exposed.
Opportunity
Plural chips and a glossary, so she can pick “Curious” without committing to a label.
Stage 2 · First browse
Doing
Opens Discover at lunch and freezes: what if a colleague sees her?
Feeling
😕 Anxious.
Opportunity
Incognito one tap from Discover, with plain words about who can still see her.
Stage 3 · A first like
Doing
Likes someone, then wonders what they now know about her.
Feeling
😐 Unsure.
Opportunity
Say exactly what a like shares: her hidden bio, nothing else, until it’s mutual.
Stage 4 · It’s mutual
Doing
A connection. Private photos and chat open on both sides at once.
Feeling
😄 Relieved, excited.
Opportunity
Make the reveal a moment. The aura belongs here, and only here.
Stage 5 · An unwanted image
Doing
A new connection sends an image she didn’t ask for.
Feeling
😣 Upset.
Opportunity
Blurred until she chooses, and report or block in one calm screen.
Stage 6 · Month one
Doing
Updates her profile to heteroflexible and meets a couple for coffee.
Feeling
😄 Confident.
Opportunity
Quiet, easy edits; a group chat keeps a three-way plan transparent.
04 · Language · Identity builder
Describe yourself in your own words.
No dropdowns, no either/or. Pick none, one or several words per group, tap any word to read what it means, add your own, and choose who sees each part. Then replay a sample year: identity is allowed to move.
Gender
Pick none, one or several. Tap a word to read what it means.
Pronouns
Sexuality
Pick none, one or several. Tap a word to read what it means.
Relationship style
Pick none, one or several. Tap a word to read what it means.
Looking for
Pick none, one or several. Tap a word to read what it means.
Glossary. Tap any word to see it explained in plain English.
Live profile · as a stranger sees it in Discover
Maya, 43
Recently back in the world. Into long walks, loud dinners and good questions.
Identity over time
- TodayProfile created
- 90%of members update their bios, and 92% adjust their search settings (Feeld, State of Dating Vol. IV, 2025).
- +193%heteroflexible, the fastest-growing sexuality on Feeld in 2025; members often move between it and straight (Feeld Raw 2025).
- 20+ · 20+gender and sexuality options on Feeld, which says you can change them “as many times as you like”.
05 · Consent · Mutual reveal
Some of you opens only when both say yes.
Two sample members, two phones. Like, Ping, turn Ping notes off, or withdraw, and watch exactly what each person can see. Your hidden bio opens to people you choose; private photos and chat open only when it’s mutual.
- Public profileAnyone in Discover
- Hidden bioPeople you’ve liked or Pinged
- Private photosConnections only (mutual)
- ChatConnections only (mutual)
Rae’s phone · viewing Sam
Sam, 34 they/them
Public bio Everyone
Ceramics on Sundays, terrible at karaoke, great at listening.
Hidden bio Opens if Sam likes you
Newly polyamorous and still learning. Patience appreciated, honesty essential.
Private photos Opens when it’s mutual
Chat Opens when it’s mutual
Say hi to Sam 👋
Sam’s phone · viewing Rae
Rae, 27 she/they
Public bio Everyone
Climbing, zines and very strong opinions about dumplings.
Hidden bio Opens if Rae likes you
Looking for something slow and honest. Out to friends, not yet at work, so discretion matters.
Private photos Opens when it’s mutual
Chat Opens when it’s mutual
Say hi to Rae 👋
What just changed
- Nothing shared yet. Each of you sees only the other’s public profile.
06 · Structure · Linked profiles
A profile for more than one person.
Feeld lets members link with up to five people. Every link here is an invitation the other person has to accept, it expires after 72 hours, and either side can undo it. Invite, accept, decline or let one expire, and see how it reads in Discover.
0 of 5 linked
Waiting for a yes
- No open invites.
Linked
- Nobody yet. Solo is a complete profile too.
How it reads in Discover
Jo, 36 he/they
Solo profile
07 · Structure · User flow
Thirteen screens, one path from curious to connected.
Onboarding happens once. The daily loop is Discover → a like or a Ping → it’s mutual → chat, with privacy and safety one tap away. Tap any screen to open it in the prototype below.
Tap any screen to open it in the prototype ↓
08 · Design · 3D wireframe
The profile screen, taken apart.
Each screen is built in five layers, from grid to consent states and motion. Scroll and the exploded view assembles into the final UI; drag to look around it.
Scroll to assemble · drag to orbit
- L1
Layout grid
4-column grid, 20pt margins and an 8pt rhythm. The profile is three stacked layers: public, chosen, mutual.
- L2
Wireframe
Hierarchy first: one portrait, identity in their words, then the layers that open with consent, each labelled with who can see it.
- L3
Content & language
Real copy in the member’s own words. Identity chips are plural, never a binary. Every hidden layer says why it is hidden.
- L4
Colour & aura
Ink and bone carry the UI. The aura gradient is reserved for emotive moments: the portrait, a like, a mutual connection.
- L5
Consent & motion
Locks lift only on a mutual yes. The reveal breathes in over 5.5 s, the like button beats once, and nothing ever moves on its own twice.
09 · Prototype & test
From curious to connected. Tap through it.
This is the prototype we’d put in front of five people per round. Follow the tasks on the left and switch between Sketch, Wireframe and Hi-fi to see how each screen evolved. Everyone in it is a sample person drawn as an aura.
Interactive prototype
Feeld · curious to connected
Nine tasks, fourteen screens. Everything that glows is tappable.
Final UI, fully tappable.
Your journey 0/9
Feeld · NUUKE concept
Dating for the curious.
Describe yourself in your own words. Share more only with people you choose, and only when it’s mutual.
Step 1 of 3 · About you
How do you describe yourself?
Pick as many as fit. Change them whenever you like.
Gender
Sexuality
Glossary
Plain words, written with members.
Non-binary
A gender outside the either/or of man and woman.
Heteroflexible
Mostly straight, and open to more.
Pansexual
Attraction that isn’t decided by gender.
Demisexual
Attraction that grows after an emotional bond.
Metamour
Your partner’s partner.
Ethically non-monogamous
More than one relationship, with everyone’s knowledge and consent.
Step 2 of 3 · Looking for
What are you curious about?
Who sees this
You can choose differently for every part of your profile.
Hidden bio
Something you’d only tell people you like.
“Looking for something slow and honest. Discretion matters.”
Shown only to people you like or Ping.
Step 3 of 3 · Trust
Show it’s really you.
A quick selfie confirms your photos are you. It isn’t shown on your profile.
- Good light, face the camera
- Takes about ten seconds
- Verified profiles get a badge
Discover
No ranking. Everyone gets seen.
Sam, 34 they/them
Bio · everyone
Ceramics on Sundays, terrible at karaoke, great at listening.
Hidden bio · opens if Sam likes you
Newly polyamorous and still learning. Patience appreciated.
Private photos · connections only
Linked profile
Nesting partner · accepted the link
Ping Sam
Say hello first.
A Ping puts you at the top of Sam’s new connections, with a note.
Fellow Sunday-ceramics person here. Your bowls look great. Coffee sometime?
Sam accepts Ping notes. People can turn notes off at any time.
It’s mutual.
You and Sam both said yes. Hidden bios and private photos are now open to each other, and only to each other.
Now open
✓ Hidden bio · ✓ Private photos · ✓ Chat
Today
Fellow Sunday-ceramics person here. Coffee sometime?
Yes! Saturday? Jo might come too, if that’s okay with you.
My latest bowl. The glaze went pink, I’m calling it a feature.
Sam started a group
Jo Hi! Sam’s told me about you. Saturday coffee, all three of us?
Sam No pressure at all. Happy to start with just two if you’d prefer.
Three sounds lovely. The place by the park at 11?
Meeting up
Pick somewhere public, and tell a friend where you’ll be.
Privacy
Each control says who it hides you from.
Hidden from Discover. Only people you like can see you.
Two photos only for connections.
Let people attach a note to a Ping.
Blur images that may be explicit.
Show “about 2 km”, never exact. (Concept)
Screenshot protection
Always on for images in chat.
Is something wrong?
You’re in control. Nothing you choose here is shown to the other person.
Takes effect straight away.
What happened? (optional)
Thank you for telling us.
Feeld’s global safety team works around the clock. We’ll message you here when we’ve looked into it.
While you wait
You can keep the chat hidden, and your photos stay protected.
…
10 · Trust & safety · Privacy lab
Privacy controls you can feel working.
Flip a control and watch what a stranger, someone you liked and a connection can each see. Test the image blur and try a screenshot. Each control says whether it’s on Feeld today or a NUUKE concept.
- Screenshot protection On Feeld · always onImages sent in chat can’t be captured. Try it on the right.Always on
- Approximate distance NUUKE conceptShow how far, never exactly where. An idea we would test, not a confirmed Feeld feature.
Who can see what
| Layer | Stranger | Liked | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your profile | |||
| Hidden bio | |||
| Private photos | |||
| Where you are |
Your profile, seen by
Rae, 27 she/they
~2 km away
Climbing, zines and very strong opinions about dumplings.
Hidden bio
Looking for something slow and honest. Discretion matters.
Rae has a hidden bio
Your chat with Noor
Here’s the poster I made for the show, tell me what you think.
Hidden: this image may be explicit.
Give me a sec, I’m on the bus 🙂
11 · Ship · Design system
Ink and bone, with the aura saved for yes.
Colour tokens · click to copy
Type scale
- DisplayIt’s mutual.Montserrat 800 · 40/42 (stand-in for FEELD Edge Rounded)
- TitleDescribe yourself.Montserrat 800 · 27/30
- BodyShown only to people you like or Ping.Inter 400 · 15/22 (stand-in for ABC Diatype)
- LabelHIDDEN BIO · CONNECTIONS ONLYInter 700 · 11.5/14 · +0.1em
Components
The aura rule
The gradient appears only for emotive moments (a like, a mutual connection), as Feeld’s identity intends. Everything else is ink and bone.
Consent layer
Hidden bioOpens if Sam likes youEvery hidden layer names who can see it and why. Locked layers use a dashed edge; open ones turn solid.
Identity chips
✓ QueerBisexual✓ CuriousMulti-select by default. Never a binary toggle, never a required field.
Motion
Breath (5.5 s) for calm states, one heartbeat for a like, a slow merge for mutual. All of it stops with Reduce Motion.
Hex values are our working approximation of the 2023 Aura identity as described publicly (heat-map gradients in pink, purple, orange and green on black and white); Feeld publishes no official values. Feeld’s real typefaces are a custom New Edge 666 Rounded by Charlotte Rohde and ABC Diatype. We use Montserrat and Inter as stand-ins and don’t recreate the wordmark.
12 · Ship · Measure
How we’d know it worked.
Consent is legible
We expect: After one use, people can say what a like shares and what opens on a mutual yes, without help.
How we’d measure: Comprehension questions after the mutual-reveal task, five people per round, until 5 of 5 answer correctly.
Identity without drop-off
We expect: More people finish the identity step, and more of them pick several words or add their own.
How we’d measure: Funnel from identity start to finish; share of multi-select and custom entries, by cohort.
Privacy controls found and trusted
We expect: People find Incognito in under ten seconds and correctly predict who can see them.
How we’d measure: First-click test, plus a prediction task scored against the visibility matrix.
Feeling safe, for everyone
We expect: Self-reported safety rises, with no gap for trans and non-binary members.
How we’d measure: Short in-app pulse survey each quarter, segmented by gender identity, with an opt-out.
Linked profiles that hold
We expect: Most link invites are accepted within the 72-hour window, and few are unlinked within a week.
How we’d measure: Invite acceptance and early-unlink rates; follow-up interviews with couples and constellations.
These are the success measures we would agree with the client before launch.
