Pairs is one of Japan's largest matchmaking and dating apps.
I led the design of "Pairs Events"—a feature bringing offline connections to the app—managing everything from concept validation to final release.
On Pairs, the traditional matching app journey—browsing profiles, matching, and exchanging endless messages before finally meeting—created a significant barrier to real-world connections.
There's also a meaningful number of people who've held off using dating apps altogether, simply because the flow itself feels off-putting.
So, we decided to explore new ways of connecting people that didn't rely on traditional profiles.
For the concept validation, we conducted user testing by having participants create and post their own custom date plans.
I built a prototype alongside our initial concept. While users connected with the core idea, we discovered that the open recruitment format came across as less than serious.
We realized what users truly valued wasn't complete freedom, but the sense of trust established and maintained by Pairs.
To test our hypothesis, we shifted the concept to a host-based model, where Pairs took full ownership of event planning and execution.
When we ran follow-up user testing, we saw a clear boost in interest. Users told us that knowing Pairs was hosting the event gave them peace of mind, and that they could now easily visualize the atmosphere beforehand.
I felt we were on the right track: shared experiences, not profiles, were becoming the real catalyst for connection.
For the first release, I built the screens and flow in Studio, a no-code tool, and had engineers embed it as a web view into the live app—so we could test with real users before committing to full native development.
By surfacing issues across the entire flow early, we were able to iterate quickly and minimize rework once full-scale development began.
Following user testing, we collaborated closely with our engineering team for full-scale implementation. We built a seamless, end-to-end experience within the app—from searching and applying for events to matching with other attendees.
Events carry a lot of information, so I kept the list view clean and simple—focusing only on the essentials users need to decide if they want to join.
To ensure seamless entry on the day of the event, I designed an animation that makes it easy for both users and staff to instantly verify information.
In addition to UI design, I established guidelines for thumbnail visual tones and event naming patterns.
To support future scaling, I built an AI-powered workflow that enables non-designers to consistently produce high-quality thumbnails that stay on-brand.
Since its release in February 2026, Pairs has hosted over 170 events in just six months, drawing a total of approximately 7,000 participants. With match rates tracking at more than three times that of standard features, it has quickly grown into one of the app's core features.