Pre-launch · Mobile app, admin, site & waitlist delivered
Trova
Trova mobile app for JOT Holdings · admin frontend + marketing site + waitlist shipped
App, admin, site & waitlist shipped
Introduction
Trova is JOT Holdings' safety-first mobile app for Nigeria: verified profiles, voice-first chat, meetup check-ins, and panic tooling for people who will not join another anonymous dating app. I designed the brand and product flows, then built the mobile app frontend, admin frontend, marketing site, and waitlist ahead of public launch.
Challenge
Dating products in Nigeria struggle with fake profiles, weak safety tooling, and expectations that do not match reality. Women especially need privacy, verification, and meetup protection before they invest time or share location. The product had to feel adult and honest without violating app store rules, and JOT Holdings needed real shipped surfaces, not pitch decks, before launch.
Research
- Framed the product around safety and verification gaps in Nigerian dating apps: fake profiles, weak meetup protection, and privacy before location share.
- Aligned public positioning with store-safe language so safety stayed visible without sounding alarmist or violating policy.
- Partnered with backend engineering early so verification states, matching gates, and chat flows matched real data models before UI froze.
Approach
- Built a Deep Noir and Warm Gold design system across waitlist, marketing site, and mobile so the brand felt premium and consistent.
- Designed progressive verification: phone and selfie for browse-only discovery, government ID before matching, subscription after value is proven.
- Mapped discovery, matching, voice-first chat, meetup planning with check-ins, panic flow, and trust badges as connected systems, not isolated screens.
- Developed jointrova.com, the waitlist web app, mobile app frontend, and admin frontend so verification, safety, discovery, and ops screens shipped as designed.
- Aligned public copy with store-safe positioning: real people, verified, nearby, with safety visible but not alarmist.
- Partnered with backend engineering on API-backed flows so UI states matched real data models during build.
Decisions
- Used progressive verification so people could browse with light proof, then unlock matching only after stronger identity checks.
- Treated meetup check-ins, panic tooling, and trust badges as one safety system instead of bolted-on screens.
- Shipped marketing, waitlist, mobile, and admin frontends together so JOT Holdings had real surfaces before public launch, not another pitch deck.
Impact
- 37+ early signups on the Abeokuta-first waitlist with social proof on the live page.
- jointrova.com and the waitlist are live for pre-launch marketing.
- Mobile app and admin frontends built and handed to client: verification, safety, discovery, chat, and ops flows implemented.
- One coherent brand across waitlist, site, app, and admin before public launch.
- Backend engineer collaboration stayed smooth: clear hierarchy, reusable patterns, flows engineers could follow without long explanations.
Hiring or building something similar?
Send a short note with the product, timeline, and what you need. I read these myself and usually reply within one business day.