Tinder × Duolingo Partnership
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TINDER × DUOLINGO · 2026 H1
Turning language learning into a reason to connect
Turning language learning into a reason to connect
Turning language learning into a reason to connect
I led Duolingo’s side of the partnership, shaping how people connect their accounts and bring courses, streaks, and Score into their Tinder profile.
I led Duolingo’s side of the partnership, shaping how people connect their accounts and bring courses, streaks, and Score into their Tinder profile.
ROLE
Sole product designer for Duolingo
Sole product designer for Duolingo
SCOPE
Product strategy, experience design, interaction design, and visual direction
Product strategy, experience design, interaction design, and visual direction
PROJECTED IMPACT
440K+ visits to Duolingo
440K+ visits to Duolingo
THE OPPORTUNITY
The experience had to create conversation, not just display progress
The experience had to create conversation, not just display progress
Tinder had defined the core screens, but the journey between them was still unresolved. I mapped how people discovered the partnership, connected their accounts, chose what to show, understood the result on a profile, and disconnected later.
Tinder had defined the core screens, but the journey between them was still unresolved. I mapped how people discovered the partnership, connected their accounts, chose what to show, understood the result on a profile, and disconnected later.
TINDER
Give people more ways to express themselves and start conversations.
Give people more ways to express themselves and start conversations.
DUOLINGO
Bring interested learners to Duolingo and build awareness of Score.
Bring interested learners to Duolingo and build awareness of Score.
CHALLENGE 01
What would make someone want to connect?
What would make someone want to connect?
The card had to do more than confirm a connection. It needed to give someone a reason to start a conversation. Courses could signal interests, streaks could show commitment, and Score could show progress. The limited space meant I had to decide what deserved attention first.
The card had to do more than confirm a connection. It needed to give someone a reason to start a conversation. Courses could signal interests, streaks could show commitment, and Score could show progress. The limited space meant I had to decide what deserved attention first.
A card should make it easy to start a conversation.
A card should make it easy to start a conversation.
CHALLENGE 02
Make Duolingo feel at home in Tinder
Make Duolingo feel at home in Tinder
The design had to feel unmistakably Duolingo inside Tinder’s dark interface. It also needed a darker background than the card and could not rely on gradients. Green delivered immediate recognition. Midnight blue fit the surrounding product more naturally and let Duo and the course flags carry the brand.
The design had to feel unmistakably Duolingo inside Tinder’s dark interface. It also needed a darker background than the card and could not rely on gradients. Green delivered immediate recognition. Midnight blue fit the surrounding product more naturally and let Duo and the course flags carry the brand.
THE PIVOT
Research resolved the visual direction
Research resolved the visual direction
Internal feedback initially favored green because it was the most recognizable. Tinder’s research changed the decision. Participants found green jarring in the product, while midnight blue kept the content readable and felt more at home in the surrounding experience.
Internal feedback initially favored green because it was the most recognizable. Tinder’s research changed the decision. Participants found green jarring in the product, while midnight blue kept the content readable and felt more at home in the surrounding experience.
100 / 100
100 / 100
participants preferred midnight blue
participants preferred midnight blue
32%
32%
described green as overstimulating
described green as overstimulating
16%
16%
said green would make them close the app
said green would make them close the app
FINAL EXPERIENCE
A connected journey across both products
A connected journey across both products
The final journey moves from discovery in Tinder to consent, confirms the connection in Duolingo, returns people to a live profile preview, and makes the result clear back in Tinder. Midnight blue creates continuity across both products, while Duo and the course flags preserve a strong Duolingo signal.
The final journey moves from discovery in Tinder to consent, confirms the connection in Duolingo, returns people to a live profile preview, and makes the result clear back in Tinder. Midnight blue creates continuity across both products, while Duo and the course flags preserve a strong Duolingo signal.
WHAT I TOOK FORWARD
Make competing priorities visible
Make competing priorities visible
01
Show choices in context
Show choices in context
Concrete alternatives in the real product context make tradeoffs easier to evaluate.
Concrete alternatives in the real product context make tradeoffs easier to evaluate.
02
Design the whole journey
Design the whole journey
The transitions between products matter as much as the individual screens.
The transitions between products matter as much as the individual screens.
03
Let evidence break the tie
Let evidence break the tie
Research turned a subjective debate about color into a clear product decision.
Research turned a subjective debate about color into a clear product decision.
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