Project://JUNO Devlog - 003

By A.A. Lopez

Introduction

With the longer and louder cries of folks talking about hating on dating apps, I feel like that is a call to really dig down deep and work hard on JUNO as much as possible now. It might just be my algorithm being playful, but I can’t really ignore the fact that it’s nearly constant. People are complaining about the current dating culture/environment.

After all, I’m in the same boat as them, just annoyed at the end of the day that it seems like apps are festering fields of bots, scams, and people too wary to be sure that anyone is actually there to date beyond hookups. So let me finally break down what Project://JUNO is.

Breakdown

Honestly, the fact that I’ve gotten this far in the devlog series for this project without explaining what it is is both impressive and just head-shakingly worrisome for my marketability skills. As pointed out that Project://JUNO is an application that focuses on the dating field, which hopefully is not too surprising.

What makes JUNO different is that rather than the blind leading the blind, it focuses on a communal outreach. Focusing on helping friends meet other people and reach out to one another. It’s about teamwork, community, and trust between all parties.

How it would work would be the following:

• A person looking for a partner, the Seeker, would sign up
•  To ensure that it is not a bot, scam, or anything malicious, the person would need to go through 3 security checks
•  Phone verification
•  Email verification
• Physical verification via ID and verification video
•  NOTE: Any data taken this way will be wiped after security is cleared
• NOTE: If flags are raised via any Law Enforcement information, it will be alerted to both the user and the Devs to ensure safety for all users, and will have a delay on profile creation by 3 days in the event that it is a case of mistaken identity.
• Once they pass the security checks, they will be instructed to make a Username and a Password
• After they create their Username and Password, they will need to fill out their: Age, Gender, Sexuality, Location, Dating Preference, and Biography; they will receive a Matchmaker Referral Code (MRC)
•  The Seeker will then send the MRC to the person they would like as their Matchmaker
• The Matchmaker will choose the sign-up option for Matchmaker and use the MRC
• They, too, will have to go through the security checks to ensure it is not the same person attempting to game the system
•  Once the Matchmaker passes the checks, they will be instructed to make a Username and Password
•  Now that the two are set up, the Matchmaker will review and look at the Profiles of other Seekers and attempt to find matches for their Seeker
• The Seeker will be blind to other Seeker Profiles and will only be notified if the Matchmaker
• A match will be made if the Matchmaker of the Seeker and the other Matchmaker of the other Seeker both choose to inquire (swipe right mechanic)
• The swipe naming convention will be slightly different than contemporary dating apps
•  Swipe Right – Normally called liking, here it will be called “Inquiring”
• Swipe Left – Will keep the nomenclature of “Passing”
• Once two Matchmakers match their Seekers, the Matchmakers will message each other and see if the two would be a good fit
• If the Matchmakers don’t agree, they can “Pass” on this match
• If the Matchmakers agree, they will show the Seekers the other’s profile and suggest a Blind Date
• The Seeker may say yes or no to this proposition
• If one Seeker says no, they “Pass” on this match
• Either Matchmaker may inquire about the No before the “Pass” is initiated to see if it can be changed
• If both Seekers say yes, the Matchmakers will set the date and time
• This will be added to a shared Calendar in the app
• On the day of the date, the Seekers will have the following actions:
•  Alert the Matchmaker that they are at the location at the start of the date
•  If one or both of the Seekers are running late, they can inform the other party
• If one or both of the Seekers feel like they no longer want to do this, they can opt out and leave
• Mid Date Check In
•  Allows the Seeker a “Get out of Jail Free” card in case the date is not going well
• Location Movement
• If the Seekers move from the location, it will alert the Matchmakers
• Post Date Check In
• Alerts the Matchmakers that the Seekers have returned home safely
• Also alerts the Matchmaker if the other Seeker is still nearby
• Gives Seekers assurance that someone knows where they are at all times
• Post Date Review
• The Day after the Date, the Seekers will have a review text set up with their Matchmaker to let them know if they would like a second date or not
• Based on that information, the Matchmakers will confer and then go back to the Seekers with the info
• If the date was good/decent, the Seekers will be given the green light and have messaging capability enabled between them
• If the date was bad/not worth it, the Seekers will be wiped from the Matchmakers' search view
• This will continue until a Seeker finds a Match
• Future Plans:
• Work alongside businesses to give discounts, announcements, and deals to Seekers going on dates
•  Work alongside businesses to give those same things to Matchmakers as gifts for helping their friend out 
• After a match is made, give the same gifts to the now matched Seekers as a way to keep them members of the app

As you can see, the app is focused on giving people time, freedom, security, and community. It is a large mountain to move, but given the dating landscape, I believe that this is needed more than ever.

UI Mockup & Flowchart

This is no far-fetched dream of mine either. I’m currently working out the basis of the logic for the code, as well as designing the UI for an alpha version of this app as I write this out. On top of various other projects that I would love to see the light of day.

Here is the flowchart detailing the Sign Up/Log In Logic (which you can also see on my previous devlog)

This is the UI for the Homepage, the Seeker Profile Page, the Potential Match Page, and the Matchmaker view:

Closing

I will admit this is nowhere near done, nor has it started. I came up with this idea back in November of 2024, and we’re already past the halfway point of 2025. It’s insane that I thought I could get even a fraction of the way done by today, especially being the n00b I am at tech and coding that I am. However, even though I am very much that guy who decided to do something with no experience, I’m still trying.

There’s a good chance that this goes nowhere. That this is just an idea that will hit the bin in a few more months, maybe in a year. But I can’t ignore that little voice saying, “This needs to happen.” Cause I really do feel like people are asking for something like this. Maybe there are things in here that I’m missing, maybe there are aspects that I’m just not comprehending really well. Whatever they may be, I’m going to do my best and get them, fix them, implement them, and see this done.

After all, I can’t just sit around and do nothing. Sometimes you need to try. With that said, I think I’ll wrap up this log. See you at the next one.