Zugot™People are an experience, not a checklist
Zugot Project
Virtual dates that reveal chemistry — before you ever meet
Zugot Project is a dating project built on academic research. Instead of filtering partners by profile fields — age, height, where they live — pairs here go on a virtual date in an art gallery: wandering together, talking in real time, and finding out whether there's chemistry long before meeting face to face.
How Zugot Project works
- 1
Sign up and fill a short card
A short registration, then a personal card: your level of observance and the range you're open to, age, city, and a few free-text answers that say who you are — not just what's on file about you.
- 2
Get matches on what actually matters
Matching filters only on real constraints and ranks by closeness in outlook and way of life. Nothing is ranked by photo, and there is no endless scroll.
- 3
Go on a virtual date in the gallery
Both of you enter a shared art gallery as colored circles, wander it together, and hear each other only when you're close — just like a real space. The art on the walls is what you talk about.
- 4
You meet only if you both want to
After the date each side rates the experience separately and says whether they want to continue. Photos and contact details are revealed only when both said yes.
Why a virtual date beats a profile
Zugot Project is based on the study People Are Experience Goods: Improving Online Dating with Virtual Dates (Frost, Chance, Norton & Ariely, Journal of Interactive Marketing, 2008). Its central claim is simple: people are experience goods, not search goods.
You can shop for a camera by spec, because the spec really does describe it. People don't work that way. What decides whether there's something between us — humor, pace, how easy it feels to be around them — fits in no form field, and filtering by fields screens out exactly that. In the study, pairs who went on a virtual date first liked each other more when they met in person. That's what Zugot Project puts into practice.
Articles from the research
What do you need to match on? The formula that changed the calculation
Most matching systems compare positions: you're both a 4 on observance, so you match. The Lutz et al. formula adds a second question — how much do you care about matching on this at all — and that changes the answer entirely.
Similar or complementary? One question, two opposite answers
The old argument about whether partners should be alike or opposites rests on a badly framed question. The right answer depends entirely on the dimension: on values and lifestyle, similarity wins; on innate traits, complementary balance does.
Not every shared hobby is worth the same
"We have hobbies in common" sounds like a good sign, but the research shows it depends entirely on which kind. Activity that requires interaction predicts couple cohesion; watching the same series together predicts almost nothing.
Who it's for
Zugot Project serves the religious community across the full spectrum — from secular to haredi — and anyone looking for something serious rather than another swiping app. Observance level and the range you're open to are part of the card, so matches start from the right place.
Frequently asked questions about Zugot Project
What is Zugot Project?
Zugot Project is a dating site where, instead of browsing profiles, you go on a virtual date in an art gallery. It is built on academic research showing that pairs who shared an experience before their first meeting liked each other more once they met.
What is a virtual date?
A shared room in your browser where you are both colored circles wandering an art gallery together. You can talk by text and by voice, and you hear each other only when you're close — just like a real space. The art on the walls gives you something to talk about.
How long does a virtual date last?
About twenty minutes. At the end each side rates the experience separately and says whether they'd like to continue.
Who can see my photos?
Nobody — until you've been on a date and both sides expressed interest. Even then, every copy of the photo is watermarked uniquely per viewer so unauthorized sharing can be traced. The date room itself has no photos at all, which is a deliberate choice that comes from the research.
Do I need to install an app?
No. Zugot Project runs directly in your browser on phone and desktop — including the virtual date itself.
Is the site in Hebrew?
Yes. Zugot Project is fully in Hebrew with right-to-left support, and you can switch to English at any time from the top menu.
How is my privacy protected?
Your contact details are never visible to other users and are revealed only on a mutual match after a date. You can also delete your account at any point and remove every identifying detail. The full details are in the privacy policy.
Ready to try?
Registration is short, and the first date starts in the gallery — not in a list of profiles.