Dari: Empowering Abu Dhabi's Property Landscape Through a Unified Digital Ecosystem
Dari: Empowering Abu Dhabi's Property Landscape Through a Unified Digital Ecosystem
Company
ADRES
Company
ADRES
Industry
Proptech
Industry
Proptech
My Role
Lead Designer
My Role
Lead Designer
Team
Designers, Business Team, Stakeholders from Abu Dhabi Municipality, Legal and Accessibility Experts
Team
Designers, Business Team, Stakeholders from Abu Dhabi Municipality, Legal and Accessibility Experts
Project Duration
June 2023 - December 2024
Project Duration
June 2023 - December 2024
The Challenge
The Challenge
Abu Dhabi's property sector, while dynamic, faced challenges with fragmented information access and disparate service delivery. Citizens, residents, and businesses encountered complexities in navigating various property-related processes, from searching for properties and managing leases to accessing municipal services. The Abu Dhabi Municipality recognized the need for a unified digital platform to streamline these processes, enhance transparency, and foster a more efficient and user-friendly ecosystem
Abu Dhabi's property sector, while dynamic, faced challenges with fragmented information access and disparate service delivery. Citizens, residents, and businesses encountered complexities in navigating various property-related processes, from searching for properties and managing leases to accessing municipal services. The Abu Dhabi Municipality recognized the need for a unified digital platform to streamline these processes, enhance transparency, and foster a more efficient and user-friendly ecosystem
The Vision
The Vision
Our vision was to create 'Dari' – a comprehensive digital ecosystem that would serve as the central hub for all property-related matters in Abu Dhabi. This involved designing intuitive and accessible experiences for both the public (B2C) and Abu Dhabi Municipality employees (B2B), encompassing a vast array of services and ensuring seamless integration across desktop and mobile platforms.
Our vision was to create 'Dari' – a comprehensive digital ecosystem that would serve as the central hub for all property-related matters in Abu Dhabi. This involved designing intuitive and accessible experiences for both the public (B2C) and Abu Dhabi Municipality employees (B2B), encompassing a vast array of services and ensuring seamless integration across desktop and mobile platforms.
+213%
Customer Lifetime Value
+213%
Customer Lifetime Value
+35%
Increased Employee Productivity
+35%
Increased Employee Productivity
+5%
Increased Employee Productivity
+5%
Increased Employee Productivity
1. My Strategic Approach: User-Centered Design at Scale
1. My Strategic Approach: User-Centered Design at Scale
Given the project's scale and complexity, a robust user-centered design approach was paramount.
Given the project's scale and complexity, a robust user-centered design approach was paramount.
Deep User Understanding
We initiated the project with extensive user research, including stakeholder interviews with Abu Dhabi Municipality officials, contextual inquiries with potential B2C users, and surveys to understand their needs, pain points, and expectations across the entire property lifecycle. This foundational research informed our understanding of diverse user segments, from first-time homebuyers to seasoned property investors and municipal employees handling citizen requests.
We initiated the project with extensive user research, including stakeholder interviews with Abu Dhabi Municipality officials, contextual inquiries with potential B2C users, and surveys to understand their needs, pain points, and expectations across the entire property lifecycle. This foundational research informed our understanding of diverse user segments, from first-time homebuyers to seasoned property investors and municipal employees handling citizen requests.
Information Architecture and Navigation Strategy
Tackling the complexity of 132 services required a meticulous approach to information architecture. I led the effort in organizing the vast amount of content and functionalities into logical categories, designing intuitive navigation systems for both the B2C and B2B applications. This involved card sorting exercises, tree testing, and the creation of detailed sitemaps to ensure users could easily find the information and services they needed
Tackling the complexity of 132 services required a meticulous approach to information architecture. I led the effort in organizing the vast amount of content and functionalities into logical categories, designing intuitive navigation systems for both the B2C and B2B applications. This involved card sorting exercises, tree testing, and the creation of detailed sitemaps to ensure users could easily find the information and services they needed
Establishing a Unified Design Language System
To ensure a consistent and cohesive experience across 132 services and multiple platforms (desktop and mobile), I championed the creation of a comprehensive design language system. This included defining clear guidelines for typography, color palettes, iconography, component libraries, and interaction patterns. This system served as the bedrock for scalability and maintainability throughout the project lifecycle.
To ensure a consistent and cohesive experience across 132 services and multiple platforms (desktop and mobile), I championed the creation of a comprehensive design language system. This included defining clear guidelines for typography, color palettes, iconography, component libraries, and interaction patterns. This system served as the bedrock for scalability and maintainability throughout the project lifecycle.
Iterative Prototyping and Testing
We adopted an agile methodology with iterative design and development cycles. I led the UX team in creating prototypes of varying fidelity, from low-fidelity wireframes to interactive high-fidelity mockups. Rigorous usability testing was conducted with target users at each stage to validate design decisions, identify usability issues early on, and ensure the solutions effectively addressed user needs. This iterative approach allowed us to adapt and refine the design based on real user feedback
We adopted an agile methodology with iterative design and development cycles. I led the UX team in creating prototypes of varying fidelity, from low-fidelity wireframes to interactive high-fidelity mockups. Rigorous usability testing was conducted with target users at each stage to validate design decisions, identify usability issues early on, and ensure the solutions effectively addressed user needs. This iterative approach allowed us to adapt and refine the design based on real user feedback
2 - Coordination and Collaboration: Bridging Disciplines
2 - Coordination and Collaboration: Bridging Disciplines
The successful development of Dari relied heavily on seamless collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. My role involved:
The successful development of Dari relied heavily on seamless collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. My role involved:
Facilitating Cross-Functional Communication
Aligning Design with Business and Technical Requirements
Championing Accessibility and Inclusivity
Facilitating Cross-Functional Communication
Aligning Design with Business and Technical Requirements
Championing Accessibility and Inclusivity
Key UX Solutions and Impact: Delivering a Transformative Experience
Key UX Solutions and Impact: Delivering a Transformative Experience
Through our user-centered approach, we delivered key UX solutions that contributed significantly to the success of Dari:"
Through our user-centered approach, we delivered key UX solutions that contributed significantly to the success of Dari:"
Intuitive B2C Platform:
The B2C platform features a clean and modern interface with personalized dashboards, intelligent search functionalities, interactive maps for property discovery, and streamlined workflows for services like property registration, lease management, and applying for permits. We focused on creating a seamless and efficient experience, empowering users to easily manage their property-related needs.
The B2C platform features a clean and modern interface with personalized dashboards, intelligent search functionalities, interactive maps for property discovery, and streamlined workflows for services like property registration, lease management, and applying for permits. We focused on creating a seamless and efficient experience, empowering users to easily manage their property-related needs.
Efficient B2B Back-Office Application:
The back-office application for Abu Dhabi Municipality employees was designed to optimize their workflows for managing walk-in customer requests and processing services. Key features include a centralized dashboard for managing cases, efficient search and filtering capabilities, digital forms with built-in validation, and clear process flows to ensure efficient service delivery
The back-office application for Abu Dhabi Municipality employees was designed to optimize their workflows for managing walk-in customer requests and processing services. Key features include a centralized dashboard for managing cases, efficient search and filtering capabilities, digital forms with built-in validation, and clear process flows to ensure efficient service delivery
Seamless Mobile Experience
Recognizing the importance of mobile accessibility, we ensured a fully responsive design for the B2C platform and a dedicated mobile-first approach for key back-office functionalities. This allowed users and municipality employees to access essential services and information anytime, anywhere.
Recognizing the importance of mobile accessibility, we ensured a fully responsive design for the B2C platform and a dedicated mobile-first approach for key back-office functionalities. This allowed users and municipality employees to access essential services and information anytime, anywhere.
6- Continuous Monitoring and Optimization
6- Continuous Monitoring and Optimization
Post-launch, we established a robust system for continuously monitoring user behavior and platform performance. By leveraging tools like Google Analytics and Hotjar, we actively tracked key metrics, identified user pain points, and gained valuable insights into how users interacted with the 132 services. This data-driven approach allowed us to make informed decisions for ongoing optimization, ensuring that Dari remained aligned with user needs and continued to evolve effectively.
Post-launch, we established a robust system for continuously monitoring user behavior and platform performance. By leveraging tools like Google Analytics and Hotjar, we actively tracked key metrics, identified user pain points, and gained valuable insights into how users interacted with the 132 services. This data-driven approach allowed us to make informed decisions for ongoing optimization, ensuring that Dari remained aligned with user needs and continued to evolve effectively.
7 - Lessons Learned and Future Considerations
7 - Lessons Learned and Future Considerations
"Working on a project of this magnitude provided invaluable learning experiences. Key takeaways include the critical importance of a well-defined design system for scalability, the power of continuous user feedback in shaping a complex product, and the necessity of strong cross-functional collaboration. Future considerations for Dari could include [mention potential future enhancements or iterations based on user feedback or evolving needs]."
"Working on a project of this magnitude provided invaluable learning experiences. Key takeaways include the critical importance of a well-defined design system for scalability, the power of continuous user feedback in shaping a complex product, and the necessity of strong cross-functional collaboration. Future considerations for Dari could include [mention potential future enhancements or iterations based on user feedback or evolving needs]."
"I am incredibly proud of my contributions to Dari and ADGM and the positive impact it has on Abu Dhabi's property ecosystem. I am eager to discuss this project further and share more insights into the design process. Please feel free to reach out!"
"I am incredibly proud of my contributions to Dari and ADGM and the positive impact it has on Abu Dhabi's property ecosystem. I am eager to discuss this project further and share more insights into the design process. Please feel free to reach out!"