Rawdah Booking permit
The 31 Minute Crisis
The Nusuk app was the main gateway to Al Rawdah yet it was a barrier to the spiritual journey Analytics revealed a 78% booking failure rate and on-site research showed the human cost elderly visitors spent 31 minutes in a state of anxiety before quitting My challenge was to rebuild this entire journey to be intuitive equitable and respectful
Elderly
Elderly
Primary Users
78%
78%
Failure Rate
31 Mins
31 Mins
Average Attempt
RESULTS
The results, 30 days post-launch, were transformative:
Booking Success Rate: Jumped from 22% to 86% (+291%)
Average Completion Time: Dropped from 31 minutes to 7 minutes
Elder User Success (60+): Skyrocketed from 11% to 73% (+564%)
Role & Approach
End to end design responsibility user research in Madinah stakeholder management UI delivery
Design Principles
Before touching a single pixel, my team and I aligned on three core principles to guide every decision:
Family-First Architecture : The technology must adapt to the users' reality that these journeys are shared, The default experience should be for groups, not individuals
Visual Reassurance : In a context of high emotional stakes, every screen must proactively communicate safety, progress, and clarity to reduce user anxiety
Family-First Architecture : The app's logic and language must respect the user's spiritual mental model. The technology should feel like a trusted guide, not a generic booking tool
Discovery: Uncovering the Core Anxiety
The data showed a problem, but the real story came from Fatima, a 65-year-old pilgrim I met in Madinah, Her flight home was in two days, yet the app's next available booking was a week away, She was terrified of losing her chance, just like her friend who had missed a slot due to confusing timings,
"I saved for 20 years to be here, Why is this app punishing me?"
Her question became our mission٫
Beyond the Screen, On-the-Ground Context
The analytics gave me the 'what', but I had to go on-site to understand the 'why', I spent three days documenting the physical journey, from the crowded waiting areas inside the Rawdah to the confusing support kiosks and signage pilgrims relied on outside
After several iterations and getting feedback through user testing, I was able to deliver a streamlined approach to booking that was built on our design principles.
Beyond the Screen, On-the-Ground Context
Innovation : The Family-First Interface
The Design: I designed a visual "visitor list" with portrait cards and real-time status badges: Green for "Available," Gray for "Booked," and a clear Red for restricted users ("Must Wait 164 Days").
The 'Why': This solved the primary pain point from our data (62% group booking failures). It mirrors the physical gesture of a family lead pointing at relatives, making it instantly intuitive.
Innovation : The Prayer-Centric Time Selection
The Design: We replaced the complex calendar with large, tactile cards for "Morning Visit" and "Night Visit." To make the process less intimidating for users with declining vision, I ensured key time information was set in a large, 72px font.
The 'Why': Research showed users plan around prayer times, not a clock. This design aligns with their mental model and directly addresses the accessibility needs of the 82% of our 50+ demographic affected by presbyopia.
Innovation: The Reassuring Confirmation
The Design: The final screen headline reads "A Blessed Visit Awaits You," not a cold "Booking Confirmed." For extra precaution, it includes a full summary: name, slot, QR code, and gate number.
The 'Why': This provides emotional closure and aligns with the user's needs. Adding the gate number, a pivot from usability testing, eliminated the primary cause of day-of confusion.
Takeaways
Working on this project taught me that the best practices are always context-dependent. By regularly meeting with our cultural consultant, engineers, and PM, I was able to balance the design to account for multiple cross-functional needs. For vulnerable users in high-stakes journeys, clarity and reassurance are far more valuable than minimizing clicks.
The most important principle I learned is to design for the most vulnerable user. If you solve for Fatima, you solve for everyone. This redesign didn't just fix an app; it removed technical anxiety, allowing more than 50,000 pilgrims each month to focus on their spiritual rituals, not their phones.
Role & Approach
End to end design responsibility user research in Madinah stakeholder management UI delivery
Design Principles
Before touching a single pixel, my team and I aligned on three core principles to guide every decision:
Family-First Architecture : The technology must adapt to the users' reality that these journeys are shared, The default experience should be for groups, not individuals
Visual Reassurance : In a context of high emotional stakes, every screen must proactively communicate safety, progress, and clarity to reduce user anxiety
Family-First Architecture : The app's logic and language must respect the user's spiritual mental model. The technology should feel like a trusted guide, not a generic booking tool
Discovery: Uncovering the Core Anxiety
The data showed a problem, but the real story came from Fatima, a 65-year-old pilgrim I met in Madinah, Her flight home was in two days, yet the app's next available booking was a week away, She was terrified of losing her chance, just like her friend who had missed a slot due to confusing timings,
"I saved for 20 years to be here, Why is this app punishing me?"
Her question became our mission٫
Beyond the Screen, On-the-Ground Context
The analytics gave me the 'what', but I had to go on-site to understand the 'why', I spent three days documenting the physical journey, from the crowded waiting areas inside the Rawdah to the confusing support kiosks and signage pilgrims relied on outside
After several iterations and getting feedback through user testing, I was able to deliver a streamlined approach to booking that was built on our design principles.
Beyond the Screen, On-the-Ground Context
Innovation : The Family-First Interface
The Design: I designed a visual "visitor list" with portrait cards and real-time status badges: Green for "Available," Gray for "Booked," and a clear Red for restricted users ("Must Wait 164 Days").
The 'Why': This solved the primary pain point from our data (62% group booking failures). It mirrors the physical gesture of a family lead pointing at relatives, making it instantly intuitive.
Innovation : The Prayer-Centric Time Selection
The Design: We replaced the complex calendar with large, tactile cards for "Morning Visit" and "Night Visit." To make the process less intimidating for users with declining vision, I ensured key time information was set in a large, 72px font.
The 'Why': Research showed users plan around prayer times, not a clock. This design aligns with their mental model and directly addresses the accessibility needs of the 82% of our 50+ demographic affected by presbyopia.
Innovation: The Reassuring Confirmation
The Design: The final screen headline reads "A Blessed Visit Awaits You," not a cold "Booking Confirmed." For extra precaution, it includes a full summary: name, slot, QR code, and gate number.
The 'Why': This provides emotional closure and aligns with the user's needs. Adding the gate number, a pivot from usability testing, eliminated the primary cause of day-of confusion.
Takeaways
Working on this project taught me that the best practices are always context-dependent. By regularly meeting with our cultural consultant, engineers, and PM, I was able to balance the design to account for multiple cross-functional needs. For vulnerable users in high-stakes journeys, clarity and reassurance are far more valuable than minimizing clicks.
The most important principle I learned is to design for the most vulnerable user. If you solve for Fatima, you solve for everyone. This redesign didn't just fix an app; it removed technical anxiety, allowing more than 50,000 pilgrims each month to focus on their spiritual rituals, not their phones.
Role & Approach
End to end design responsibility user research in Madinah stakeholder management UI delivery
Design Principles
Before touching a single pixel, my team and I aligned on three core principles to guide every decision:
Family-First Architecture : The technology must adapt to the users' reality that these journeys are shared, The default experience should be for groups, not individuals
Visual Reassurance : In a context of high emotional stakes, every screen must proactively communicate safety, progress, and clarity to reduce user anxiety
Family-First Architecture : The app's logic and language must respect the user's spiritual mental model. The technology should feel like a trusted guide, not a generic booking tool
Discovery: Uncovering the Core Anxiety
The data showed a problem, but the real story came from Fatima, a 65-year-old pilgrim I met in Madinah, Her flight home was in two days, yet the app's next available booking was a week away, She was terrified of losing her chance, just like her friend who had missed a slot due to confusing timings,
"I saved for 20 years to be here, Why is this app punishing me?"
Her question became our mission٫
Beyond the Screen, On-the-Ground Context
The analytics gave me the 'what', but I had to go on-site to understand the 'why', I spent three days documenting the physical journey, from the crowded waiting areas inside the Rawdah to the confusing support kiosks and signage pilgrims relied on outside
After several iterations and getting feedback through user testing, I was able to deliver a streamlined approach to booking that was built on our design principles.
Beyond the Screen, On-the-Ground Context
Innovation : The Family-First Interface
The Design: I designed a visual "visitor list" with portrait cards and real-time status badges: Green for "Available," Gray for "Booked," and a clear Red for restricted users ("Must Wait 164 Days").
The 'Why': This solved the primary pain point from our data (62% group booking failures). It mirrors the physical gesture of a family lead pointing at relatives, making it instantly intuitive.
Innovation : The Prayer-Centric Time Selection
The Design: We replaced the complex calendar with large, tactile cards for "Morning Visit" and "Night Visit." To make the process less intimidating for users with declining vision, I ensured key time information was set in a large, 72px font.
The 'Why': Research showed users plan around prayer times, not a clock. This design aligns with their mental model and directly addresses the accessibility needs of the 82% of our 50+ demographic affected by presbyopia.
Innovation: The Reassuring Confirmation
The Design: The final screen headline reads "A Blessed Visit Awaits You," not a cold "Booking Confirmed." For extra precaution, it includes a full summary: name, slot, QR code, and gate number.
The 'Why': This provides emotional closure and aligns with the user's needs. Adding the gate number, a pivot from usability testing, eliminated the primary cause of day-of confusion.
Takeaways
Working on this project taught me that the best practices are always context-dependent. By regularly meeting with our cultural consultant, engineers, and PM, I was able to balance the design to account for multiple cross-functional needs. For vulnerable users in high-stakes journeys, clarity and reassurance are far more valuable than minimizing clicks.
The most important principle I learned is to design for the most vulnerable user. If you solve for Fatima, you solve for everyone. This redesign didn't just fix an app; it removed technical anxiety, allowing more than 50,000 pilgrims each month to focus on their spiritual rituals, not their phones.
