PRODUCT DESIGN · GOVTECH · SERVICE DESIGN
Helping pilgrims book Rawdah with calm and confidence
From what if this fails to this definitely worked in under 3 minutes
78% → 96%
Booking completion
31 → 4 min
Time to finish
63% Fewer
Support Tickets
Trust comes first so clear steps and instant proof at every move
Role : Led research to launch
Ministry of Hajj & Umrah
10 months (Hybrid)
The trust problem
Rawdah Al Sharifa is a blessed area inside the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. It sits between the Prophet's tomb and his pulpit. Muslims believe praying here is like stepping into one of the gardens of Paradise itself
| Rawdah is not the entire mosque, it's a small restricted area requiring separate booking with different time slots for men and women throughout the day
The Broken Experience
Service Design Field Research
Through 40+ on site interviews in Madinah, Mecca, and Riyadh, plus monitoring Facebook groups where thousands of families shared their frustrations, the pattern became unmistakable
The booking system had six major problems:
Eligibility was hidden until step 8 so people spent 10+ minutes only to learn they couldn't book
Around 8,600 daily slots went unused because 18% of confirmed bookings never showed up
People started selling free government slots for $200 to $500 on Facebook groups
Timing labels like morning meant different things to pilgrims from different countries causing missed visits
Slots opened every Friday and filled in under 60 seconds with thousands competing
Missing your booking meant waiting a full year to try again
Her flight home was in two days yet the app showed no available slots, she was terrified of missing her once in a lifetime chance just like her friend who had been confused by the timing labels and missed her slot
Fatima, 65 year old pilgrim I interviewed in Madinah
Why This Mattered
For the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah this wasn't just bad UX, It threatened Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 digital transformation goals, Black market enforcement drained security resources, The platform crashed during Friday slot releases. Every failed booking became a diplomatic issue with countries whose citizens couldn't book
Previous approach
Eligibility completely hidden until step 8
Empty slots from no shows just stayed wasted
Black market emerged selling free government slots
Morning and evening labels confused international visitors
Dark mode was unreadable outdoors in bright sun
Security warnings nobody saw or read
Our solution
Eligibility badge visible immediately under each name
Real time slot recovery system for no shows
Transparent booking system preventing black market
Prayer names like Fajr, Dhuhr, Maghrib with clear timing
Automatic light mode for outdoor readability
Progressive reminders woven into booking flow
Our solution
Eligibility badge visible immediately under each name
Real time slot recovery system for no shows
Transparent booking system preventing black market
Prayer names like Fajr, Dhuhr, Maghrib with clear timing
Automatic light mode for outdoor readability
Progressive reminders woven into booking flow
Our solution
Eligibility badge visible immediately under each name
Real time slot recovery system for no shows
Transparent booking system preventing black market
Prayer names like Fajr, Dhuhr, Maghrib with clear timing
Automatic light mode for outdoor readability
Progressive reminders woven into booking flow
What breaks confidence
The redesign focused on three core areas that directly addressed the problems families faced during their once in a lifetime visit
Show Eligibility Immediately
Male and Female tabs with instant status badges, Green for Available for Booking, Gray for Has an Active Booking, Red for Not Allowed with exact days until eligible
Impact: 87% fewer eligibility errors, 27 minutes saved per attempt, users know immediately before investing time and hope
Why This Worked : The problem wasn't the 8 step process, it was investing hope only to discover ineligibility at the end. One pilgrim said she kept trying for her mother and each time at step 8 it said not eligible. Testing with 35 families showed 94% immediately understood their status versus 23% in the old flow
Instant Track with Geolocation
When you're physically near the Prophet's Mosque the app shows You're near the area you can book now. Slots refresh every 20 minutes from cancellations and no shows
Impact: Recovered 8,600 daily wasted slots, 12% more successful bookings, eliminated black market, gave families hope when they thought all was lost
Why This Worked : When you're physically near the Prophet's Mosque the app shows You're near the area, you can book now. Slots refresh every 20 minutes from cancellations and no shows
Prayer Contextual Timing
Instead of 06:40 PM or Evening Visit we show Before the Isha prayer, Visit Time Covers Isha Prayer with icon, Night Visit, Morning Visit. Each slot shows exact time plus prayer relationship
Impact:94% comprehension versus 31%, 68% fewer timing support tickets, eliminated timezone confusion, created spiritual connection
Why This Worked : Instead of 06:40 PM or Evening Visit we show Before the Isha prayer, Visit Time Covers Isha Prayer with icon, Night Visit, Morning Visit. Each slot shows exact time plus prayer relationship
Group Booking & Adding Family
Add family members using Nusuk ID or QR code then book everyone at once instead of forcing each person to book separately
Impact:40% fewer support tickets about booking coordination. Families can book 5+ people in minutes instead of hours
Why This Worked : The old system assumed everyone traveled alone. But families always travel together. They had to log in and out of different phones and apps to book everyone. One mother told us she spent two hours coordinating bookings for her family of 6. Now she does it in one session
Outcomes that matter
What we're exploring next
Offline mode so bookings work without internet near the mosque
Face recognition for instant check in without showing phones or IDs
Live crowd indicators showing real time capacity at each prayer time
AI predictions for best times to visit based on historical patterns
