Building an Integrated Property Transaction Platform

Project Snippet

As a UX Design Lead on this project, I successfully launched and shipped Abu Dhabi's first integrated real estate transaction platform, working closely with engineers and key stakeholders to ensure seamless integration.

But our goal wasn't just about making processes smoother for buyers and sellers; we wanted to change the way government employees work, making their lives easier and more efficient along the way.

My Role

Established the design system for 2 products
Built the experience and design for both the user-facing interface and the back-end system for government employees
Created illustrations

Screenshots from the mobile application “Dari”

The Product & Challenges

We needed to create an integrated platform that simplifies real estate transactions, allowing buyers and sellers to manage documentation and communication through a user-friendly app. The product includes a backend system for reviewing paperwork from government offices, connecting users with attorneys and other professionals, and enhancing efficiency and transparency in the process.

Due to its complex and outdated structure, required a lot of simplification to offer users clear guidance for both frontend and backend users. This involved refining terminologies, structuring information into a user-friendly hierarchy, and designing intuitive navigation paths.

Apart from that, given that the product serves a governmental context where employees are used to established workflows (years old!), it was important for the product to be equally intuitive for both new hires and employees with over a decade of experience. We were aware that the learning curve would be a factor and remained focused on aligning the product with their targets.

Left: Screenshot from the mobile application “Dari”
Right: Screenshot from the desktop government platform for reviewing applications “Amlaki”

Key Point in our Process

01
Understanding governmental employees & gaining their trust through engagement & empowerment

As a UX Design Lead, my focus was on understanding user needs, demonstrating the value of our work, and securing stakeholder buy-in. This was particularly important when collaborating with government offices, where employees were deeply rooted in traditional workflows and often resistant to change.

To address these challenges, we emphasized contextual research and usability testing as core pillars of our process.

We didn’t just observe—we immersed ourselves in their environment. Continuous engagement allowed us to gain their trust and make stakeholders more open to adopting new solutions. By empowering them to actively shape the project through meaningful collaboration, we ensured their voices were heard and their contributions were reflected in the final outcomes.

How did we achieve this?

Conducting contextual research to deeply understand workflows.
Running usability tests to validate solutions.
Strongly advocating for UX values to ensure user-centered outcomes.

Screenshot from Dari’s design system on Figma

02
Building a design system tailored for a startup with tight deadlines

I created a design system to streamline collaboration between designers and engineers, ensuring a solid foundation to reduce back-and-forth and speed up development. By using native components where needed, we avoided "reinventing the wheel," making it easier to estimate timelines and maintain consistency across platforms.

How did we achieve this?

Established 2 design systems in Figma to ensure quick onboarding for designers and maintain consistency across the design team.
Integrated the Lokalise plugin in Figma to streamline copy management for both English and Arabic.
Aligned designers & engineers on native component usage, optimizing platform performance and ensuring seamless collaboration across teams.

Screenshot from Excel (I wish we had Airtable then!)

03
Tracking design issues & prioritize improvements for long-term usability

Our focus was not only on delivering user experience but also on ensuring the product’s long-term usability. This was particularly important in fast-paced environments where unresolved design issues could accumulate over time.

This approach kept the team focused on improvements and helped us avoid the usual "quick fixes" that might hurt UX quality over time. By keeping track of design debt, we were able to make smarter decisions for future updates.

How did we achieve this?

Creating a UX design debt sheet to track unresolved issues and ensure nothing was overlooked.
Prioritizing improvements based on their impact on the user experience and platform performance.

The Result

A website and mobile application for property transactions paperwork: Dari
A redesigned backend government product for enhanced functionality and efficiency: Amlaki