Visit Saudi. Website and mobile app redesign

About Visit Saudi

Visit Saudi is a platform that promotes Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination. The platform aims to provide tourists with an immersive and enjoyable experience while visiting the country. The new website and app aim to revamp the existing platform to enhance the user experience and increase user engagement.

Project Overview:

The platform offers a variety of features such as booking accommodations, planning tours, exploring attractions, and more. With the growing interest in tourism in Saudi Arabia, the platform aims to provide users with a seamless and engaging experience. To achieve this goal, the platform has decided to redesign its web and mobile applications.

Project Objectives:

The main objective of this project is to redesign Visit Saudi's web and mobile applications to improve user experience and engagement. The platform aims to achieve this goal by:

Reducing the complexity of the user interface
Enhancing the website and mobile application's usability
Developing a responsive design that adjusts to different devices and screen sizes
Improving the performance and speed of the website and mobile application
Integrating more interactive features to enhance user engagement
Making the platform more accessible to users with disabilities

Key Deliverables:

The key deliverables of this project include:

A redesigned web application that offers a seamless and engaging user experience
A redesigned mobile application that offers a seamless and engaging user experience
A responsive design that adjusts to different devices and screen sizes
Improved website and mobile application performance and speed
More interactive features that enhance user engagement
A platform that is accessible to users with disabilities

My Role:

As a UX/UI Designer, my role in this project was crucial in ensuring that the redesigned web and mobile applications offered an engaging user experience. I was responsible for creating wireframes, mockups, design systems and prototypes of the new design, as well as conducting user research and testing to identify user needs and pain points. I worked closely with the development team and product owners to ensure that the design was implemented as intended and met the necessary requirements. Throughout the project, I provided design solutions that aligned with the platform's objectives and created an intuitive user experience. My ultimate goal was to deliver a redesign that improved the platform's usability, accessibility, and engagement.

Benchmark And Research:

To better understand our users' needs and pain points, we conducted a variety of research methods, including:

User testing: We conducted usability testing with a small group of users to observe their interactions with our current product and identify areas for improvement. We used a combination of in-person and remote testing to reach a broader audience.
Survey: We also conducted a survey to gather quantitative data on our users' preferences and behavior patterns. The survey was sent to our entire user base and received a 20% response rate.
Competitive market research: We conducted a competitive analysis to understand how our product compares to similar offerings in the market. We analyzed the features, pricing, and user experience of our competitors to identify areas where we can improve our product.
User tracking with Hotjar: We used Hotjar to track user behavior on our website, including heatmaps of where users click and scroll, recordings of user sessions, and feedback polls. This helped us identify common pain points and areas where users were getting stuck.

Some key insights we gained from our user research include:

Users find our current onboarding process confusing and overwhelming. They are unsure of what steps to take next and what features are available.
Users struggle to find the information they need within our product. They often resort to using external sources, such as Google or support forums, to find answers to their questions.
Users would like more customization options and control over their account settings. They also expressed interest in more personalized recommendations and content.

Overall, our user research highlighted several areas for improvement within our product. We used these insights to inform our design process and create a solution that better meets our users' needs.

Building Sitemap:

My primary responsibility in redesigning the web and app for Visit Saudi platform was to create a sitemap that provided a clear and intuitive navigational structure for the user.

I began by identifying the user's main objectives when visiting the site/app, such as finding information about Saudi Arabia's tourist destinations or booking travel accommodations. This helped me ensure that the sitemap reflected the user's journey and guided them to achieve their objectives.

Next, I organized the site/app content based on user needs and the most critical information that should be highlighted to the user. This helped me establish a clear and intuitive hierarchy for the site/app, reflecting how the various pages or screens related to each other, and what the user was most likely to be interested in.

I also ensured that the site/app navigation was easy to understand and follow. Navigation was consistent and intuitive across all pages/screens to avoid confusion for the user.

Throughout the process, I collaborated with the development team, content writers, and other stakeholders to ensure that the sitemap met the needs of the target audience and created a seamless user experience.

Finally, I conducted iterative testing with users to get feedback on the sitemap's usability and effectiveness in achieving their goals. Based on the feedback, I made changes as needed to improve the user experience.

Designing Wirframes:

The wireframes for the Visit Saudi platform were designed by creating low-fidelity options to explore design choices and test them with users. After finalizing the high-fidelity designs, the team worked closely with developers and content writers to ensure that the designs aligned with technical constraints and content strategy. Multiple rounds of user testing were conducted, and necessary changes were made to improve the user experience.

High Fidelity Design And Prototype:

Building Design Systems

Building the design system from scratch for the Visit Saudi platform was one of my primary responsibilities. I researched and analyzed the brand's visual identity and guidelines to create a design system that reflected the brand's ethos and personality.

I worked closely with the development team to ensure that the design system was technically feasible and scalable. The design system was based on a modular approach, with reusable design components that could be easily combined and customized as needed.

Using tools like Sketch and Figma, I created a library of design assets, including typography, color palette, iconography, and UI components. I ensured that the design assets were consistent across all touchpoints, including the web and app interfaces.

I also created detailed documentation for the design system, including guidelines for usage, design principles, and accessibility standards. The documentation was shared with the development team, content writers, and other stakeholders to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.

Throughout the process, I conducted regular reviews and audits of the design system to ensure that it remained up to date and met the evolving needs of the platform. I also collaborated with the team to address any technical or design-related issues that arose.

In conclusion, building the design system from scratch for the Visit Saudi platform was a challenging but rewarding task that required a deep understanding of the brand's visual identity and technical requirements. By creating a modular and scalable design system, the design assets were consistent and helped improve the user experience across all touchpoints.

The design system also provided a framework for future iterations and updates, helping the platform stay up to date and relevant to its users.

Post-deployment Phase And Conclusion

In conclusion, as part of the redesign process for the Visit Saudi platform, my role extended to the post-deployment phase and ongoing maintenance. By leveraging user feedback and engagement metrics, including insights gathered through Hotjar, I continuously identified areas for improvement and implemented iterative enhancements.

Through data-driven analysis and user-centric design decisions, I focused on improving the platform's conversion rate and overall web and app ratings. By addressing usability issues, refining the user interface, and optimizing navigation flows, I aimed to create a seamless and enjoyable user experience. This led to an increase in user satisfaction, resulting in improved ratings and positive feedback.

Additionally, by continuously evaluating and updating the design system, I ensured consistency and maintained a cohesive visual identity across the platform. This, coupled with responsive and intuitive design choices, helped attract more visitors to the Visit Saudi platform.

Furthermore, by closely collaborating with the development team, content writers, and other stakeholders, I ensured that any updates and changes to the platform were aligned with user expectations and goals. This collaborative effort played a key role in driving increased traffic and engagement.

In summary, my contributions in the post-deployment phase resulted in improved conversion rates, enhanced overall web and app ratings, and attracted more visitors to the Visit Saudi platform. By utilizing user feedback, leveraging Hotjar insights, and focusing on a user-centric approach, I continuously optimized the platform to deliver a compelling and seamless experience for visitors.