Streamlining business set up process in Dubai
Streamlining business set up process in Dubai
Streamlining business set up process in Dubai
The application process of setting up a company in Dubai involves multiple stages. The existing system for the customer was very manual & slow. We built an enterprise ecosystem, seamlessly integrating all processes that were broken, reducing back-and-forth and solving frustrations for multiple personas. After the optimisations, we were able to cut down the time taken for the entire customer journey by 3x, right from applying for a service to receiving the final documents.
The application process of setting up a company in Dubai involves multiple stages. The existing system for the customer was very manual & slow. We built an enterprise ecosystem, seamlessly integrating all processes that were broken, reducing back-and-forth and solving frustrations for multiple personas. After the optimisations, we were able to cut down the time taken for the entire customer journey by 3x, right from applying for a service to receiving the final documents.
The application process of setting up a company in Dubai involves multiple stages. The existing system for the customer was very manual & slow. We built an enterprise ecosystem, seamlessly integrating all processes that were broken, reducing back-and-forth and solving frustrations for multiple personas. After the optimisations, we were able to cut down the time taken for the entire customer journey by 3x, right from applying for a service to receiving the final documents.
Skills
Skills
Skills
User Research, UX Design, Systems Thinking
User Research, UX Design, Systems Thinking
User Research, UX Design, Systems Thinking
My Role
My Role
My Role
UX Designer & Researcher
UX Designer & Researcher
UX Designer & Researcher
Timeline
Timeline
Timeline
8 months
8 months
8 months
Team
Team
Team
Design lead, Project Manager, 3 UX Designers, 2 Visual Designers
Design lead, Project Manager, 3 UX Designers, 2 Visual Designers
Design lead, Project Manager, 3 UX Designers, 2 Visual Designers
Project Goals
Meydan Free Zone, located in the heart of Dubai, stands as a contemporary economic free zone. It’s a hub for over 2,000 different types of businesses. They help companies establish and expand their business, helping them navigate processes and compliance unique to Dubai. They were looking to redesign and automate their complex services.
Project Goals
Meydan Free Zone, located in the heart of Dubai, stands as a contemporary economic free zone. It’s a hub for over 2,000 different types of businesses. They help companies establish and expand their business, helping them navigate processes and compliance unique to Dubai. They were looking to redesign and automate their complex services.
Project Goals
Meydan Free Zone, located in the heart of Dubai, stands as a contemporary economic free zone. It’s a hub for over 2,000 different types of businesses. They help companies establish and expand their business, helping them navigate processes and compliance unique to Dubai. They were looking to redesign and automate their complex services.
Project Goals
Meydan Free Zone, located in the heart of Dubai, stands as a contemporary economic free zone. It’s a hub for over 2,000 different types of businesses. They help companies establish and expand their business, helping them navigate processes and compliance unique to Dubai. They were looking to redesign and automate their complex services.
Problems to solve
Problems to solve
01
Manual & time taking process to launch a service
01
Manual & time taking process to launch a service
01
Manual & time taking process to launch a service
01
Manual & time taking process to launch a service
02
Complex processes & lack of synergy between customers & backend employees
02
Complex processes & lack of synergy between customers & backend employees
02
Complex processes & lack of synergy between customers & backend employees
02
Complex processes & lack of synergy between customers & backend employees
03
Lack of transparency & clarity for critical metrics
03
Lack of transparency & clarity for critical metrics
03
Lack of transparency & clarity for critical metrics
03
Lack of transparency & clarity for critical metrics
"Our research stint spanned a total of 11 days spanning across 70+ hours in which duration we conducted a total of 38 sessions with 7 personas."
"Our research stint spanned a total of 11 days spanning across 70+ hours in which duration we conducted a total of 38 sessions with 7 personas."
"Our research stint spanned a total of 11 days spanning across 70+ hours in which duration we conducted a total of 38 sessions with 7 personas."
"Our research stint spanned a total of 11 days spanning across 70+ hours in which duration we conducted a total of 38 sessions with 7 personas."
Conducting User Research in Dubai
Our team planned a 10-day visit to Dubai to conduct an on-field research. The research objective was to to gain a 360 degree understanding of Meydan’s service journeys as a whole, to uncover existing usability issues and understand user behaviour and needs. I conducted interviews & workshops along with my team.
Conducting User Research in Dubai
Our team planned a 10-day visit to Dubai to conduct an on-field research. The research objective was to to gain a 360 degree understanding of Meydan’s service journeys as a whole, to uncover existing usability issues and understand user behaviour and needs. I conducted interviews & workshops along with my team.
Conducting User Research in Dubai
Our team planned a 10-day visit to Dubai to conduct an on-field research. The research objective was to to gain a 360 degree understanding of Meydan’s service journeys as a whole, to uncover existing usability issues and understand user behaviour and needs. I conducted interviews & workshops along with my team.
Conducting User Research in Dubai
Our team planned a 10-day visit to Dubai to conduct an on-field research. The research objective was to to gain a 360 degree understanding of Meydan’s service journeys as a whole, to uncover existing usability issues and understand user behaviour and needs. I conducted interviews & workshops along with my team.
How we did it
How we did it
User Interviews
I conducted qualitative interviews to understand their goals, motivations, pain points and workflows. We identified 7 personas, across 16 departments using 3 portals across the Meydan system.
User Interviews
I conducted qualitative interviews to understand their goals, motivations, pain points and workflows. We identified 7 personas, across 16 departments using 3 portals across the Meydan system.
User Interviews
I conducted qualitative interviews to understand their goals, motivations, pain points and workflows. We identified 7 personas, across 16 departments using 3 portals across the Meydan system.
User Interviews
I conducted qualitative interviews to understand their goals, motivations, pain points and workflows. We identified 7 personas, across 16 departments using 3 portals across the Meydan system.
Design Thinking Workshops with Employees
I facilitated hands-on activities like empathy mapping, brainstorming, sparking innovative ideas and fostering cross-collaboration between 16 departments across the company's service. Our team also, educated them on design thinking and ideation.
Design Thinking Workshops with Employees
I facilitated hands-on activities like empathy mapping, brainstorming, sparking innovative ideas and fostering cross-collaboration between 16 departments across the company's service. Our team also, educated them on design thinking and ideation.
Design Thinking Workshops with Employees
I facilitated hands-on activities like empathy mapping, brainstorming, sparking innovative ideas and fostering cross-collaboration between 16 departments across the company's service. Our team also, educated them on design thinking and ideation.
Design Thinking Workshops with Employees
I facilitated hands-on activities like empathy mapping, brainstorming, sparking innovative ideas and fostering cross-collaboration between 16 departments across the company's service. Our team also, educated them on design thinking and ideation.
The challenge
The challenge
The amount of information we got was quite overwhelming, and it was a challenging task at the end of the research to synthesise a mammoth of data we had collected in a short amount of time.
Strategising with Stakeholders
We collaborated with the top stakeholders of the product to define and refine our shared vision for the product. This alignment was key to understanding the scope of the project and to prioritise the goals from an execution POV. It also helped all the stakeholders themselves align and agree upon a common north star vision. It also helped uncover some glaring challenges in the product journey.
Strategising with Stakeholders
We collaborated with the top stakeholders of the product to define and refine our shared vision for the product. This alignment was key to understanding the scope of the project and to prioritise the goals from an execution POV. It also helped all the stakeholders themselves align and agree upon a common north star vision. It also helped uncover some glaring challenges in the product journey.
Strategising with Stakeholders
We collaborated with the top stakeholders of the product to define and refine our shared vision for the product. This alignment was key to understanding the scope of the project and to prioritise the goals from an execution POV. It also helped all the stakeholders themselves align and agree upon a common north star vision. It also helped uncover some glaring challenges in the product journey.
Strategising with Stakeholders
We collaborated with the top stakeholders of the product to define and refine our shared vision for the product. This alignment was key to understanding the scope of the project and to prioritise the goals from an execution POV. It also helped all the stakeholders themselves align and agree upon a common north star vision. It also helped uncover some glaring challenges in the product journey.
How we did it
How we did it
Strategic Workshops with Stakeholders
We conducted dedicated stakeholder discussions with the top management to: • Define core values and vision of the product • Define success metrics for the ERP ecosystem • Understand their day-to-day tasks
Strategic Workshops with Stakeholders
We conducted dedicated stakeholder discussions with the top management to: • Define core values and vision of the product • Define success metrics for the ERP ecosystem • Understand their day-to-day tasks
Strategic Workshops with Stakeholders
We conducted dedicated stakeholder discussions with the top management to: • Define core values and vision of the product • Define success metrics for the ERP ecosystem • Understand their day-to-day tasks
Strategic Workshops with Stakeholders
We conducted dedicated stakeholder discussions with the top management to: • Define core values and vision of the product • Define success metrics for the ERP ecosystem • Understand their day-to-day tasks
The challenge
The challenge
The product journey is lengthy and complex. It was a big learning curve to think from the lens of an entire service experience design and not just customer experience journey. Nomenclature being used by the stakeholders and Meydan employees were not universal, and very specific to them.
Research Analysis & Findings
We documented, analysed and segregated over 600+ user insights. Being in shoes of multiple personas was quite an intense exercise.
Research Analysis & Findings
We documented, analysed and segregated over 600+ user insights. Being in shoes of multiple personas was quite an intense exercise.
Research Analysis & Findings
We documented, analysed and segregated over 600+ user insights. Being in shoes of multiple personas was quite an intense exercise.
Research Analysis & Findings
We documented, analysed and segregated over 600+ user insights. Being in shoes of multiple personas was quite an intense exercise.
How we did it
How we did it
Affinity Mapping
We organised all data into meaningful groups to come up with insights that can guide our designs.
Affinity Mapping
We organised all data into meaningful groups to come up with insights that can guide our designs.
Affinity Mapping
We organised all data into meaningful groups to come up with insights that can guide our designs.
Affinity Mapping
We organised all data into meaningful groups to come up with insights that can guide our designs.
Understanding the User Personas
During the analysis, we mapped the goals, needs, motivations and user competencies in order to design specifically for each persona. Here's one example.
Understanding the User Personas
During the analysis, we mapped the goals, needs, motivations and user competencies in order to design specifically for each persona. Here's one example.
Understanding the User Personas
During the analysis, we mapped the goals, needs, motivations and user competencies in order to design specifically for each persona. Here's one example.
"A pitfall we faced – fear of unconscious bias. Having been immersed in the data for an extended period, synthesising insights felt more like validation than discovery."
"A pitfall we faced – fear of unconscious bias. Having been immersed in the data for an extended period, synthesising insights felt more like validation than discovery."
"A pitfall we faced – fear of unconscious bias. Having been immersed in the data for an extended period, synthesising insights felt more like validation than discovery."
"A pitfall we faced – fear of unconscious bias. Having been immersed in the data for an extended period, synthesising insights felt more like validation than discovery."
Ideating Features & Design Interventions
We made sure all the functionalities were guided by the insights we had gathered from research and the design principles we had solidified with the stakeholders.
Ideating Features & Design Interventions
We made sure all the functionalities were guided by the insights we had gathered from research and the design principles we had solidified with the stakeholders.
Ideating Features & Design Interventions
We made sure all the functionalities were guided by the insights we had gathered from research and the design principles we had solidified with the stakeholders.
Ideating Features & Design Interventions
We made sure all the functionalities were guided by the insights we had gathered from research and the design principles we had solidified with the stakeholders.
How we did it
How we did it
Information Architecture
We re-structured the information architecture, and ideated on data-driven features that would fulfil the business goals, correlate to Meydan's design principles and lead to a seamless user experience.
Information Architecture
We re-structured the information architecture, and ideated on data-driven features that would fulfil the business goals, correlate to Meydan's design principles and lead to a seamless user experience.
Information Architecture
We re-structured the information architecture, and ideated on data-driven features that would fulfil the business goals, correlate to Meydan's design principles and lead to a seamless user experience.
Information Architecture
We re-structured the information architecture, and ideated on data-driven features that would fulfil the business goals, correlate to Meydan's design principles and lead to a seamless user experience.
Service Mapping & Optimised Workflow
We used service map as a tool to lay out all user flows & find areas of friction and devised optimisations. We mapped the time taken for each stage of the service and interactions between all actors. We were able to bring the average processing time of setting up a new company from 3 days to ~1 day.
Service Mapping & Optimised Workflow
We used service map as a tool to lay out all user flows & find areas of friction and devised optimisations. We mapped the time taken for each stage of the service and interactions between all actors. We were able to bring the average processing time of setting up a new company from 3 days to ~1 day.
Service Mapping & Optimised Workflow
We used service map as a tool to lay out all user flows & find areas of friction and devised optimisations. We mapped the time taken for each stage of the service and interactions between all actors. We were able to bring the average processing time of setting up a new company from 3 days to ~1 day.
"A major win – the application that usually took 3 days to process, now could take just a day."
"A major win – the application that usually took 3 days to process, now could take just a day."
"A major win – the application that usually took 3 days to process, now could take just a day."
"A major win – the application that usually took 3 days to process, now could take just a day."
In the design phase I created over a hundred screens. Let me take you through a few chosen ones which had the most impact on the workflow of the agent. Agents are people who complete the applications on customer's behalf.
#1 | The Almighty Dashboard
I introduced a powerful actionable dashboard to navigate easily in a data heavy environment & help agent to switch between multiple clients & manage them effectively by prioritising applications that need immediate attention.
#1 | The Almighty Dashboard
I introduced a powerful actionable dashboard to navigate easily in a data heavy environment & help agent to switch between multiple clients & manage them effectively by prioritising applications that need immediate attention.
#1 | The Almighty Dashboard
I introduced a powerful actionable dashboard to navigate easily in a data heavy environment & help agent to switch between multiple clients & manage them effectively by prioritising applications that need immediate attention.
#1 | The Almighty Dashboard
I introduced a powerful actionable dashboard to navigate easily in a data heavy environment & help agent to switch between multiple clients & manage them effectively by prioritising applications that need immediate attention.
#2 | Driven by Data
I introduced a detailed analytics view to track their own performance, by tracking highest revenue generating customers, time taken to process applications & reward tier.
#2 | Driven by Data
I introduced a detailed analytics view to track their own performance, by tracking highest revenue generating customers, time taken to process applications & reward tier.
#2 | Driven by Data
I introduced a detailed analytics view to track their own performance, by tracking highest revenue generating customers, time taken to process applications & reward tier.
#2 | Driven by Data
I introduced a detailed analytics view to track their own performance, by tracking highest revenue generating customers, time taken to process applications & reward tier.
#3 | 360 company view
I created an easy to navigate company profile, where the agents can access a single comprehensive Bible for all company information. They can track all applications while ensuring Visas & Compliance processes are met on time.
#3 | 360 company view
I created an easy to navigate company profile, where the agents can access a single comprehensive Bible for all company information. They can track all applications while ensuring Visas & Compliance processes are met on time.
#3 | 360 company view
I created an easy to navigate company profile, where the agents can access a single comprehensive Bible for all company information. They can track all applications while ensuring Visas & Compliance processes are met on time.
#3 | 360 company view
I created an easy to navigate company profile, where the agents can access a single comprehensive Bible for all company information. They can track all applications while ensuring Visas & Compliance processes are met on time.
#4 | Application Flow
The application flow for setting up a business was super long, lacked system visibility, had poor navigation, nomenclature, and the highest rate of returns. This led to a frustrating experience because the user couldn't figure out clearly why the application was returned. We introduced 'Let Meydan Recommend' feature for package selection. Because there are large number of sub-services involved, it is hard to know which package would be best suited. The system recommends a package later based on all your selections.
#4 | Application Flow
The application flow for setting up a business was super long, lacked system visibility, had poor navigation, nomenclature, and the highest rate of returns. This led to a frustrating experience because the user couldn't figure out clearly why the application was returned. We introduced 'Let Meydan Recommend' feature for package selection. Because there are large number of sub-services involved, it is hard to know which package would be best suited. The system recommends a package later based on all your selections.
#4 | Application Flow
The application flow for setting up a business was super long, lacked system visibility, had poor navigation, nomenclature, and the highest rate of returns. This led to a frustrating experience because the user couldn't figure out clearly why the application was returned. We introduced 'Let Meydan Recommend' feature for package selection. Because there are large number of sub-services involved, it is hard to know which package would be best suited. The system recommends a package later based on all your selections.
#4 | Application Flow
The application flow for setting up a business was super long, lacked system visibility, had poor navigation, nomenclature, and the highest rate of returns. This led to a frustrating experience because the user couldn't figure out clearly why the application was returned. We introduced 'Let Meydan Recommend' feature for package selection. Because there are large number of sub-services involved, it is hard to know which package would be best suited. The system recommends a package later based on all your selections.
In case you have already applied for a service with overlapping requirments, the form will auto-detect & fetch the data. You do not have to upload the same document again.
In case you have already applied for a service with overlapping requirments, the form will auto-detect & fetch the data. You do not have to upload the same document again.
In case you have already applied for a service with overlapping requirments, the form will auto-detect & fetch the data. You do not have to upload the same document again.
In case you have already applied for a service with overlapping requirments, the form will auto-detect & fetch the data. You do not have to upload the same document again.
Another design intervention was introducing contextual comments. When the application is submitted for processing, sometimes the documents uploaded are invalid or inaccurate. The application is returned by the backend processing team. The user can view the reason for return & correct it, without disrupting the entire application. This also eliminates the frustrating back & forth communication, making it a self-serve experience.
Another design intervention was introducing contextual comments. When the application is submitted for processing, sometimes the documents uploaded are invalid or inaccurate. The application is returned by the backend processing team. The user can view the reason for return & correct it, without disrupting the entire application. This also eliminates the frustrating back & forth communication, making it a self-serve experience.
Another design intervention was introducing contextual comments. When the application is submitted for processing, sometimes the documents uploaded are invalid or inaccurate. The application is returned by the backend processing team. The user can view the reason for return & correct it, without disrupting the entire application. This also eliminates the frustrating back & forth communication, making it a self-serve experience.
Another design intervention was introducing contextual comments. When the application is submitted for processing, sometimes the documents uploaded are invalid or inaccurate. The application is returned by the backend processing team. The user can view the reason for return & correct it, without disrupting the entire application. This also eliminates the frustrating back & forth communication, making it a self-serve experience.
"Filling the application for setting up a business in Dubai is an intimidating & arduous process. The effort was to make it as simple & supportive as possible."
"Filling the application for setting up a business in Dubai is an intimidating & arduous process. The effort was to make it as simple & supportive as possible."
"Filling the application for setting up a business in Dubai is an intimidating & arduous process. The effort was to make it as simple & supportive as possible."
"Filling the application for setting up a business in Dubai is an intimidating & arduous process. The effort was to make it as simple & supportive as possible."
Reflection
What worked • Being an end-to-end project, it allowed me to immerse first-hand into human psychology and & translate it into a product that really catered to user needs. • I got a chance to collaborate with people from different nationalities and cultures, travel to a different country which was an enriching experience & equipped me with valuable soft skills.
Reflection
What worked • Being an end-to-end project, it allowed me to immerse first-hand into human psychology and & translate it into a product that really catered to user needs. • I got a chance to collaborate with people from different nationalities and cultures, travel to a different country which was an enriching experience & equipped me with valuable soft skills.
Reflection
What worked • Being an end-to-end project, it allowed me to immerse first-hand into human psychology and & translate it into a product that really catered to user needs. • I got a chance to collaborate with people from different nationalities and cultures, travel to a different country which was an enriching experience & equipped me with valuable soft skills.
Reflection
What worked • Being an end-to-end project, it allowed me to immerse first-hand into human psychology and & translate it into a product that really catered to user needs. • I got a chance to collaborate with people from different nationalities and cultures, travel to a different country which was an enriching experience & equipped me with valuable soft skills.
What could be better • Since it was a highly collaborative project with a big team, managing meetings with execution time was a balancing act. • There was scope creep because of how expansive the project was. It was a learning to balance staying on timeline while also delivering innovation & value.
What could be better • Since it was a highly collaborative project with a big team, managing meetings with execution time was a balancing act. • There was scope creep because of how expansive the project was. It was a learning to balance staying on timeline while also delivering innovation & value.
What could be better • Since it was a highly collaborative project with a big team, managing meetings with execution time was a balancing act. • There was scope creep because of how expansive the project was. It was a learning to balance staying on timeline while also delivering innovation & value.
What could be better • Since it was a highly collaborative project with a big team, managing meetings with execution time was a balancing act. • There was scope creep because of how expansive the project was. It was a learning to balance staying on timeline while also delivering innovation & value.
