Overview
Commissioned by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nusuk is a digital platform designed to streamline the pilgrimage experience for Muslims, offering tools for planning, booking, and managing Hajj and Umrah journeys. It provides guidance, services, and resources to enhance the pilgrimage experience for users worldwide. Nusuk was created post-pandemic as more regulations on the faithful were imposed. It emerged to facilitate, integrate, and elevate the end-to-end experience.
Mobile App
June 2023 - January 2024 (7 months)
Role
As an Experience Designer at AKQA MENA, I was a key member of the UX team, collaborating closely with the UX lead, who guided the project from inception to launch. My responsibilities encompassed competitor benchmarking, conducting and analyzing user interviews, applying UX principles, designing wireframes, offering UI support if needed, working closely with the development team, and performing internal testing for the beta app.
Our team aimed to deliver a unique mobile experience, tailored to the app's unconventional theme and purpose. It was a privilege to contribute to something truly special, creating an impactful experience for pilgrims worldwide.
Challenge
When embarking on the journey of a lifetime, its sacredness is overshadowed by its logistics. The pilgrimage to Makkah and Medina in Saudi Arabia has always held profound significance for every Muslim around the world, yet it has always been complex and fragmented. How might we simplify pilgrimage logistics to help pilgrims fully immerse themselves in their sacred journey?
How might we simplify pilgrimage logistics to help pilgrims fully immerse themselves in their sacred journey?
Research
Stakeholder Interviews
Our process began with comprehensive interviews with key stakeholders from the NUSUK team to gain a clear understanding of the project’s vision, goals, and expectations. These sessions helped clarify the business objectives, the app’s current infrastructure, and its existing limitations.
User Interviews
Simultaneously, we conducted user interviews to gather insights into the pilgrimage journey—what it entails, along with users' behaviors, preferences, and pain points. This allowed us to map the customer journey and pinpoint key issues we could address. Key findings from the interviews revealed that trip logistics and permit booking, particularly for group travel, were difficult to manage. Additionally, operational challenges at the pilgrimage site, such as wayfinding, arriving late, and a lack of adequate transportation, further complicated the experience for users.
Understanding Rituals and Planning
To ensure the app was authentic and truly meaningful to its users, we conducted in-depth research into the specific rituals and traditions surrounding the pilgrimage. This involved understanding the cultural, religious, and logistical aspects of planning and executing the Umrah and Hajj rituals. A personal journey needed a personalised experience. In designing Nusuk, the ambition was not just to build a tool but to craft a companion for your pilgrimage that doesn’t distract from your spiritual journey but stands ready to guide you whenever you need it.
Customer Journey & Persona Definition
Understanding the rituals was essential for mapping the customer journey, allowing us to visualize how users navigate their practices and the app's role in supporting them. This helped us pinpoint key touchpoints where the app could provide value, as well as identify potential friction points where users might encounter challenges.
Based on the findings from user interviews and journey mapping, we created key archetypes to represent the app’s core audience. These personas we uncovered are:
The Guide
The proactive leader who handles all the planning, navigation, and logistics for the group.
The Guided
The follower who relies on others for planning and focuses on the spiritual experience without logistical involvement.
The Unattached/Spontaneous
The easygoing traveler who prefers minimal planning and relies on past experience or spontaneity to navigate the journey.
Design
The creative vision of the Nusuk app was for it to serve as a guiding light for pilgrims on their spiritual journey to Mecca, providing meaningful, non-intrusive guidance that enhances their connection to faith. Nusuk is a companion from start to finish, offering personalized support to make each pilgrimage experience special.
Therefore, we established guiding experience principles that remained at the core of everything we designed. They are as follows:
Spiritual Artefact
Like a muslim might carry a prayer rug or a Quran to a place of worship, the Nusuk App can represent that role for those going on Umrah or Hajj.
Guiding Tool
Like a North Star for Muslim travellers, the Nusuk app will embody a guiding light or compass for those navigating their Umrah or Hajj journey when and whenever they need it.
For everyone
Mirroring the spirit of Islamic pilgrimage, the Nusuk app’s journey should be accessible to all.
It knows you
Faith is personal to all who practice, and Nusuk services should be personalised to the user like a spiritual companion.
On the go
Nusuk will go beyond preparing you for one of the pinnacles of your Islamic practice. It will add value to the journey by offering live updates, suggestions, and insights as you move.
From booking an entry permit for Umrah or the Noble Rawdah, to receiving guided reminders for relevant prayers, and even obtaining a customized completion certificate to reflect on their journey—these tailored experiences place the visitor at the heart of the process, allowing pilgrims to fully immerse themselves in their Hajj or Umrah journey.
Inspired by the intricate Islamic patterns adorning the gates to the holy sites, the design of the permits, central to the app’s function, reflects the unique architecture of each location. By incorporating these distinctive design elements, the permits serve as functional tools and meaningful symbols of each pilgrim’s journey. This approach ensures that the essence of the holy sites is felt even before the visitor sets foot in the Makkah, thus enriching their overall experience.
Reflections
Create a working process that works — This project highlighted the importance of adaptability and clear communication. Tight deadlines required sharp prioritization, and managing challenging client feedback necessitated aligning stakeholder expectations with user needs. Next time, we'll adopt tools and frameworks to ensure smooth communication and effective project management.
Embrace and prioritize simplicity — Complex solutions delayed development and required simplification later. This taught us to focus on straightforward, user-centered designs from the start for better efficiency.
Collaborate Closely with Development — Unfortunately, the final product diverged from the design vision, underscoring the need for stronger collaboration with development. This experience reinforced the importance of advocating for design integrity and maintaining a user-centric focus under challenging circumstances.
Impact
The app has helped millions of Muslims to focus on what truly matters: their faith. By unifying logistical and ritual-led services, we transformed practical complexity into spiritual possibility. This leap in technology not only modernizes Saudi Arabia’s religious tourism but also sets a new standard for pilgrimage management globally.
App Rating
App Downloads
Monthly Downloads
Travel app in muslim-majoriy countries
World Summit Awards 2024
(Culture and Heritage)
© 2025 Michele Sabty. All Right Reserved.
Created with blood, sweat, love and tears.