ABOUT ME
WILDLIFE & ASSET
MONITOR
Background
Client
NEOM
Project Duration
4 Months
Team
Pravin (UX/UI)
Arun (UX)
Ramu (UI)
My Role
Secondary Research
Brainstorming
Information Architecture
Wireframe
Visual Design
Iconography
About Client
The NEOM Nature Reserve, nestled in Saudi Arabia, is a pioneering venture blending advanced technology with pristine natural beauty, aiming to revolutionize conservation and visitor experience. This fusion sets a global benchmark for sustainable and interactive natural habitats.
"NEOM" - The Land of Future
NEOM is the land of the future, with an ambition to redefine livability, business and conservation at its heart
From the deep blue ocean and pristine beaches to awesome desert and epic mountains, the NEOM has an ancient geography and topography unlike anywhere else. Reefs that sparkle with colour, green wadis that provide an unexpected oasis, mesmerizing red sand dunes shifting with the wind and endless mountain valleys providing iconic views. This rich tapestry of the natural world has to be protected, preserved and elevated at scale.
Project Brief
The NEOM Nature Reserve, nestled in Saudi Arabia, is a pioneering venture blending advanced technology with pristine natural beauty, aiming to revolutionize conservation and visitor experience. This fusion sets a global benchmark for sustainable and interactive natural habitats.
The Nature Reserve UX Project is designed to enhance visitor experiences through a cutting-edge digital interface. It offers interactive maps, real-time wildlife tracking, and personalized tour planning, aimed at deepening the appreciation for nature and conservation.
Conservation & Protection
Project Phases
Research
Personas
& User Goals
Design Strategy
& Brainstorming
Journey
Mapping
Feature Analysis
& Benchmarking
Design Concepts
& Visualisation
Wireframes
Visual Design
Design Validation
& Handoff
Project Timeline
Challenges
To understand the different aspects of the requirements in such a small amount of time and propose the right solution to the problems makes the project more interesting and challenging one.
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Below are the key challenges identified at the earlier phase of the project.
Technical Feasibilities
Complex Dashboards
Data Visualisations
KPI Data & Integration
Project's Scale & Short Timeline
User Personas
Understanding Personas
Understanding the personas of NEOM Nature Reserve is crucial for tailoring conservation efforts, educational programs, and visitor experiences to meet the diverse needs and interests of its audience. This approach enhances engagement, promotes sustainable tourism, and ensures that initiatives are effective in fostering a deep connection between people and the natural environment, ultimately contributing to the reserve’s conservation goals and visitor satisfaction.
Key Stakeholders
There were many people involved in the whole journey of this applications. We identified over 50+ personas during the journey. Based on their roles, responsibilities and the interviewed data (from client), different UX research methodologies such as persona mapping and use case matrices were made for all the personas.
This helped us to identify the important and critical personas in creating the foundation for the design.
Below are some of the key personas identified from the
researches carried out.
Head of NR
Head Office Manager
Infrastructure & Development Manager
Destination Manager
Land Specialist
Marine Specialist
Technology Asset Manager
Land Ranger Manager
Marine Ranger Manager
Destination Manager
The destination manager persona is exhibited below as an example to showcase the process followed. Same way all the key identified personas were analysed in depth.
Empathy Mapping - Destination Manager
This process of empathy and journey mapping helped to understand which pain points triggered during what phase of the journey and where the prime focus should be given for amplifying the ideas and gave
the right direction.
Key Personas vs Use Case Matrix
Creating a use case matrix for each persona and their job functions is essential for clearly defining the specific needs, challenges, and goals associated with each role within the organization. This approach enables tailored solution development, ensures alignment of technology and resources with individual and team objectives, and facilitates better communication and collaboration across different departments.
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By systematically addressing the unique requirements of each persona, organizations can optimize operational efficiency, enhance job satisfaction, and improve overall performance.
Modules
There are many personas and profiles who will be using the NR platform. For easy access, modules were created based on the nature of the persona's engagement with the platform.
01
Management
Central hub for overseeing operations, resource allocation, and strategic planning within the reserve.
02
Administration
Dashboard for handling day-to-day administrative tasks, staff coordination, and internal communications.
03
Rewilding & Regreening
Tools for planning and monitoring habitat restoration projects, including species reintroduction and vegetation recovery.
04
Compliance & Ranger Activities
Interface for managing law enforcement, patrolling schedules, and ensuring adherence to environmental regulations and guidelines.
05
Ecological Conservation
Platform for tracking conservation efforts, biodiversity health, and ecological research initiatives within the reserve.
06
Infrastructure & Visitor
System for managing visitor facilities, trails, and infrastructure maintenance, alongside enhancing guest experiences through educational and recreational offerings.
Information Architecture - Simplified Version
Understanding the KPIs
KPI is the backbone of this project, hence it required more attention.
Lots and lots of brainstorming sessions between internal and external teams happened via digital and whiteboard methods.
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The KPI analysis and benchmarking were done to get the
qualitative KPIs in the design
Parameters to satisfy for KPI design
The following parameters were giving importance and set as benchmark while bringing out the KPIs. This helped in fetching
essential KPIs to the design effectively.
Measures
Progress
It provides a clear metric to measure the progress towards the ambitious goals set by NEOM in terms of sustainable development, technological innovation, and economic diversification.
Informs Decision Making
By analyzing KPIs, decision-makers can gain insights into what strategies are working and where adjustments are needed, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently.
Drives
Improvements
Regular KPI analysis helps identify areas of success and areas needing improvement, fostering a culture of continuous improvement across all sectors of NEOM.
Supports Strategic Alignment
Ensures that all projects and initiatives within NEOM are aligned with its overarching vision of innovation, sustainability, and economic growth, making it a model for future cities worldwide.
Enhanced Understanding
Visual representations of data make complex information more accessible and understandable, allowing stakeholders to grasp trends, patterns, and outliers at a glance.
Identify New Opportunity Areas
By presenting KPIs visually, decision-makers can quickly identify areas of concern or opportunity, facilitating faster and more informed decisions.
Chart Visualisations
The KPIs were represented visually for the better consumption of the data. Below are the few chart variations used in the project.
Ideation & Wireframes
This was the most interesting and fun phase of the project. The team had great time in Brainstorming and Card Sorting Methods in working out the navigation system and layouts.
Visual Design
The Information Architecture is designed after the brainstorming sessions by using the card sorting method.
The wireframes were created module wise. After the finalisation of each module's wireframe, the visual design work took off.
Tailor made designs
Visual Language
Iconography
Design System
Few final designed screens
Design Handoff
The development is handled by multiple teams at different geographic locations. So the designed were handed-off neatly with the design system.
The design system consists of styleguide, design tokens, icon system, component libraries, guidelines for each components and external reference links for the visualisations.
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At last, Two-Three rounds of design QA testing was set up to ensure the design is translated same as in prototype into development.
Conclusion
The project was a huge success in terms of its design and execution.
The team was very well appreciated by the client and the management.
There were around 500+ screens designed in 4 months time by the team.
I was majorly involved in the visual design and in the brainstorming sessions. I learnt quite a lot in product strategy, design management, etc... The project journey has been fun and informative.
Hope you have enjoyed the project.
Please Hit me up to know more about the process and the design journey!