Emirates Auction
Case Study · Auctions · Web, iOS, Android, Tablet
My Role
My Role
Product Design Lead
Product Design Lead
Client
Client
Emirates Auction
Emirates Auction
Type
Type
End-to-end UX & UI redesign
End-to-end UX & UI redesign
Timeline
Timeline
Ongoing transformation
Ongoing transformation
Strategy
Research
UX/UI design
Design systems
01
Introduction
Emirates Auction is one of the UAE’s leading auction platforms, serving users across vehicles, number plates, properties and general assets.
As Product Design Lead, I led the transformation of its web, mobile and tablet experiences, simplifying critical journeys and creating a clearer, more consistent auction ecosystem.
Complex auction ecosystem
Bilingual market
Ongoing transformation
Client
Emirates Auction
Scope
End-to-end UX and UI redesign of the Emirates Auction platform.
Platforms
Responsive web, iOS, Android and tablet
Markets
Arabic and English
Disciplines
Product Strategy · Research · Experience Direction · Design System · Delivery
02
My role & leadership
Beyond design delivery, I partnered with business stakeholders to identify opportunities across existing business and user flows, uncovering friction, reframing problems and shaping improvements that made journeys clearer for users while supporting business goals.
Led 7–10 designers
Owned product and UX strategy
Assigned journey ownership
Led research planning and experience direction
Facilitated critiques and stakeholder workshops
Governed the design system
Partnered with engineering from definition through release
Led design QA through release
03
The problem
The legacy experience made critical journeys difficult to complete, creating confusion, reducing trust and increasing drop-off.
Enter
Complete
~40%
Drop-off
of users dropped off between entering and completing the journey.
01
Deposit confusion
02
Bidding overload
03
Weak status visibility
04
Unstructured checkout
04
How we found it?
What the data showed
Quantitative
3
Funnel journeys
Drop-off mapped across deposit, bidding and checkout.
300+
Support tickets
Recurring enquiries about payments, deposits and status.
3
Competitor platforms
Bidding, payments and fulfilment benchmarked.
What people told us
Qualitative
8
User interviews
Confusion around deposits, refunds and bidding rules.
12
Usability sessions
Task failures, hesitation and misclicks in context.
4
Stakeholder workshops
Business constraints turned into shared priorities.
Both sides pointed to the same three moments: deposit, bidding and checkout.
05
What we aimed to change?
01
Improve bid conversion rate
02
Increase deposit completion
03
Strengthen checkout conversion
04
Reduce support contacts
06
Research artefacts
01
Research plan
Problem focus
—
Deposit, bidding and checkout journeys
Key questions
—
Where do users lose confidence?
—
What prevents completion?
—
Which journeys matter most?
02
Interview guide
—
Deposit rules and refunds
—
Managing simultaneous bids
—
Auction and payment status
—
Checkout and fulfilment confidence
03
Usability test tasks
01
Add a deposit and understand the bidding limit
02
Find a live auction and place a bid
03
Track the result and complete checkout after winning
Behavioural evidence
We reviewed session recordings and heatmaps to understand how users navigated the legacy experience. This revealed attention patterns, hesitation points and areas of friction that informed prioritisation.
07
Funnel & drop-off
01
Registration
Create account and verify details
02
Deposit
High friction
Add funds to your wallet
03
Bidding
Find auctions and place bids
04
Checkout
High friction
Pay and confirm your purchase
05
Fulfilment
Receive your item or collection
Unclear requirements
Users are unsure what is needed at key steps.
High friction
Weak status visibility
Users can’t easily see progress or what happens next.
High friction
Too many actions
Too many steps and fields slow users down.
High friction
Low confidence
Users doubt security, fees and delivery.
Trust risk
Prioritise the journeys with the highest drop-off and business value.
08
Key findings
01
Deposits were misunderstood
Purpose, bidding limit and refund rules were unclear.
02
Winners lacked a next step
Post-win actions competed on one open screen, causing confusion and drop-off.
03
Status was fragmented
Bids, deposits, payments and delivery updates were fragmented across separate touchpoints.
04
Simultaneous auctions overloaded users
Too many items ended together, creating cognitive overload and missed opportunities.
Clarity creates confidence.
09
Experience strategy
A connected auction experience.
Clear next actions.
01
Clarify
Explain rules, fees and eligibility.
02
Prioritise
Surface urgent bids and next actions.
03
Connect
Unify status across web, mobile and tablet.
Understand → Act → Track
Customer needs × Business value × Operational reality
10
Information architecture
Emirates Auction
Categories
Motors · Auction
Prestige Numbers · Auction + Direct Sale
Properties · Auction
Shops for Rent · Auction
Surplus · Auction
Cart
Direct Sale Checkout
My Account
My Bids
My Won
Watchlist
Purchases
Support
Help
Contact Us
Find Us
News
Media Centre
My Auctions
Active bids
Won items
Deposits
Payments
Delivery
Refunds
11
One connected auction experience
01
Discovery
Explore with clarity. Find the right lots, faster.
Browse auctions
Compare lots
Save watchlist
02
Registration & verification
Simple steps, trusted access.
Create account
Verify identity
Confirm eligibility
03
Security deposit
A secure deposit that builds confidence for everyone.
Why it exists
What it unlocks
How it returns
04
Bidding
Bid with confidence. Stay informed, stay in control.
Live status
Smart alerts
Quick bid
Deposit aware
05
Winning
Clear outcomes. Transparent next steps.
Result confirmed
Fees clarified
Next action
06
Checkout & fulfilment
Smooth checkout. Secure fulfilment. Job done.
Review
Pay
Confirm
Delivery or collection
12
Cross-platform design system
One system. Every state.
Shared foundations for web, iOS, Android and tablet, in Arabic and English.
200+
Components
650+
Screens
4
Platforms
2
Languages
Edge-case handling
Error, empty, loading and interrupted states were designed alongside the happy path.
Microinteractions
Clear feedback for bids, deposits, payments and status changes.
Motion with purpose
Subtle transitions make actions, progress and outcomes easier to understand.
RTL & localisation
Arabic-first layouts, mirrored and tested alongside English.
Typography
Role
Sample
Desktop
Mobile
Helvetica Neue Condensed Bold
Display
H1 · page titles
Vehicles & Machinery
Vehicles & Machinery
72 / 80
32 / 40
H2 · marketing
Grow your business
Grow your business
56 / 64
24 / 32
H3 · questions
Add your deposit
Add your deposit
48 / 56
20 / 28
H4 · lot titles
2019 Mercedes S 560
2019 Mercedes S 560
40 / 48
16 / 24
Inter
UI
Body L · Regular
Browse vehicles in this auction
16 / 24
14 / 20
Body · Regular
Auction ends in 02:14:32
14 / 20
12 / 16
Title · Semi Bold
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera
16 / 24
14 / 20
Label · Medium
Showing 1–50 of 9999
14 / 20
12 / 16
Caption · Medium
Lot # 662604
12 / 16
10 / 16
Role
Sample
Desktop
Mobile
Alexandria
Display
H1 · page titles
المركبات والآليات
المركبات والآليات
72 / 80
32 / 40
H2 · marketing
طوّر أعمالك
طوّر أعمالك
56 / 64
24 / 32
H3 · questions
أضف مبلغ التأمين
أضف مبلغ التأمين
48 / 56
20 / 28
H4 · lot titles
مرسيدس S 560 موديل 2019
مرسيدس S 560 موديل 2019
40 / 48
16 / 24
Noto Kufi Arabic
UI
Body L · Regular
تصفّح المركبات في هذا المزاد
16 / 24
14 / 20
Body · Regular
ينتهي المزاد خلال 02:14:32
14 / 20
12 / 16
Title · Semi Bold
بورشه 911 كاريرا 2020
16 / 24
14 / 20
Label · Medium
عرض 1–50 من 9999
14 / 20
12 / 16
Caption · Medium
رقم القطعة 662604
12 / 16
10 / 16
Arabic type follows the Dubai Government design guidelines: Alexandria for display, Noto Kufi Arabic for UI.
Colours
Role
Hex
On white
Brand
Primary · actions & emphasis
#CE0E2D
5.6 · AA
Secondary · brand shade
#B0172F
7.0 · AA
Auction states
Kept separate from brand red
Highest bidder
#1C7F10
5.1 · AA
Outbid
#C74F00
4.6 · AA
Auto bid
#5459AC
6.2 · AA
Link
#1874D1
4.7 · AA
Content
Primary text
#1A1A1A
17.4 · AA
Secondary text
#5D5D5D
6.6 · AA
Muted · icons & large text
#888888
3.5 · large only
Surfaces & borders
Cards & light surfaces
#FFFFFF
Surface
Page background
#F9F9F9
Surface
Soft surface
#F1F1F1
Surface
Light divider
#E8E8E8
Border
Border
#D9D9D9
Border
Grid system
24
columns · Desktop 1920
32 gutter
56 margin
12
columns · Tablet 768
24 gutter
36 margin
6
columns · Mobile 390
16 gutter
24 margin
Icons
Web · iOS · Android · tablet · Arabic & English
13
The experience, in action
From discovery to participation
iOS · Android
A mobile-first auction catalogue that helps users browse all categories, compare listings, and find relevant opportunities quickly.
Find what matters
Clear listing details, filters, and live auction signals make it easier to scan options and decide where to engage.
Guiding users from interest to participation
From the auction details, one clear action guides users to complete their deposit and unlock bidding.
Web platform
Desktop · Tablet
Everything clear, help built in
Price, bids, time left and the deposit action sit in one panel, with contextual How-to-place-a-bid guidance exactly where hesitation used to happen.
14
Testing, validation & continuous optimisation
From prototype to production
Prototype
→
Test with users
→
Refine friction
→
Release
→
Observe live
→
Improve again
Funnels, heatmaps and session recordings carried what we learned in testing into every release.
#1 · Find a live auction
Reach a live auction worth bidding on
100% success · 0% drop-off
Every participant reached a relevant live auction unaided. Categories, filters and search carried the load, so discovery shipped largely unchanged.
#2 · Add a deposit
Deposits, understood.
90% success · 10% drop-off
Early prototype testing: the other 10% hesitated around the deposit’s purpose, the bidding limit and refund conditions. All three were reworded, moved earlier in the flow and re-tested.
#3 · Place a bid
Place a bid with confidence
100% placed a bid
Everyone bid, but early rounds showed heavy misclicks on quick-bid. Targets were enlarged and spacing increased, and the errors faded in later prototypes.
#4 · Complete checkout
Complete checkout after winning
Struggled
Ok
Effortless
0
20
40
60
80
100
~93% success
~7% stalled at the win-to-payment handoff in early prototypes, so the sequence was restructured before release.
15
Outcomes & impact
A frictionless journey. Measurable results.
Compared through post-release funnels against the legacy experience: deposit, bidding and checkout all moved.
1
Deposit conversion
Auction detail visit
Deposit initiated
Deposit completed
+20%
Deposit conversion improved from 50% to 70% after the redesign.
2
Bid activation
45%
60%
+15%
Bid activation increased from 45% to 60% of depositors.
3
Post-win checkout
+30%
Checkout conversion increased from 40% to 70% of winning users.
Measured through
Google Analytics
Funnel conversion
Hotjar
Heatmaps & recordings
Customer support insights
Recurring support themes
Thank you for scrolling through the transformation.
If this way of working resonates with you, I’d love to talk about your product.
fouad.muhammed.g@gmail.com
Emirates Auction
Case Study · Auctions · Web, iOS, Android, Tablet
My Role
My Role
Product Design Lead
Product Design Lead
Client
Client
Emirates Auction
Emirates Auction
Type
Type
End-to-end UX & UI redesign
End-to-end UX & UI redesign
Timeline
Timeline
Ongoing transformation
Ongoing transformation
Strategy
Research
UX/UI design
Design systems
01
Introduction
Emirates Auction is one of the UAE’s leading auction platforms, serving users across vehicles, number plates, properties and general assets.
As Product Design Lead, I led the transformation of its web, mobile and tablet experiences, simplifying critical journeys and creating a clearer, more consistent auction ecosystem.
Complex auction ecosystem
Bilingual market
Ongoing transformation
Client
Emirates Auction
Scope
End-to-end UX and UI redesign of the Emirates Auction platform.
Platforms
Responsive web, iOS, Android and tablet
Markets
Arabic and English
Disciplines
Product Strategy · Research · Experience Direction · Design System · Delivery
02
My role & leadership
Beyond design delivery, I partnered with business stakeholders to identify opportunities across existing business and user flows, uncovering friction, reframing problems and shaping improvements that made journeys clearer for users while supporting business goals.
Led 7–10 designers
Owned product and UX strategy
Assigned journey ownership
Led research planning and experience direction
Facilitated critiques and stakeholder workshops
Governed the design system
Partnered with engineering from definition through release
Led design QA through release
03
The problem
The legacy experience made critical journeys difficult to complete, creating confusion, reducing trust and increasing drop-off.
Enter
Complete
~40%
Drop-off
of users dropped off between entering and completing the journey.
01
Deposit confusion
02
Bidding overload
03
Weak status visibility
04
Unstructured checkout
04
How we found it?
What the data showed
Quantitative
3
Funnel journeys
Drop-off mapped across deposit, bidding and checkout.
300+
Support tickets
Recurring enquiries about payments, deposits and status.
3
Competitor platforms
Bidding, payments and fulfilment benchmarked.
What people told us
Qualitative
8
User interviews
Confusion around deposits, refunds and bidding rules.
12
Usability sessions
Task failures, hesitation and misclicks in context.
4
Stakeholder workshops
Business constraints turned into shared priorities.
Both sides pointed to the same three moments: deposit, bidding and checkout.
05
What we aimed to change?
01
Improve bid conversion rate
02
Increase deposit completion
03
Strengthen checkout conversion
04
Reduce support contacts
06
Research artefacts
01
Research plan
Problem focus
—
Deposit, bidding and checkout journeys
Key questions
—
Where do users lose confidence?
—
What prevents completion?
—
Which journeys matter most?
02
Interview guide
—
Deposit rules and refunds
—
Managing simultaneous bids
—
Auction and payment status
—
Checkout and fulfilment confidence
03
Usability test tasks
01
Add a deposit and understand the bidding limit
02
Find a live auction and place a bid
03
Track the result and complete checkout after winning
Behavioural evidence
We reviewed session recordings and heatmaps to understand how users navigated the legacy experience. This revealed attention patterns, hesitation points and areas of friction that informed prioritisation.
07
Funnel & drop-off
01
Registration
Create account and verify details
02
Deposit
High friction
Add funds to your wallet
03
Bidding
Find auctions and place bids
04
Checkout
High friction
Pay and confirm your purchase
05
Fulfilment
Receive your item or collection
Unclear requirements
Users are unsure what is needed at key steps.
High friction
Weak status visibility
Users can’t easily see progress or what happens next.
High friction
Too many actions
Too many steps and fields slow users down.
High friction
Low confidence
Users doubt security, fees and delivery.
Trust risk
Prioritise the journeys with the highest drop-off and business value.
08
Key findings
01
Deposits were misunderstood
Purpose, bidding limit and refund rules were unclear.
02
Winners lacked a next step
Post-win actions competed on one open screen, causing confusion and drop-off.
03
Status was fragmented
Bids, deposits, payments and delivery updates were fragmented across separate touchpoints.
04
Simultaneous auctions overloaded users
Too many items ended together, creating cognitive overload and missed opportunities.
Clarity creates confidence.
09
Experience strategy
A connected auction experience.
Clear next actions.
01
Clarify
Explain rules, fees and eligibility.
02
Prioritise
Surface urgent bids and next actions.
03
Connect
Unify status across web, mobile and tablet.
Understand → Act → Track
Customer needs × Business value × Operational reality
10
Information architecture
Emirates Auction
Categories
Motors · Auction
Prestige Numbers · Auction + Direct Sale
Properties · Auction
Shops for Rent · Auction
Surplus · Auction
Cart
Direct Sale Checkout
My Account
My Bids
My Won
Watchlist
Purchases
Support
Help
Contact Us
Find Us
News
Media Centre
My Auctions
Active bids
Won items
Deposits
Payments
Delivery
Refunds
11
One connected auction experience
01
Discovery
Explore with clarity. Find the right lots, faster.
Browse auctions
Compare lots
Save watchlist
02
Registration & verification
Simple steps, trusted access.
Create account
Verify identity
Confirm eligibility
03
Security deposit
A secure deposit that builds confidence for everyone.
Why it exists
What it unlocks
How it returns
04
Bidding
Bid with confidence. Stay informed, stay in control.
Live status
Smart alerts
Quick bid
Deposit aware
05
Winning
Clear outcomes. Transparent next steps.
Result confirmed
Fees clarified
Next action
06
Checkout & fulfilment
Smooth checkout. Secure fulfilment. Job done.
Review
Pay
Confirm
Delivery or collection
12
Cross-platform design system
One system. Every state.
Shared foundations for web, iOS, Android and tablet, in Arabic and English.
200+
Components
650+
Screens
4
Platforms
2
Languages
Edge-case handling
Error, empty, loading and interrupted states were designed alongside the happy path.
Microinteractions
Clear feedback for bids, deposits, payments and status changes.
Motion with purpose
Subtle transitions make actions, progress and outcomes easier to understand.
RTL & localisation
Arabic-first layouts, mirrored and tested alongside English.
Typography
Role
Sample
Desktop
Mobile
Helvetica Neue Condensed Bold
Display
H1 · page titles
Vehicles & Machinery
Vehicles & Machinery
72 / 80
32 / 40
H2 · marketing
Grow your business
Grow your business
56 / 64
24 / 32
H3 · questions
Add your deposit
Add your deposit
48 / 56
20 / 28
H4 · lot titles
2019 Mercedes S 560
2019 Mercedes S 560
40 / 48
16 / 24
Inter
UI
Body L · Regular
Browse vehicles in this auction
16 / 24
14 / 20
Body · Regular
Auction ends in 02:14:32
14 / 20
12 / 16
Title · Semi Bold
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera
16 / 24
14 / 20
Label · Medium
Showing 1–50 of 9999
14 / 20
12 / 16
Caption · Medium
Lot # 662604
12 / 16
10 / 16
Role
Sample
Desktop
Mobile
Alexandria
Display
H1 · page titles
المركبات والآليات
المركبات والآليات
72 / 80
32 / 40
H2 · marketing
طوّر أعمالك
طوّر أعمالك
56 / 64
24 / 32
H3 · questions
أضف مبلغ التأمين
أضف مبلغ التأمين
48 / 56
20 / 28
H4 · lot titles
مرسيدس S 560 موديل 2019
مرسيدس S 560 موديل 2019
40 / 48
16 / 24
Noto Kufi Arabic
UI
Body L · Regular
تصفّح المركبات في هذا المزاد
16 / 24
14 / 20
Body · Regular
ينتهي المزاد خلال 02:14:32
14 / 20
12 / 16
Title · Semi Bold
بورشه 911 كاريرا 2020
16 / 24
14 / 20
Label · Medium
عرض 1–50 من 9999
14 / 20
12 / 16
Caption · Medium
رقم القطعة 662604
12 / 16
10 / 16
Arabic type follows the Dubai Government design guidelines: Alexandria for display, Noto Kufi Arabic for UI.
Colours
Role
Hex
On white
Brand
Primary · actions & emphasis
#CE0E2D
5.6 · AA
Secondary · brand shade
#B0172F
7.0 · AA
Auction states
Kept separate from brand red
Highest bidder
#1C7F10
5.1 · AA
Outbid
#C74F00
4.6 · AA
Auto bid
#5459AC
6.2 · AA
Link
#1874D1
4.7 · AA
Content
Primary text
#1A1A1A
17.4 · AA
Secondary text
#5D5D5D
6.6 · AA
Muted · icons & large text
#888888
3.5 · large only
Surfaces & borders
Cards & light surfaces
#FFFFFF
Surface
Page background
#F9F9F9
Surface
Soft surface
#F1F1F1
Surface
Light divider
#E8E8E8
Border
Border
#D9D9D9
Border
Grid system
24
columns · Desktop 1920
32 gutter
56 margin
12
columns · Tablet 768
24 gutter
36 margin
6
columns · Mobile 390
16 gutter
24 margin
Icons
Web · iOS · Android · tablet · Arabic & English
13
The experience, in action
From discovery to participation
iOS · Android
A mobile-first auction catalogue that helps users browse all categories, compare listings, and find relevant opportunities quickly.
Find what matters
Clear listing details, filters, and live auction signals make it easier to scan options and decide where to engage.
Guiding users from interest to participation
From the auction details, one clear action guides users to complete their deposit and unlock bidding.
Web platform
Desktop · Tablet
Everything clear, help built in
Price, bids, time left and the deposit action sit in one panel, with contextual How-to-place-a-bid guidance exactly where hesitation used to happen.
14
Testing, validation & continuous optimisation
From prototype to production
Prototype
→
Test with users
→
Refine friction
→
Release
→
Observe live
→
Improve again
Funnels, heatmaps and session recordings carried what we learned in testing into every release.
#1 · Find a live auction
Reach a live auction worth bidding on
100% success · 0% drop-off
Every participant reached a relevant live auction unaided. Categories, filters and search carried the load, so discovery shipped largely unchanged.
#2 · Add a deposit
Deposits, understood.
90% success · 10% drop-off
Early prototype testing: the other 10% hesitated around the deposit’s purpose, the bidding limit and refund conditions. All three were reworded, moved earlier in the flow and re-tested.
#3 · Place a bid
Place a bid with confidence
100% placed a bid
Everyone bid, but early rounds showed heavy misclicks on quick-bid. Targets were enlarged and spacing increased, and the errors faded in later prototypes.
#4 · Complete checkout
Complete checkout after winning
Struggled
Ok
Effortless
0
20
40
60
80
100
~93% success
~7% stalled at the win-to-payment handoff in early prototypes, so the sequence was restructured before release.
15
Outcomes & impact
A frictionless journey. Measurable results.
Compared through post-release funnels against the legacy experience: deposit, bidding and checkout all moved.
1
Deposit conversion
Auction detail visit
Deposit initiated
Deposit completed
+20%
Deposit conversion improved from 50% to 70% after the redesign.
2
Bid activation
45%
60%
+15%
Bid activation increased from 45% to 60% of depositors.
3
Post-win checkout
+30%
Checkout conversion increased from 40% to 70% of winning users.
Measured through
Google Analytics
Funnel conversion
Hotjar
Heatmaps & recordings
Customer support insights
Recurring support themes
Thank you for scrolling through the transformation.
If this way of working resonates with you, I’d love to talk about your product.
fouad.muhammed.g@gmail.com
Emirates Auction
Case Study · Auctions · Web, iOS, Android, Tablet
My Role
My Role
Product Design Lead
Product Design Lead
Client
Client
Emirates Auction
Emirates Auction
Type
Type
End-to-end UX & UI redesign
End-to-end UX & UI redesign
Timeline
Timeline
Ongoing transformation
Ongoing transformation
Strategy
Research
UX/UI design
Design systems
01
Introduction
Emirates Auction is one of the UAE’s leading auction platforms, serving users across vehicles, number plates, properties and general assets.
As Product Design Lead, I led the transformation of its web, mobile and tablet experiences, simplifying critical journeys and creating a clearer, more consistent auction ecosystem.
Complex auction ecosystem
Bilingual market
Ongoing transformation
Client
Emirates Auction
Scope
End-to-end UX and UI redesign of the Emirates Auction platform.
Platforms
Responsive web, iOS, Android and tablet
Markets
Arabic and English
Disciplines
Product Strategy · Research · Experience Direction · Design System · Delivery
02
My role & leadership
Beyond design delivery, I partnered with business stakeholders to identify opportunities across existing business and user flows, uncovering friction, reframing problems and shaping improvements that made journeys clearer for users while supporting business goals.
Led 7–10 designers
Owned product and UX strategy
Assigned journey ownership
Led research planning and experience direction
Facilitated critiques and stakeholder workshops
Governed the design system
Partnered with engineering from definition through release
Led design QA through release
03
The problem
The legacy experience made critical journeys difficult to complete, creating confusion, reducing trust and increasing drop-off.
Enter
Complete
~40%
Drop-off
of users dropped off between entering and completing the journey.
01
Deposit confusion
02
Bidding overload
03
Weak status visibility
04
Unstructured checkout
04
How we found it?
What the data showed
Quantitative
3
Funnel journeys
Drop-off mapped across deposit, bidding and checkout.
300+
Support tickets
Recurring enquiries about payments, deposits and status.
3
Competitor platforms
Bidding, payments and fulfilment benchmarked.
What people told us
Qualitative
8
User interviews
Confusion around deposits, refunds and bidding rules.
12
Usability sessions
Task failures, hesitation and misclicks in context.
4
Stakeholder workshops
Business constraints turned into shared priorities.
Both sides pointed to the same three moments: deposit, bidding and checkout.
05
What we aimed to change?
01
Improve bid conversion rate
02
Increase deposit completion
03
Strengthen checkout conversion
04
Reduce support contacts
06
Research artefacts
01
Research plan
Problem focus
—
Deposit, bidding and checkout journeys
Key questions
—
Where do users lose confidence?
—
What prevents completion?
—
Which journeys matter most?
02
Interview guide
—
Deposit rules and refunds
—
Managing simultaneous bids
—
Auction and payment status
—
Checkout and fulfilment confidence
03
Usability test tasks
01
Add a deposit and understand the bidding limit
02
Find a live auction and place a bid
03
Track the result and complete checkout after winning
Behavioural evidence
We reviewed session recordings and heatmaps to understand how users navigated the legacy experience. This revealed attention patterns, hesitation points and areas of friction that informed prioritisation.
07
Funnel & drop-off
01
Registration
Create account and verify details
02
Deposit
High friction
Add funds to your wallet
03
Bidding
Find auctions and place bids
04
Checkout
High friction
Pay and confirm your purchase
05
Fulfilment
Receive your item or collection
Unclear requirements
Users are unsure what is needed at key steps.
High friction
Weak status visibility
Users can’t easily see progress or what happens next.
High friction
Too many actions
Too many steps and fields slow users down.
High friction
Low confidence
Users doubt security, fees and delivery.
Trust risk
Prioritise the journeys with the highest drop-off and business value.
08
Key findings
01
Deposits were misunderstood
Purpose, bidding limit and refund rules were unclear.
02
Winners lacked a next step
Post-win actions competed on one open screen, causing confusion and drop-off.
03
Status was fragmented
Bids, deposits, payments and delivery updates were fragmented across separate touchpoints.
04
Simultaneous auctions overloaded users
Too many items ended together, creating cognitive overload and missed opportunities.
Clarity creates confidence.
09
Experience strategy
A connected auction experience.
Clear next actions.
01
Clarify
Explain rules, fees and eligibility.
02
Prioritise
Surface urgent bids and next actions.
03
Connect
Unify status across web, mobile and tablet.
Understand → Act → Track
Customer needs × Business value × Operational reality
10
Information architecture
Emirates Auction
Categories
Motors · Auction
Prestige Numbers · Auction + Direct Sale
Properties · Auction
Shops for Rent · Auction
Surplus · Auction
Cart
Direct Sale Checkout
My Account
My Bids
My Won
Watchlist
Purchases
Support
Help
Contact Us
Find Us
News
Media Centre
My Auctions
Active bids
Won items
Deposits
Payments
Delivery
Refunds
11
One connected auction experience
01
Discovery
Explore with clarity. Find the right lots, faster.
Browse auctions
Compare lots
Save watchlist
02
Registration & verification
Simple steps, trusted access.
Create account
Verify identity
Confirm eligibility
03
Security deposit
A secure deposit that builds confidence for everyone.
Why it exists
What it unlocks
How it returns
04
Bidding
Bid with confidence. Stay informed, stay in control.
Live status
Smart alerts
Quick bid
Deposit aware
05
Winning
Clear outcomes. Transparent next steps.
Result confirmed
Fees clarified
Next action
06
Checkout & fulfilment
Smooth checkout. Secure fulfilment. Job done.
Review
Pay
Confirm
Delivery or collection
12
Cross-platform design system
One system. Every state.
Shared foundations for web, iOS, Android and tablet, in Arabic and English.
200+
Components
650+
Screens
4
Platforms
2
Languages
Edge-case handling
Error, empty, loading and interrupted states were designed alongside the happy path.
Microinteractions
Clear feedback for bids, deposits, payments and status changes.
Motion with purpose
Subtle transitions make actions, progress and outcomes easier to understand.
RTL & localisation
Arabic-first layouts, mirrored and tested alongside English.
Typography
Role
Sample
Desktop
Mobile
Helvetica Neue Condensed Bold
Display
H1 · page titles
Vehicles & Machinery
Vehicles & Machinery
72 / 80
32 / 40
H2 · marketing
Grow your business
Grow your business
56 / 64
24 / 32
H3 · questions
Add your deposit
Add your deposit
48 / 56
20 / 28
H4 · lot titles
2019 Mercedes S 560
2019 Mercedes S 560
40 / 48
16 / 24
Inter
UI
Body L · Regular
Browse vehicles in this auction
16 / 24
14 / 20
Body · Regular
Auction ends in 02:14:32
14 / 20
12 / 16
Title · Semi Bold
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera
16 / 24
14 / 20
Label · Medium
Showing 1–50 of 9999
14 / 20
12 / 16
Caption · Medium
Lot # 662604
12 / 16
10 / 16
Role
Sample
Desktop
Mobile
Alexandria
Display
H1 · page titles
المركبات والآليات
المركبات والآليات
72 / 80
32 / 40
H2 · marketing
طوّر أعمالك
طوّر أعمالك
56 / 64
24 / 32
H3 · questions
أضف مبلغ التأمين
أضف مبلغ التأمين
48 / 56
20 / 28
H4 · lot titles
مرسيدس S 560 موديل 2019
مرسيدس S 560 موديل 2019
40 / 48
16 / 24
Noto Kufi Arabic
UI
Body L · Regular
تصفّح المركبات في هذا المزاد
16 / 24
14 / 20
Body · Regular
ينتهي المزاد خلال 02:14:32
14 / 20
12 / 16
Title · Semi Bold
بورشه 911 كاريرا 2020
16 / 24
14 / 20
Label · Medium
عرض 1–50 من 9999
14 / 20
12 / 16
Caption · Medium
رقم القطعة 662604
12 / 16
10 / 16
Arabic type follows the Dubai Government design guidelines: Alexandria for display, Noto Kufi Arabic for UI.
Colours
Role
Hex
On white
Brand
Primary · actions & emphasis
#CE0E2D
5.6 · AA
Secondary · brand shade
#B0172F
7.0 · AA
Auction states
Kept separate from brand red
Highest bidder
#1C7F10
5.1 · AA
Outbid
#C74F00
4.6 · AA
Auto bid
#5459AC
6.2 · AA
Link
#1874D1
4.7 · AA
Content
Primary text
#1A1A1A
17.4 · AA
Secondary text
#5D5D5D
6.6 · AA
Muted · icons & large text
#888888
3.5 · large only
Surfaces & borders
Cards & light surfaces
#FFFFFF
Surface
Page background
#F9F9F9
Surface
Soft surface
#F1F1F1
Surface
Light divider
#E8E8E8
Border
Border
#D9D9D9
Border
Grid system
24
columns · Desktop 1920
32 gutter
56 margin
12
columns · Tablet 768
24 gutter
36 margin
6
columns · Mobile 390
16 gutter
24 margin
Icons
Web · iOS · Android · tablet · Arabic & English
13
The experience, in action
From discovery to participation
iOS · Android
A mobile-first auction catalogue that helps users browse all categories, compare listings, and find relevant opportunities quickly.
Find what matters
Clear listing details, filters, and live auction signals make it easier to scan options and decide where to engage.
Guiding users from interest to participation
From the auction details, one clear action guides users to complete their deposit and unlock bidding.
Web platform
Desktop · Tablet
Everything clear, help built in
Price, bids, time left and the deposit action sit in one panel, with contextual How-to-place-a-bid guidance exactly where hesitation used to happen.
14
Testing, validation & continuous optimisation
From prototype to production
Prototype
→
Test with users
→
Refine friction
→
Release
→
Observe live
→
Improve again
Funnels, heatmaps and session recordings carried what we learned in testing into every release.
#1 · Find a live auction
Reach a live auction worth bidding on
100% success · 0% drop-off
Every participant reached a relevant live auction unaided. Categories, filters and search carried the load, so discovery shipped largely unchanged.
#2 · Add a deposit
Deposits, understood.
90% success · 10% drop-off
Early prototype testing: the other 10% hesitated around the deposit’s purpose, the bidding limit and refund conditions. All three were reworded, moved earlier in the flow and re-tested.
#3 · Place a bid
Place a bid with confidence
100% placed a bid
Everyone bid, but early rounds showed heavy misclicks on quick-bid. Targets were enlarged and spacing increased, and the errors faded in later prototypes.
#4 · Complete checkout
Complete checkout after winning
Struggled
Ok
Effortless
0
20
40
60
80
100
~93% success
~7% stalled at the win-to-payment handoff in early prototypes, so the sequence was restructured before release.
15
Outcomes & impact
A frictionless journey. Measurable results.
Compared through post-release funnels against the legacy experience: deposit, bidding and checkout all moved.
1
Deposit conversion
Auction detail visit
Deposit initiated
Deposit completed
+20%
Deposit conversion improved from 50% to 70% after the redesign.
2
Bid activation
45%
60%
+15%
Bid activation increased from 45% to 60% of depositors.
3
Post-win checkout
+30%
Checkout conversion increased from 40% to 70% of winning users.
Measured through
Google Analytics
Funnel conversion
Hotjar
Heatmaps & recordings
Customer support insights
Recurring support themes
Thank you for scrolling through the transformation.
If this way of working resonates with you, I’d love to talk about your product.
fouad.muhammed.g@gmail.com