Harmonising 100+ GOSI services into one super app

Download and experience the app

Designed for Government of Saudi Arabia

Collaborated as Senior Product Designer

Duration : 8 months

The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) is one of Saudi Arabia's largest institutional investors, managing social protection services like pensions, injury compensation, and unemployment benefits. With assets around SAR 1.3 trillion (USD 350 billion), GOSI invests in real estate, capital markets, and private equity to ensure long-term financial security for workers in both public and private sectors.

🚧 Repeat nafath login

📱 No native apps

🧱 Maze of services

🌎 Browser compatible

🇸🇦 No RTL

🧐🦻👁️👨🏻 Accessibility support

👨🏻‍👩🏻‍👦🏻‍👦🏻 No user-centric

⚠️ No Support

🔎 No track of status

😤 User frustrations

🔗 App fragmentation

🔓 No bio-metric

The new GOSI 2.0 app will deliver an all-in-one, user-centered experience, combining 100+ services in a streamlined super-app for Saudi citizens to manage their social insurance benefits and contributions seamlessly. Designed for easy navigation and dynamic, personalized landing screens based on user type—such as private sector employees, public sector workers, contributors, and SANED beneficiaries—the app provides tailored experiences and real-time updates. This project will produce native applications for all marketplaces, prioritizing accessibility features like voice-over support and color-blind compatibility to ensure inclusivity for all users. A conversational interface will further enhance service interaction, making GOSI services more convenient and responsive.

In the early stages, our team was still forming and faced challenges accessing data from the existing teams. As the designer, I initiated an extensive research phase, engaging with multiple departments to gather and analyze live data from the GOSI website. This research was carefully dcumented to create a structured repository, which served as a crucial foundation for our design process and was shared in stakeholder meetings to align project goals, clarify user needs, and ensure transparency in our progress. UX Researchers and Project Managers were the main people helped me from this situation.

My research highlighted the absence of a true native app, as the existing app was a PWA.

Customer support was inadequate when users applied for services.

There was no way for users to track the services they had selected.

Both the current app and website suffered from performance issues.

About 8% of users had disabilities (e.g., color blindness, hearing impairment, or blindness).

Over 55% of users were aged 55 or older.

Female employment was rising significantly in Saudi Arabia.

This project was an iterative process, with around 45% of our time dedicated to discussions with stakeholders to address pain points and insights uncovered through my research. In our first meeting, I presented the primary issues users faced, establishing a baseline for improvement. This initial discussion, along with subsequent meetings, brought valuable insights and solutions for our design approach. Stakeholders included high-level decision-makers, such as the CIO, Assistant Governor, Senior Managers, Project Managers, and technical teams. For most challenges, I was able to define solutions and initiate the design process, but stakeholder meetings remained our key strategy for realignment whenever obstacles arose. These sessions ensured all perspectives were considered, fostering alignment and responsiveness throughout the project.

After the first stakeholder meeting, my team and I conducted foundational research through in-person user interviews to better understand the real challenges faced by GOSI users. We visited a GOSI public office, where we invited individuals to participate in brief 15-minute interviews, offering small gifts as tokens of appreciation. This outreach allowed us to connect directly with 8 users, gaining firsthand insight into their experiences and pain points with GOSI services. To guide these interviews, we prepared a list of targeted questions designed to explore specific issues users encountered, such as difficulties in accessing services, navigation challenges, and areas where they felt the app could be more responsive to their needs. We also prepared demonstration materials, including potential feature mock-ups and example flows, to gather feedback on proposed improvements. Through these conversations, we gathered detailed insights into user frustrations and ideas for enhancement. This feedback provided our team with a clearer picture of user expectations and needs, empowering us to make informed design decisions for the GOSI 2.0 version. The interview findings not only reinforced the need for a streamlined, accessible app but also highlighted new areas for innovation in creating a more supportive and intuitive user experience. Hence we started to create the vision and solution UX for 2.0 version.

Age group : 15-65

Nationality : Saudi & Non-Saudi

As a contributor in the private sector, they would be required to make regular contributions to the GOSI system through payroll deductions from their employer. These contributions help fund the social insurance programs provided by GOSI, such as retirement pensions, unemployment insurance (SANED), and occupational hazard coverage.

Expected actions : Authorize Contract, Submit E-inspection Requests, Print Certificates, Apply for benefit, Modify job title, Report un-registered engagement, Request RPA GOSI to PPA, Return lump sum benefit, Return unlawfully paid benefit

Age group : 40 - till death

Nationality : Saudi

As a retired individual in the public sector, one would no longer be a contributor to the PPA system and would instead be receiving benefits based on the contributions made during their working years. The amount of the pension provided by GOSI is based on factors such as the individual's earnings history and length of participation in the PPA system and age at retirement.

Expected actions : Print Certificates, Manage Financial Details, Return to work notification under civil/ military law

Age group : 40 - till death

Nationality : Saudi & Non-Saudi

As a retired individual in the private sector, one would no longer be a contributor to the GOSI system and would instead be receiving benefits based on the contributions made during their working years. The amount of the pension provided by GOSI is based on factors such as the individual's earnings history and length of participation in the GOSI system.

Expected actions : Print Certificates, Manage Financial Details, Add/modify Dependents, Add/remove bank hold, Approve/reject medical broad disability assessment

Age group : 0 - till death

Nationality : Saudi

As an heir in the public sector, one would typically be a family member of the deceased pensioner and may be eligible to receive heir benefits such as a monthly pension or a lump-sum payment. The amount of the survivor benefits provided by PPA is typically based on factors such as the pensioner's earnings history, length of service, and age at the time of death, as well as the relationship between the pensioner and the heir.

Expected actions : Print Certificates, Modify bank details, Apply for heir benefit, Extend benefit (for male heirs), Remove benefit hold, Modify heirs details, Stop benefit

With our research and documented findings in hand, we had a solid foundation to start building a user-centered approach for the GOSI app. I began by crafting detailed user flows that focused on simplifying interactions and removing unnecessary clutter, while still respecting essential security requirements. This user flow was our first iteration, and while it served as a guiding structure, it evolved significantly as we progressed through the design phase. Rather than designing a single, overarching user flow, I broke it down into scenario-based flows tailored to specific user tasks, such as first time log in, benefits, pensioners, contributors or updating account information. This modular approach allowed us to address each scenario's unique needs, optimising clarity and efficiency for users at every step. We presented these user flows to the stakeholders, including the CIO, project managers, and technical leads, to ensure alignment and gather input. After a few minor refinements based on their feedback, we received approval to proceed, allowing us to confidently move into the next stage of design with clear objectives and stakeholder support.

During the UX phase, we mapped data for eligible users to create a personalized experience, developing a tabular matrix to specify access for each user group.

Following intensive brainstorming with my team, I created wireframes for the main landing screen and select components or widgets. The focus wasn’t solely on wireframing, as we already had the flow and were asked by the operations team to retain most of the existing structure. These wireframes served primarily for internal testing and demos, helping us refine the design further.

Finally, we moved on to crafting the visual experience. The GOSI brand team had strict requirements for design style, so I carefully curated a direction that adhered to brand guidelines while ensuring a user-friendly experience.

Inspirations

✅ Minimalism : We began with a minimalist approach for the 2.0 app, creating a clean layout and a more text-focused interface than the current app. (Approved style)

Gradient : Given our trendier, more vibrant color scheme, we decided to incorporate gradient shades from the branding palette.

Dark Mode : To enhance visual contrast on our text-heavy interface, we felt that adding a dark mode option would be a logical choice.

3d : 3D brings out the real-world shapes and highlights of objects, so we decided to experiment with it for icons and illustrations.

Brutalism : Given our text-heavy interface, we felt that a brutalist approach would give the application a bold and strong presence.

Glassmorphism : Ultimately, this collection was inspired by iOS and Vision OS, serving as a forward-looking approach. We decided to incorporate elements of this style as a reference.

2. Colors

Close collaboration with London based branding agency : TQ Branding

3. Fonts

During GOSI’s major rebranding, I had the opportunity to work secretly with the London-based Turquoise Branding team before the official launch. My role was to support the GOSI branding team in refining new colors and typography for digital screens and UI design, collaborating closely with entire branding team, legal team, including the product owner and business executives, to ensure everything aligned seamlessly with the brand’s refreshed identity.

4. Design Systems

Approved by

During the redesign phase, I identified the need for a comprehensive design system built from the ground up. Following the design direction, I developed a design systems repository along with UI components, branding it as 'GOSI Pixel.' I made this resource accessible to all internal GOSI departments to ensure consistency across teams. Additionally, I collaborated with stakeholders from the DGA, Saudi Arabia, to refine the design language through multiple iterations, ultimately securing DGA approval.

While designing the UI, I explored various inspirations for the new homepage. Although the direction was minimalistic, I also considered approaches aligned with current market trends. The homepage needed to be highly accessible and encompass all essential information. I drew inspiration from both dark and light themes within the new branding, as well as from Apple's Vision OS to consider future integration and align with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. Working closely with the business owner, Assistant Governor, and other top-level stakeholders, I developed multiple approaches to incorporate their unique perspectives.

Finally, I brought together all processes and design directions into a UI that offers a fresh, user-friendly experience for everyone, especially users over 60 years of age, making new features easily accessible. The design follows a minimalistic approach aligned with the new GOSI branding style.

Also, explore smart watch app.

Accessibility is one of the key features we aimed to introduce in version 2.0, with the goal of creating an inclusive design that serves all users. To support this, we added sign language for Deaf and hard-of-hearing Arabic speakers, allowing them to engage more fully. Currently, this feature is limited to Arabic Sign Language (ArSL). I had the privilege of meeting a Deaf gentleman who kindly recorded a video to help us implement these features. Here are a few examples below.

During GOSI's rebranding, I focused intensively on color choices, particularly to support users with color blindness. I reviewed all color modes, with special attention to the most common types—Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and grayscale. For every design, we ensured that colors provided optimal contrast in these modes to enhance accessibility for all users.

It was a pleasure to see the new version widely downloaded across all marketplaces. What surprised us, however, was that 60% of our users in Saudi Arabia were on Huawei devices, so we have been optimizing the application to ensure a seamless experience for them. Survey Report till June 01, 2024

Thank you