Bindu Prahlad
DUBAI MASTER DEVELOPER · LIVE ON IOS AND ANDROID
Designing a Leading Dubai Real Estate Developer’s Own Property App.
My team and I designed the app for one of Dubai’s largest real estate developers, end to end: research, product decisions, visual direction, every screen, and testing.
SECTOR
Real Estate
MARKET
Dubai
MY ROLE
Design Lead
STAKEHOLDERS
C-Suite
TOOLS
Figma · FigJam · Miro
THE STORY
The brief was a resident app for one of Dubai’s largest real estate developers: pay, request, book, buy. The product work went to plan. Then we reached visual direction. Round one, not approved. Round two, not approved. Round three, not approved. Every review ended with “I don’t like it”, and the project slipped by weeks.
WHERE IT WENT WRONG
Three Rounds. Three Rejections.
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Manage Your Properties with Ease
Effortlessly manage all your properties from one convenient portal
Ar
My Properties
View All
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
Next Services
View All
Cleaning Services
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
Sun, 14
09:00 AM
Cleaning Services
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
Sun, 14
09:00 AM
Dashboard
Explore
More
Payment
Villanova Townhouse
1,000,000
AED
Next instalments 12/06/2024
Payment
Villanova Townhouse
5,000
AED
Next instalments 12/06/2024
Annoucement
Join us for a community BBQ on July 15th
24 May 2024
Hello, Nawaf!
Here’s what we have for you today.
ND
Quick Access
View All
Financials
Services
Payments
Villanova Townhouse
1,000,000/ 3,200,000
AED
Next instalments 12/06/2024
Pay now
Statements
Accounts
Latest transactions
View All
One River Point
600,000 AED
02/03/2024
One River Point
400,000 AED
02/03/2024
Art Bay
200,000 AED
02/03/2024
Tools & services
Complaints
Appointments
Requests
Rental yield calculator
Book Amenities
My property
All
Owner
Tenant
3 owned apartments
Villanova La Rosa, Villanova community
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
3,200,000
AED
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
2,010,000
AED
Mudon Al Salam, Mudon community
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
1,900,000
AED
NOT APPROVED
Round 1 · Elegant Darkness
Opulence, precision and sophistication in dark mode. Rich, deep colours and metallic finishes.
Sign up
Log in
Continue as guest
Ar
Manage your properties with ease
Effortlessly manage all your properties from one convenient portal
Quick Access
Amenities
Services
Payment
Request
Invoice
Request
Registration
Appointment
Move In/Out
Contacts
My hub
Home
My hub
More
My properties
All
Owner
Tenant
5 owned apartments
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200
AED
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
ND
Nawaf Dahdah
Villanova Townhouse
4th installment
5,000
AED
1,000,000
AED
3,200,000
AED
Installment due 12/06/2024
My properties
View all
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2,200
AED
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200
AED
Explore properties
View all
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200
AED
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2,200
AED
Home
My hub
More
Services
Access services for optimal living comfort
Modification
Services
Payment
Request
Invoice
Latest transactions
View all
One River Point
02/03/2024
600,000
AED
Art Bay
02/03/2024
2,200
AED
One River Point
02/03/2024
200,000
AED
Owned
Villanova Townhouse
4th installment
5,000
AED
1,000,000
AED
3,200,000
AED
Installment due 12/06/2024
Pay now
NOT APPROVED
Round 2 · Bold Vision
Bold forms, dynamic gradients and clean precision, in light and dark mode.
Ar
Manage Your Properties with Ease
Effortlessly manage all your properties from one convenient portal
Sign Up
Log In
Continue as Guest
Hello, Nawaf!
Explore Property
View All
Villanova La Rosa, Villanova community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
3 beds
3 baths
2,182 sqm
Mudon Al Salam, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
My properties
View All
Villanova Townhouse
1,000,000/ 3,200,000
AED
4th installment due 12-06-2024
Pay Now
My Hub
Quick Access
Amenities
Services
Payment
Request
Registration
Appointment
Move In/Out
Villanova La Rosa, Villanova community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
3,150 AED
6 months
3 beds
3 baths
2,182 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
3,150 AED
6 months
3 beds
3 baths
2,182 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
3,150 AED
6 months
Search by property
All
Owner
Tenant
5 owned apartments
My properties
View All
Villanova Townhouse
4th installment
5,000
AED
1,000,000
AED
3,200,000
AED
Installment due 12/06/2024
Pay Now
Explore Property
View All
Villanova La Rosa, Villanova community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
3 beds
3 baths
2,182 sqm
Mudon Al Salam, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Hello, Nawaf!
Home
My Hub
More
Rented
201, Madinat Jumeirah Living, Lamaa 1
Villanova Townhouse
5,000
AED
Payment due 12/06/2024
3 days left
Pay now
Services
Access services for optimal living comfort
Modification
Maintenance
Move In/Out
Amenities
Report issue
Access
Latest transactions
View All
One River Point
600,000 AED
02/03/2024
One River Point
400,000 AED
02/03/2024
Art Bay
200,000 AED
02/03/2024
NOT APPROVED
Round 3 · Comfort
Rounded, warm and approachable. Modern, joyful, human.
WHERE IT WENT WRONG
Three Rounds. Three Rejections.
Sign In
Log In
Continue as Guest
Manage Your Properties with Ease
Effortlessly manage all your properties from one convenient portal
Ar
My Properties
View All
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
Next Services
View All
Cleaning Services
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
Sun, 14
09:00 AM
Cleaning Services
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
Sun, 14
09:00 AM
Dashboard
Explore
More
Payment
Villanova Townhouse
1,000,000
AED
Next instalments 12/06/2024
Payment
Villanova Townhouse
5,000
AED
Next instalments 12/06/2024
Annoucement
Join us for a community BBQ on July 15th
24 May 2024
Hello, Nawaf!
Here’s what we have for you today.
ND
Quick Access
View All
Financials
Services
Payments
Villanova Townhouse
1,000,000/ 3,200,000
AED
Next instalments 12/06/2024
Pay now
Statements
Accounts
Latest transactions
View All
One River Point
600,000 AED
02/03/2024
One River Point
400,000 AED
02/03/2024
Art Bay
200,000 AED
02/03/2024
Tools & services
Complaints
Appointments
Requests
Rental yield calculator
Book Amenities
My property
All
Owner
Tenant
3 owned apartments
Villanova La Rosa, Villanova community
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
3,200,000
AED
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
2,010,000
AED
Mudon Al Salam, Mudon community
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
1,900,000
AED
NOT APPROVED
Round 1 · Elegant Darkness
Opulence, precision and sophistication in dark mode. Rich, deep colours and metallic finishes.
Sign up
Log in
Continue as guest
Ar
Manage your properties with ease
Effortlessly manage all your properties from one convenient portal
Quick Access
Amenities
Services
Payment
Request
Invoice
Request
Registration
Appointment
Move In/Out
Contacts
My hub
Home
My hub
More
My properties
All
Owner
Tenant
5 owned apartments
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200
AED
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
ND
Nawaf Dahdah
Villanova Townhouse
4th installment
5,000
AED
1,000,000
AED
3,200,000
AED
Installment due 12/06/2024
My properties
View all
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2,200
AED
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200
AED
Explore properties
View all
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Villanova Townhouse, Mudon community
2,200
AED
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2,200
AED
Home
My hub
More
Services
Access services for optimal living comfort
Modification
Services
Payment
Request
Invoice
Latest transactions
View all
One River Point
02/03/2024
600,000
AED
Art Bay
02/03/2024
2,200
AED
One River Point
02/03/2024
200,000
AED
Owned
Villanova Townhouse
4th installment
5,000
AED
1,000,000
AED
3,200,000
AED
Installment due 12/06/2024
Pay now
NOT APPROVED
Round 2 · Bold Vision
Bold forms, dynamic gradients and clean precision, in light and dark mode.
Ar
Manage Your Properties with Ease
Effortlessly manage all your properties from one convenient portal
Sign Up
Log In
Continue as Guest
Hello, Nawaf!
Explore Property
View All
Villanova La Rosa, Villanova community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
3 beds
3 baths
2,182 sqm
Mudon Al Salam, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
My properties
View All
Villanova Townhouse
1,000,000/ 3,200,000
AED
4th installment due 12-06-2024
Pay Now
My Hub
Quick Access
Amenities
Services
Payment
Request
Registration
Appointment
Move In/Out
Villanova La Rosa, Villanova community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
3,150 AED
6 months
3 beds
3 baths
2,182 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
3,150 AED
6 months
3 beds
3 baths
2,182 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
3,150 AED
6 months
Search by property
All
Owner
Tenant
5 owned apartments
My properties
View All
Villanova Townhouse
4th installment
5,000
AED
1,000,000
AED
3,200,000
AED
Installment due 12/06/2024
Pay Now
Explore Property
View All
Villanova La Rosa, Villanova community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
4 baths
1,020 sqm
Mudon Al Naseem, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
3 beds
3 baths
2,182 sqm
Mudon Al Salam, Mudon community
2,200 AED
8 months
2 beds
2 baths
1,000 sqm
Hello, Nawaf!
Home
My Hub
More
Rented
201, Madinat Jumeirah Living, Lamaa 1
Villanova Townhouse
5,000
AED
Payment due 12/06/2024
3 days left
Pay now
Services
Access services for optimal living comfort
Modification
Maintenance
Move In/Out
Amenities
Report issue
Access
Latest transactions
View All
One River Point
600,000 AED
02/03/2024
One River Point
400,000 AED
02/03/2024
Art Bay
200,000 AED
02/03/2024
NOT APPROVED
Round 3 · Comfort
Rounded, warm and approachable. Modern, joyful, human.
THE STEP BACK
The problem was not the directions. Nobody had said what a visual direction is for.
A direction is not a look you like or don’t. It is a decision about what the brand should make people feel and do. Apple’s restraint signals precision. Spotify’s colour signals energy. So for the final round I changed the review, not the designs.
HOW I REBUILT THE REVIEW
I Went Back to Where Visual Styles Come From.
Every style has a place in a hierarchy: a movement with a date and a place, the broad territory it belongs to, the current aesthetic it lives in today, and the direction made for this brand. I kept the four apart, so a reviewer always knew what they were looking at and where it came from.
MOVEMENT
Editorial Serif · 1930s
↓
TERRITORY
Editorial
↓
AESTHETIC
Warm property photography
↓
DIRECTION
A Sip of Freshness
MOVEMENT
Swiss Style · 1957
↓
TERRITORY
Minimalism
↓
AESTHETIC
Editorial dark UI
↓
DIRECTION
Dark Editorial
LIVE APP
MOVEMENT
Flat UI · 2013
↓
TERRITORY
Flat
↓
AESTHETIC
Enterprise product UI
↓
DIRECTION
Light and Structured
THE THREE DIRECTIONS
Three New Directions, Side by Side.
Before showing anything, I walked the client through where each style comes from, which successful products use it and why it works for them, and why a visual direction is a strategic choice, not a matter of taste. Then three new directions went on the table.
A Sip of Freshness
WARM · NATURAL · CALM · FROM EDITORIAL SERIF · 1930S
WHY IT COULD WORK
Warm photography and natural tones make the app feel like home, not the developer’s office.
THE TRADE-OFF
Close to every property portal on the market. Goes generic fast.
BEST FOR
Warmth and Familiarity
TYPE
Serif + Clean Sans
DENSITY
Airy
REFERENCES
Aman · Airbnb · Rightmove
Trust
Utility
Premium
Differentiation
Scalability
Dark Editorial
LIVE APP
PRECISE · PREMIUM · QUIET · FROM SWISS STYLE · 1957
WHY IT COULD WORK
Premium without shouting. A dark ground makes the developer’s own photography the hero, and it matches the tone of the new brand.
THE TRADE-OFF
Needs strong imagery and disciplined type. Dark mode has to hold contrast on payments and forms.
BEST FOR
Credibility and Premium
TYPE
Light Grotesque Sans
DENSITY
Airy
REFERENCES
Apple · Spotify · Damac Living
Trust
Utility
Premium
Differentiation
Scalability
Light and Structured
CLEAR · UTILITY · SYSTEMATIC · FROM FLAT UI · 2013
WHY IT COULD WORK
Utility first and the clearest hierarchy of the three. The easiest to scale across sub-brands and languages.
THE TRADE-OFF
Brand blocks read as a brochure. The least distinctive of the three.
BEST FOR
Clarity and Scale
TYPE
Bold Sans
DENSITY
Grounded
REFERENCES
Rightmove · Damac Living · Banking Apps
Trust
Utility
Premium
Differentiation
Scalability
THE DECISION
Presented to the CMO. Tested with Residents. Then Decided.
With the research done and the three directions built, I presented them to the client’s CMO as a strategic choice: what each one is best for, its pros and cons, and what it would cost the brand to choose it. The conversation was about fit, not taste.
In parallel, we put all three in front of a small group of residents. They preferred Dark Editorial. It felt the most premium to them, the photography made the properties feel real, and the dark ground was easier on the eye for an app they open in the evening to pay and check on things.
With the CMO’s reading and the residents’ preference pointing the same way, the client went ahead with the second direction. It is the app in the stores today.
PRODUCT DECISIONS MADE
Three Decisions That Shaped the App.
01
Put Sales Inside the Service App.
The client wanted a service-only app. Residents open it every month to pay, so I made it the place they see new launches too.
02
One App for Four User Types.
Owner, investor, tenant and buyer. Research showed the same person is often two of these at once.
03
Show Status Instead of Taking Calls.
Construction progress, request status, approvals and payments visible in the app, so residents stop phoning to ask.
WHAT SHIPPED
What Shipped.
Live on the App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery. Payments, service requests, bookings, approvals and new launches in one place. Light and dark, English and Arabic.
Top: mobile, dark and light. Bottom: the web app.
IMPACT
What It Changed.
FOR THE CLIENT’S DECISIONS
3 → 1
3 Rejected Rounds, Then One Review.
Argued on lineage, fit and trade-offs, the same room approved in a single meeting.
FOR THE BRAND
3 · 2 · 2
Sub-Brands, Themes, Languages.
One direction now holds across three sub-brands, light and dark, English and Arabic.
FOR RESIDENTS
10
Residents Tested. One Clear Preference.
They chose the strategic direction: premium, real-looking properties, easy on the eye at night.
FOR THE ROADMAP
3
Platforms, One Decision.
Mobile, web and tablet were built on the direction approved once, without reopening the debate.
NOT BUILT
A community social feed. It was requested, and it would have distracted from an app whose job is to get things done.
Stay Curious. Keep Moving.
DUBAI MASTER DEVELOPER · LIVE ON IOS AND ANDROID
Designing a Leading Dubai Real Estate Developer’s Own Property App.
My team and I designed the app for one of Dubai’s largest real estate developers, end to end: research, product decisions, visual direction, every screen, and testing.
SECTOR
Real Estate
MARKET
Dubai
MY ROLE
Design Lead
STAKEHOLDERS
C-Suite
TOOLS
Figma · FigJam · Miro
THE STORY
The brief was a resident app for one of Dubai’s largest real estate developers: pay, request, book, buy. The product work went to plan. Then we reached visual direction. Round one, not approved. Round two, not approved. Round three, not approved. Every review ended with “I don’t like it”, and the project slipped by weeks.
WHERE IT WENT WRONG
Three Rounds. Three Rejections.
NOT APPROVED
Round 1 · Elegant Darkness
Opulence, precision and sophistication in dark mode. Rich, deep colours and metallic finishes.
NOT APPROVED
Round 2 · Bold Vision
Bold forms, dynamic gradients and clean precision, in light and dark mode.
NOT APPROVED
Round 3 · Comfort
Rounded, warm and approachable. Modern, joyful, human.
THE STEP BACK
The problem was not the directions. Nobody had said what a visual direction is for.
A direction is not a look you like or don’t. It is a decision about what the brand should make people feel and do. Apple’s restraint signals precision. Spotify’s colour signals energy. So for the final round I changed the review, not the designs.
HOW I REBUILT THE REVIEW
I Went Back to Where Visual Styles Come From.
Every style has a place in a hierarchy: a movement with a date and a place, the broad territory it belongs to, the current aesthetic it lives in today, and the direction made for this brand. I kept the four apart, so a reviewer always knew what they were looking at and where it came from.
1900
1930
1960
1990
2020
today
Vienna Secession
Futurism
De Stijl
Bauhaus
Art Deco
Editorial Serif
Constructivism
Mid-century
Swiss Style
Pop Art
Psychedelic
Brutalism
Memphis
Grunge
Y2K
Flat UI
Neo-Brutalist
Soft Bento
MOVEMENT
TERRITORY
AESTHETIC
DIRECTION
Editorial
a family of related looks
Warm property photography
2015 →
A Sip of Freshness
from Editorial Serif · 1930s
Minimalism
a family of related looks
Editorial dark UI
2019 →
Dark Editorial
LIVE APP
from Swiss Style · 1957
Flat
a family of related looks
Enterprise product UI
2013 →
Light and Structured
from Flat UI · 2013
THE THREE DIRECTIONS
Three New Directions, Side by Side.
Before showing anything, I walked the client through where each style comes from, which successful products use it and why it works for them, and why a visual direction is a strategic choice, not a matter of taste. Then three new directions went on the table.
A Sip of Freshness
WARM · NATURAL · CALM · FROM EDITORIAL SERIF · 1930S
WHY IT COULD WORK
Warm photography and natural tones make the app feel like home, not the developer’s office.
THE TRADE-OFF
Close to every property portal on the market. Goes generic fast.
BEST FOR
Warmth and Familiarity
TYPE
Serif + Clean Sans
DENSITY
Airy
REFERENCES
Aman · Airbnb · Rightmove
Trust
Utility
Premium
Differentiation
Scalability
Dark Editorial
LIVE APP
PRECISE · PREMIUM · QUIET · FROM SWISS STYLE · 1957
WHY IT COULD WORK
Premium without shouting. A dark ground makes the developer’s own photography the hero, and it matches the tone of the new brand.
THE TRADE-OFF
Needs strong imagery and disciplined type. Dark mode has to hold contrast on payments and forms.
BEST FOR
Credibility and Premium
TYPE
Light Grotesque Sans
DENSITY
Airy
REFERENCES
Apple · Spotify · Damac Living
Trust
Utility
Premium
Differentiation
Scalability
Light and Structured
CLEAR · UTILITY · SYSTEMATIC · FROM FLAT UI · 2013
WHY IT COULD WORK
Utility first and the clearest hierarchy of the three. The easiest to scale across sub-brands and languages.
THE TRADE-OFF
Brand blocks read as a brochure. The least distinctive of the three.
BEST FOR
Clarity and Scale
TYPE
Bold Sans
DENSITY
Grounded
REFERENCES
Rightmove · Damac Living · Banking Apps
Trust
Utility
Premium
Differentiation
Scalability
THE DECISION
Presented to the CMO. Tested with Residents. Then Decided.
With the research done and the three directions built, I presented them to the client’s CMO as a strategic choice: what each one is best for, its pros and cons, and what it would cost the brand to choose it. The conversation was about fit, not taste.
In parallel, we put all three in front of a small group of residents. They preferred Dark Editorial. It felt the most premium to them, the photography made the properties feel real, and the dark ground was easier on the eye for an app they open in the evening to pay and check on things.
With the CMO’s reading and the residents’ preference pointing the same way, the client went ahead with the second direction. It is the app in the stores today.
PRODUCT DECISIONS MADE
Three Decisions That Shaped the App.
01
Put Sales Inside the Service App.
The client wanted a service-only app. Residents open it every month to pay, so I made it the place they see new launches too.
02
One App for Four User Types.
Owner, investor, tenant and buyer. Research showed the same person is often two of these at once.
03
Show Status Instead of Taking Calls.
Construction progress, request status, approvals and payments visible in the app, so residents stop phoning to ask.
WHAT SHIPPED
What Shipped.
Live on the App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery. Payments, service requests, bookings, approvals and new launches in one place. Light and dark, English and Arabic.
Top: mobile, dark and light. Bottom: the web app.
IMPACT
What It Changed.
FOR THE CLIENT’S DECISIONS
3 → 1
3 Rejected Rounds, Then One Review.
Argued on lineage, fit and trade-offs, the same room approved in a single meeting.
FOR THE BRAND
3 · 2 · 2
Sub-Brands, Themes, Languages.
One direction now holds across three sub-brands, light and dark, English and Arabic.
FOR RESIDENTS
10
Residents Tested. One Clear Preference.
They chose the strategic direction: premium, real-looking properties, easy on the eye at night.
FOR THE ROADMAP
3
Platforms, One Decision.
Mobile, web and tablet were built on the direction approved once, without reopening the debate.
NOT BUILT
A community social feed. It was requested, and it would have distracted from an app whose job is to get things done.
Stay curious. Keep moving.