Dari.ae
This project, backed by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, turned a dense, paper‑based regulatory process, one that required visiting government offices, into a user friendly online experience, allowing owners to buy, sell and lease property all without visiting offices in-person, or filling out a paper form.
Abu Dhabi
Real Estate, Government
Real Estate Owners, Landlords and Tenants
Product Design
Information Architecture
Challenge
Before DARI, Abu Dhabi's real estate sector relied on fragmented manual records. Registering a simple lease (especially a lease over 4 years) was an administrative bottleneck.
3+ Physical Government office visits required.
Multiple manual form-filling prone to high error rates.
Paper-based legal contracts with no digital audit trail.
Complex branching rules for different entity types (Gov vs. Private vs. Diplomat) buried in legal text.
Strategy
The strategy is to keep users from feeling overwhelmed. By using progressive disclosure, we show complex items, like trade licences or ministerial approvals, only when a user’s specific context calls for them. This keeps the experience simple and fast, helping users stay focused and finish transactions more quickly.
Results
The platform successfully consolidated fragmented services into a single ecosystem, becoming Abu Dhabi's trusted "One-Stop-Shop" for real estate. It reduced administrative overhead and error rates across all 35+ core services.
5 Mins
Digital Processing Time
0
Office Visits Required
100%
Digital Audit Trail
Process
Research & Analysis: We conducted user interviews, surveys, and analyzed in-app analytics to understand the pain points and user needs. We also studied competitor apps and industry trends to gather insights
Information Architecture: We restructured the department's legal manual into a streamlined digital navigation system. Prioritizing features like "Lease Registration" for the MVP, we ensured that the IA could scale to include sales, mortgages, and auctions without overwhelming the user.
Wireframing & Prototyping: We designed low-fidelity wireframes to visualize the new layout and navigation, iteratively refining them based on user feedback. Afterward, we built a high-fidelity, interactive prototype to test the design.
Usability Testing: We conducted usability tests with a diverse group of users to validate the design and identify areas for improvement. Based on the feedback, we made necessary adjustments to the design.
Visual Design & Style Guide: We developed a cohesive visual language that blended government authority with modern digital efficiency. This included a comprehensive style guide—standardizing iconography, color schemes (balancing trust and action), and typography—to ensure consistency across DARI's growing suite of services.
Owner, Tenant and Department of Municipalities and Transport were all stakeholders. A contract initiated by landlord, had to be approved by the tenant and once both parties are in agreement, the Department of Municipalities and Transport had the final say. All of this was done through the same Dari.ae website.
Conclusion
Real estate developers, banks, owners, tenants, and the Department of Municipalities and Transport can now collaborate effortlessly through a single, user‑friendly online portal, for mortgages, agreements, leases, and property sales. What once was a confusing stack of forms is now a simple, step‑by‑step journey for anyone.