Culture & Ethnography
Batch Pull – Task Dashboard
Academic Project
Role: UX Designer + Researcher
Duration: 1 month
Problem Statement
A UX case study where I tried to translate tradition into interface. Spoiler: there was a lot of sand, and a lot of scrolling.
Dubai Heritage Village is this beautiful, open-air cultural space where you can wander through maritime exhibits, desert farming setups, and traditional crafts being practiced live. But online? It barely existed.
There was no proper website, no structure, and honestly, no story. Visitors (especially tourists) couldn’t figure out what it was or why they should care.
The challenge was to design something that didn’t just give directions and opening times, but something that felt like the place. Something that respected the culture and gave people a reason to show up.
Approach & Research Style
Applying Ethnographic Methods to uncover cultural insights
I didn’t send out surveys or run usability tests this time. Instead, I put on my researcher hat and approached this like an anthropologist with a Figma tab open.
What I did:
I explored travel vlogs, visitor reviews, and photo essays.
I read up on Dubai’s cultural preservation efforts.
I mapped out the kinds of materials and rhythms you find across the village: rope, palm fronds, textiles, slow-moving crafts.
I paid attention to emotional cues, how people talked about their visits, what stuck with them, what made them smile.
This was contextual inquiry and ethnographic research at its most digital. No interviews, but lots of careful listening.
Research Findings
This concept is more than just a space; it’s about reading behavior, observing unspoken interactions, and understanding how culture influences engagement.
After conducting contextual inquiry and analyzing vlogs, visitor reviews, and walkthrough footage, I began noticing patterns that weren’t about what people said, but what they did. People didn’t move through the Heritage Village like users clicking links on a website. They wandered, paused, revisited spaces, and responded emotionally to the textures, sounds, and atmosphere around them.
It became clear that I wasn’t designing for a task-based interaction but I was designing for a spatial, emotional journey. These findings directly influenced how I approached the site’s structure and user flow.
Research Findings
This concept is more than just a space; it’s about reading behavior, observing unspoken interactions, and understanding how culture influences engagement.
After conducting contextual inquiry and analyzing vlogs, visitor reviews, and walkthrough footage, I began noticing patterns that weren’t about what people said, but what they did. People didn’t move through the Heritage Village like users clicking links on a website. They wandered, paused, revisited spaces, and responded emotionally to the textures, sounds, and atmosphere around them.
It became clear that I wasn’t designing for a task-based interaction but I was designing for a spatial, emotional journey. These findings directly influenced how I approached the site’s structure and user flow.
01
Exploration was non-linear
Users moved freely between spaces, often circling back rather than progressing step by step
02
Emotional Engagement
Visitors were drawn to tactile experiences, rope, pottery, weaving, which slowed down their pace.
03
Cultural Knowledge
Most users lacked historical context and needed visual storytelling to feel connected and informed.
Designing the Structure
Instead of building flat menu items, I created a structure that reflects zones of experience.
Each cultural space became a primary section in the navigation, just as it is in real life. This allowed users to visually and intuitively enter the heritage story from whichever point captured their interest.
Starting with sticky notes that captured user needs, cultural cues, and experience goals, then evolving into a zone-based information architecture that mirrors how people naturally move through the Heritage Village
Ideations
Sketching out how culture could feel on a screen.
This phase was where I began translating everything I’d learned, the cultural rhythm, the emotional pacing, the way people moved through the Heritage Village into early design concepts. Instead of starting with polished visuals, I kept it intentionally rough and open-ended using low-fidelity mockups.
Each wireframe was a way to test an idea quickly:
What if users could scroll through the site like they’d walk through the Village?
How could zones feel distinct, but still part of one shared story?
Could I let visuals and layout carry cultural meaning, without overwhelming the interface?
These sketches helped me define the structure, layout rhythm, and key content blocks. They weren’t about visual perfection , they were about translating place and pace into a web experience.
Visual Identity
Bringing heritage to life through soft, grounded design choices
The visual language of Stories in Sand was inspired by the textures, tones, and emotional quiet of the Dubai Heritage Village. Every visual decision from color to typography, was made to reflect a sense of place that feels calm, grounded, and respectful of culture.
Final Mockups
From research to rhythm, a digital space that feels like the real one.
These high-fidelity screens combine cultural insight with calm design. Each page invites exploration through soft tones, intuitive structure, and immersive imagery reflecting the quiet, open rhythm of the Heritage Village itself.
High-fidelity mockups showcasing key design decisions, from visual storytelling and cultural tone to content flow and user-centered structure.
Reflections
Reflections
From Research to Resonance
Through 12+ hours of cultural research and 3 rounds of design iteration, I learned how to translate real-world emotion into digital rhythm. Crafting 6 high-fidelity screens taught me to balance storytelling with structure and design not just for users, but for meaning.
More Works
©2025
More Works
©2025
Culture & Ethnography
Batch Pull – Task Dashboard
Academic Project
Role: UX Designer + Researcher
Duration: 1 month
Problem Statement
A UX case study where I tried to translate tradition into interface. Spoiler: there was a lot of sand, and a lot of scrolling.
Dubai Heritage Village is this beautiful, open-air cultural space where you can wander through maritime exhibits, desert farming setups, and traditional crafts being practiced live. But online? It barely existed.
There was no proper website, no structure, and honestly, no story. Visitors (especially tourists) couldn’t figure out what it was or why they should care.
The challenge was to design something that didn’t just give directions and opening times, but something that felt like the place. Something that respected the culture and gave people a reason to show up.
Approach & Research Style
Applying Ethnographic Methods to uncover cultural insights
I didn’t send out surveys or run usability tests this time. Instead, I put on my researcher hat and approached this like an anthropologist with a Figma tab open.
What I did:
I explored travel vlogs, visitor reviews, and photo essays.
I read up on Dubai’s cultural preservation efforts.
I mapped out the kinds of materials and rhythms you find across the village: rope, palm fronds, textiles, slow-moving crafts.
I paid attention to emotional cues, how people talked about their visits, what stuck with them, what made them smile.
This was contextual inquiry and ethnographic research at its most digital. No interviews, but lots of careful listening.
Research Findings
This concept is more than just a space; it’s about reading behavior, observing unspoken interactions, and understanding how culture influences engagement.
After conducting contextual inquiry and analyzing vlogs, visitor reviews, and walkthrough footage, I began noticing patterns that weren’t about what people said, but what they did. People didn’t move through the Heritage Village like users clicking links on a website. They wandered, paused, revisited spaces, and responded emotionally to the textures, sounds, and atmosphere around them.
It became clear that I wasn’t designing for a task-based interaction but I was designing for a spatial, emotional journey. These findings directly influenced how I approached the site’s structure and user flow.
Research Findings
This concept is more than just a space; it’s about reading behavior, observing unspoken interactions, and understanding how culture influences engagement.
After conducting contextual inquiry and analyzing vlogs, visitor reviews, and walkthrough footage, I began noticing patterns that weren’t about what people said, but what they did. People didn’t move through the Heritage Village like users clicking links on a website. They wandered, paused, revisited spaces, and responded emotionally to the textures, sounds, and atmosphere around them.
It became clear that I wasn’t designing for a task-based interaction but I was designing for a spatial, emotional journey. These findings directly influenced how I approached the site’s structure and user flow.
01
Exploration was non-linear
Users moved freely between spaces, often circling back rather than progressing step by step
02
Emotional Engagement
Visitors were drawn to tactile experiences, rope, pottery, weaving, which slowed down their pace.
03
Cultural Knowledge
Most users lacked historical context and needed visual storytelling to feel connected and informed.
Designing the Structure
Instead of building flat menu items, I created a structure that reflects zones of experience.
Each cultural space became a primary section in the navigation, just as it is in real life. This allowed users to visually and intuitively enter the heritage story from whichever point captured their interest.
Starting with sticky notes that captured user needs, cultural cues, and experience goals, then evolving into a zone-based information architecture that mirrors how people naturally move through the Heritage Village
Ideations
Sketching out how culture could feel on a screen.
This phase was where I began translating everything I’d learned, the cultural rhythm, the emotional pacing, the way people moved through the Heritage Village into early design concepts. Instead of starting with polished visuals, I kept it intentionally rough and open-ended using low-fidelity mockups.
Each wireframe was a way to test an idea quickly:
What if users could scroll through the site like they’d walk through the Village?
How could zones feel distinct, but still part of one shared story?
Could I let visuals and layout carry cultural meaning, without overwhelming the interface?
These sketches helped me define the structure, layout rhythm, and key content blocks. They weren’t about visual perfection , they were about translating place and pace into a web experience.
Visual Identity
Bringing heritage to life through soft, grounded design choices
The visual language of Stories in Sand was inspired by the textures, tones, and emotional quiet of the Dubai Heritage Village. Every visual decision from color to typography, was made to reflect a sense of place that feels calm, grounded, and respectful of culture.
Final Mockups
From research to rhythm, a digital space that feels like the real one.
These high-fidelity screens combine cultural insight with calm design. Each page invites exploration through soft tones, intuitive structure, and immersive imagery reflecting the quiet, open rhythm of the Heritage Village itself.
High-fidelity mockups showcasing key design decisions, from visual storytelling and cultural tone to content flow and user-centered structure.
Reflections
From Research to Resonance
Through 12+ hours of cultural research and 3 rounds of design iteration, I learned how to translate real-world emotion into digital rhythm. Crafting 6 high-fidelity screens taught me to balance storytelling with structure and design not just for users, but for meaning.
More Works
©2025
Culture & Ethnography
Batch Pull – Task Dashboard
Academic Project
Role: UX Designer + Researcher
Duration: 1 month
Problem Statement
A UX case study where I tried to translate tradition into interface. Spoiler: there was a lot of sand, and a lot of scrolling.
Dubai Heritage Village is this beautiful, open-air cultural space where you can wander through maritime exhibits, desert farming setups, and traditional crafts being practiced live. But online? It barely existed.
There was no proper website, no structure, and honestly, no story. Visitors (especially tourists) couldn’t figure out what it was or why they should care.
The challenge was to design something that didn’t just give directions and opening times, but something that felt like the place. Something that respected the culture and gave people a reason to show up.
Approach & Research Style
Applying Ethnographic Methods to uncover cultural insights
I didn’t send out surveys or run usability tests this time. Instead, I put on my researcher hat and approached this like an anthropologist with a Figma tab open.
What I did:
I explored travel vlogs, visitor reviews, and photo essays.
I read up on Dubai’s cultural preservation efforts.
I mapped out the kinds of materials and rhythms you find across the village: rope, palm fronds, textiles, slow-moving crafts.
I paid attention to emotional cues, how people talked about their visits, what stuck with them, what made them smile.
This was contextual inquiry and ethnographic research at its most digital. No interviews, but lots of careful listening.
Research Findings
This concept is more than just a space; it’s about reading behavior, observing unspoken interactions, and understanding how culture influences engagement.
After conducting contextual inquiry and analyzing vlogs, visitor reviews, and walkthrough footage, I began noticing patterns that weren’t about what people said, but what they did. People didn’t move through the Heritage Village like users clicking links on a website. They wandered, paused, revisited spaces, and responded emotionally to the textures, sounds, and atmosphere around them.
It became clear that I wasn’t designing for a task-based interaction but I was designing for a spatial, emotional journey. These findings directly influenced how I approached the site’s structure and user flow.
Research Findings
This concept is more than just a space; it’s about reading behavior, observing unspoken interactions, and understanding how culture influences engagement.
After conducting contextual inquiry and analyzing vlogs, visitor reviews, and walkthrough footage, I began noticing patterns that weren’t about what people said, but what they did. People didn’t move through the Heritage Village like users clicking links on a website. They wandered, paused, revisited spaces, and responded emotionally to the textures, sounds, and atmosphere around them.
It became clear that I wasn’t designing for a task-based interaction but I was designing for a spatial, emotional journey. These findings directly influenced how I approached the site’s structure and user flow.
01
Exploration was non-linear
Users moved freely between spaces, often circling back rather than progressing step by step
02
Emotional Engagement
Visitors were drawn to tactile experiences, rope, pottery, weaving, which slowed down their pace.
03
Cultural Knowledge
Most users lacked historical context and needed visual storytelling to feel connected and informed.
Designing the Structure
Instead of building flat menu items, I created a structure that reflects zones of experience.
Each cultural space became a primary section in the navigation, just as it is in real life. This allowed users to visually and intuitively enter the heritage story from whichever point captured their interest.
Starting with sticky notes that captured user needs, cultural cues, and experience goals, then evolving into a zone-based information architecture that mirrors how people naturally move through the Heritage Village
Ideations
Sketching out how culture could feel on a screen.
This phase was where I began translating everything I’d learned, the cultural rhythm, the emotional pacing, the way people moved through the Heritage Village into early design concepts. Instead of starting with polished visuals, I kept it intentionally rough and open-ended using low-fidelity mockups.
Each wireframe was a way to test an idea quickly:
What if users could scroll through the site like they’d walk through the Village?
How could zones feel distinct, but still part of one shared story?
Could I let visuals and layout carry cultural meaning, without overwhelming the interface?
These sketches helped me define the structure, layout rhythm, and key content blocks. They weren’t about visual perfection , they were about translating place and pace into a web experience.
Visual Identity
Bringing heritage to life through soft, grounded design choices
The visual language of Stories in Sand was inspired by the textures, tones, and emotional quiet of the Dubai Heritage Village. Every visual decision from color to typography, was made to reflect a sense of place that feels calm, grounded, and respectful of culture.
Final Mockups
From research to rhythm, a digital space that feels like the real one.
These high-fidelity screens combine cultural insight with calm design. Each page invites exploration through soft tones, intuitive structure, and immersive imagery reflecting the quiet, open rhythm of the Heritage Village itself.
High-fidelity mockups showcasing key design decisions, from visual storytelling and cultural tone to content flow and user-centered structure.
Reflections
From Research to Resonance
Through 12+ hours of cultural research and 3 rounds of design iteration, I learned how to translate real-world emotion into digital rhythm. Crafting 6 high-fidelity screens taught me to balance storytelling with structure and design not just for users, but for meaning.
More Works
©2025