UAE Research Map
Designing a Discovery Platform for National-Level Innovation
A government-led initiative built to connect researchers, institutions, and funders on a single discovery platform. Designed with clarity, accessibility, and collaboration in mind, the UAE Research Map makes it easier to fund, follow, and fuel innovation across the region.
I led product design for the UAE Research Map, working closely with:
• 1 Product Manager
• 1 UX Manager
• 2 Engineers
I was responsible for structuring the user experience, building a reusable component system, and crafting the visual design language from the ground up to align with institutional trust and government usability standards.
The goal was to launch a scalable research discovery platform that bridges the gap between researchers and funders across the UAE. We focused on intuitive search, multilingual access, and institutional credibility from the start.
Design reviews and feedback loops were handled through Notion and Figma. Developer collaboration was supported through detailed specs and ready-to-ship components built for consistency.
Wireframes and homepage concepts were shared during the first week. I used interactive prototypes to explain user journeys, content structure, and the filtering logic behind discovery flows.
Users would primarily access the platform from desktop during work hours.Validated by analytics and interviews with academic users.This informed a desktop-first layout with a clean, research-focused hierarchy.
→ Time taken to discover relevant research or funding
→ Click engagement with filters and search
→ Repeat user sessions and drop-off rates
→ We used Maze and direct interviews to test improvements across flows.
→ Improved researcher engagement by 25%
→ Accelerated research discovery via simplified navigation and search
→ Provided scalable design system for internal government use
→ Created a trusted platform that is now used across public institutions
