Alaa Khotah is a national cultural initiative that brings the Hijrah journey to life by tracing the historic route taken by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq from Mecca to Medina. We designed and developed a comprehensive mobile app that enriches this journey through interactive storytelling, real-time geo-tracking, AR experiences, and multilingual support, making the heritage accessible to users inside and outside the Kingdom.
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Complex journey information: Historical content, landmarks, and route data were difficult to present in an accessible and engaging way.
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No unified platform: Users lacked a central digital destination to explore the Hijrah narrative interactively
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Limited user engagement: The absence of multimedia elements, AR, and guided interactions reduced the emotional and educational impact.
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Navigation challenges: Users needed a simple way to follow the route in real time, discover stops, and access details safely.
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Scalability concerns: The platform needed to support large content expansion across future phases.
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Multilingual requirements: The experience had to be fully accessible to a global audience. 15 languages.
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Conducted a full UX analysis to understand user personas, content needs, and expected journey behavior
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Created a modern visual interface reflecting heritage authenticity with a clean, intuitive layout.
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Created a modern visual interface reflecting heritage authenticity with a clean, intuitive layout.
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Mapped the entire Hijrah route and transformed historical touchpoints into interactive digital experiences.
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Developed immersive AR and location-aware modules to connect users with real-world points of interest.
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Collaborated closely with development to deliver a stable, high-performance mobile app experience.
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Designed user flows for exploration, learning, route navigation, and activity booking.
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Designed a scalable design system optimized for phase-based expansion.
The final product is an engaging platform that brings Saudi heritage to life—making it relevant, educational, and emotionally meaningful for today’s digital audience.
Users lacked a central, interactive destination to explore the Hijrah narrative.
Absence of multimedia and AR reduced emotional and educational impact.
Users needed a simple way to follow the route and discover stops safely.
The platform needed to support phased content expansion.
Experience needed to be fully accessible to users in 15 languages.
Remote desert locations required reliable mobile network access for uninterrupted navigation and AR experiences.
Defined content priorities, user types, and technical constraints through workshops and research.
Mapped user goals against the Hijrah route to create a structured, intuitive navigation model.
Designed a clean, culturally respectful interface enriched with modern interaction patterns.
Worked closely with engineers to ensure accurate implementation of animations, maps, AR, and overall performance.
