Case Study: Al-Balad

4 min readJan 30, 2022

About Al-Balad

‘Al-Balad’, dates back to the seventh century from which jeddah grew from a
small fishing settlement into a unique place with exquisite architecture.

Research

Jeddah Al-Balad is located in the city center of Jeddah and it is dated back to pre-Islamic times, making it one of the most ancient historical points in the history of Saudi Arabia, Al Balad Jeddah was classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO for the year 2014,
Al — Balad District holds 4 main neighbourhoods in an area sized roughly 6.7 kilometer square that includes :
Mosques -Museums -Schools -Shops and Malls -Old historical houses

Contextual Inquiry

After the research, we wanted to explore the area of Al-Balad more, so we developed a plan to follow and we moved to Al-Balad

Contextual Inquiry Insights

The lack of wayfinding.
Starting point must have parking.
Foreign tourists (individual & group).
Language barrier both Arabic & English.
The lack of guidance especially to historical facts (oldest court).
Resting stops (water, restroom, air conditioning, charging phone).
Four neighbourhoods each takes time/effort. (Al-Sham).
Different opening hours & out of service (museum).
Family friendly atmosphere and kids playing.
Shopping along the way (candies, textiles).
Hangout areas next to vintage cafe/gallery.
Route back challenges (distance).
Secondary route (not as clear).

Journey Map

Business Analysis

Recommendations :
We must provide clear paths for the user to explore the place without getting lost.
Provide place history / background story of historical places.
Must have a map that shows users location in a lbalad and historical places around them.
A buy ticket button to show the available ( date- time — opening hours — location)
Providing a gamification feature where users can interact with the place through the app might give the user a fun and memorable experience.
provide rules for safety and regulation for the place. restriction, capacity and rules.

Problem Statement

Our tourists have the problem of not getting the full experience when visiting Al-Balad. Our solution should deliver an easy, seamless and enjoyable visiting experience.

Persona