What shapes design work for Oman
Design decisions in Oman follow from who is holding the device. Three or four quite different groups often share one product.
| Topic | What it means for your product | Decide early |
|---|---|---|
| Two reading directions | Arabic runs right to left and English left to right. Navigation, progress steps, charts and icons that imply direction all change sides. Numbers, phone numbers and product codes keep their own direction inside Arabic text | Which language is drawn first, and who reviews the Arabic screens |
| Arabic typography | Arabic letters need more line height and usually a larger size than Latin text to read as easily. A typeface chosen for English headlines rarely has an Arabic companion of equal quality | The pair of typefaces, tested with real headings and form labels |
| Mixed audiences | A bank, a utility or a retailer serves Omani nationals and a large resident workforce in the same app. Reading level, language and familiarity with online services vary widely | The groups the product must serve, and which one sets the default |
| Outdoor and site use | Inspectors, drivers and technicians use phones in glare, with gloves or one hand. Small targets and pale text fail there first | Which screens are used on site, and the conditions they are used in |
| Consent in plain words | The data protection law expects people to know what is collected and why before they agree. A long legal paragraph above a single button does not meet that spirit | Each point where personal data is requested, and the sentence shown there |
| Government and enterprise buyers | Ministries and state companies often have brand rules and, increasingly, their own interface guidelines for digital services. A supplier is expected to follow them | Whether the buyer has guidelines, obtained before design begins |
| Developer handover | Design that stops at pictures leaves developers guessing about states, errors and spacing in the second language | What the handover contains, listed in the proposal |
Design work we do for Omani products
Each of these is a defined engagement with its own output, so a team can start with one.
Bilingual product design
For teams building a new app, portal or website.
- Users and tasks researched in both language groups
- Journeys and structure agreed
- Key screens drawn in Arabic and English side by side
- Prototype tested with people from each group
- Components and states specified
- Handover to developers
Field app usability review
For operators whose crews avoid the app they were given.
- Crews observed doing a real job
- Screens tested outdoors on their own phones
- Problems ranked by time lost
- Critical screens redrawn
- Changes checked with the same crews
Consent and permission journey
For products that collect location, identity documents or contact details.
- Every request for personal data listed
- A reason written for each in plain Arabic and English
- Requests moved to the moment they are needed
- Refusal paths designed
- Wording passed to your legal adviser
Design system in two directions
For organizations with several products that should look and behave alike.
- Existing screens audited
- Tokens for color, type and spacing defined
- Components built with mirrored variants
- Usage documented
- Library handed to design and development teams
What we design
Research with real users
Interviews and observation with Omani and resident users, in the language each prefers, before anything is drawn.
Arabic and English interfaces
Screens composed for each direction from the first sketch, with type, spacing and icons chosen for both.
Mobile and field screens
Layouts with large targets, strong contrast and short forms, tested where they will be used.
Consent and notice screens
Requests for personal data written and placed so that a customer understands the choice.
Design systems
A shared library of tokens and components for teams running more than one product. Our design systems development page explains how one is built.
Specification and handover
Design files, component documentation, behavior notes for both languages and a walkthrough with your developers.
What we need from you
- The product, the tasks it supports and the groups who use it
- Brand rules and any interface guidelines your buyers impose
- Access to a few users from each group for research and testing
- Screens, analytics and complaints from the product as it is today
- The developers who will build from the designs
Ownership and licensing terms are defined in the project agreement.
A readiness checklist for a design project in Oman
Before design starts
0 of 8 checkedWhat to do next
Tell us what the product does, who uses it and where it frustrates them today. We will reply with the engagement we would suggest, the users we would want to meet and what the handover would contain. Start a conversation or book a 30-minute call.
If you are unsure whether to repair or redraw, our comparison of a UX audit and a full redesign sets out when each is right.
Common questions
Should the Arabic or the English design come first?
Whichever most of your users read, and the other in the same design round. Problems appear when one language is finished and approved before the other is started: the second then inherits a layout made for different word lengths and a different direction. Drawing key screens in both at once exposes those conflicts while they are cheap to resolve.
Is mirroring an English layout enough for Arabic?
It is a start and never the whole job. Mirroring moves navigation and alignment, but Arabic also needs its own type size and line height, different handling of numbers and mixed text, and icons checked one by one, since some should flip and some should not. Labels are often longer or shorter than their English equivalents, which changes buttons and tables.
How does the data protection law affect interface design?
It makes notice and consent a design task. People should see what is being collected and why at the moment it is requested, and be able to decline where that is permitted. We write and place those messages, and design what happens after a refusal. Your legal adviser decides the lawful basis and approves the final wording.
Can you work within a government entity's design guidelines?
Yes. Where a ministry or state company has brand rules or interface guidelines, we obtain them at the start and design inside them, documenting any place where the guidelines are silent and a decision was made. Ask your contact at the entity for the current version, since such guidelines are revised.
Where to go from here
Related serviceUI/UX DesignInterface design that engineers can actually build