UMMA Foundation

UMMA Social is a comprehensive digital ecosystem designed to modernize how Muslim communities (Masjids, Non-profits, and Groups) operate and connect. It serves as a dual-sided platform: an app for members to engage with their community, and a management dashboard for Admins to streamline operations.

The Challenge

While generic social platforms exist, they fail to accommodate the specific nuances of faith-based communities. Facebook is too distracting; WhatsApp is too noisy; and Eventbrite is purely transactional. The challenge was to build a vertical-specific app that respected the spiritual and operational needs of the Ummah

The Mission

To create a trusted digital home that unifies the fragmented tools currently used by communities, such as WhatsApp, Excel, paper flyers, etc., into one seamless interface built to connect and serve.

Business Goals

User Goals (Member)

User Goals (Admin)

Centralization: Consolidate communication, events, and finance into one app.

Utility: Give me accurate, localized prayer times and Qibla direction instantly.

Efficiency: Let me broadcast updates to everyone without the noise of a group chat.

Trust & Safety: Establish a "Verified" user base to prevent spam/fraud.

Discovery: Help me find verified communities and businesses near me.

Management: Give me a dashboard to track donations and members in real-time

Hybrid Integration: Bridge the gap between the App and the physical Masjid (Smart Displays).

Impact: Make it easy to donate to specific campaigns

Digital Signage: Let me control the Masjid TV screens remotely.

My Role & Responsibilities

Working directly with stakeholders and engineers, I served as the sole designer responsible for bringing the UMMA vision to life. My role went beyond UX design; I acted as a strategic partner in defining the MVP scope.

Architecture & Strategy

The complexity of UMMA lay in serving two distinct user bases with opposing needs. I structured the Information Architecture (IA) to support two unique modes within the same application .

The Member View: Focused on Consumption.
The Admin View: Focused on Management.

Trust-First Onboarding & Verification

The Problem: Building a digital home for faith-based communities requires a higher baseline of safety than typical social apps. We faced a conflict: rigorous identity checks prevent spam and harassment, but they also create high friction that kills user growth during sign-up.

The Solution: I designed a Progressive Identity System that creates a low barrier to entry while incentivizing users to "level up" their trust status later. Also, the flow splits immediately at Step 2. Users select their intent - "Join a Community" or "Create a Community" and the UI adapts instantly to show only the relevant onboarding fields.

The Guided Home Dashboard

I designed the Home Screen as a dynamic launchpad that prioritizes user activation.

Simple Onboarding: I introduced a "Getting Started" checklist directly on the dashboard. This nudge encourages users to take meaningful actions right away.

Smart Aggregation: Instead of hiding features in menus, the dashboard surfaces live previews of different modules like Prayer Times, Livestreams, and Updates connecting users to relevant sections of the app in a single tap.

Connecting users to events, campaigns, and nearby businesses

I designed the Explore section as a unified hub that brings Events, Campaigns, and Businesses together in one location-aware interface. Users can easily switch between finding an event, supporting a charity campaign, or discovering a verified local business all within the same area. To reduce clutter, I added simple, high-level filters that help users quickly narrow down results across all categories.

A Space for Genuine Interaction

Communities needed a digital space where members could share moments, reflections, and gratitude, not just read official announcements. I designed the feed to support photo sharing, updates, and personal reflections, helping members connect and strengthen their sense of community.

In-App Messaging

To help users connect, I designed an organised chat feature. It supports both private conversations and broadcast messages, giving communities a flexible way to build relationships, share updates, and collaborate.

Managing Your Account and Communities

Because community members often play multiple roles like business owner, or community leader, I designed the Profile as a unified hub instead of a basic settings page. Rather than forcing users to switch accounts, the profile brings everything together like personal details, business tools, and community management. This lets users move smoothly from updating their bio to managing a business or community without any friction.

Creating campaigns and events made simple

Admins can easily create new events or fundraising campaigns through a guided, step-by-step process. I designed the flow to be intuitive and fast, allowing admins to set up RSVPs , define donation goals, and publish updates to their community in minutes.

Impact

UMMA Social moves beyond being just another social network; it acts as a digital operating system for communities. By digitizing manual workflows, the platform significantly reduces administrative burden while increasing member engagement.

Conclusion & Reflections

Designing UMMA was a lesson in managing complexity. The biggest challenge was balancing the needs of two distinct user groups - Members looking for connection and Admins looking for management tools within a single interface.

This project reinforced that great product design isn't just about UI; it's about understanding the ecosystem. By focusing on cultural nuances, I built a product that truly serves its users' values rather than just their habits.

Request to view more …

Next Project

Openfair