ImmigrAid
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Intoduction
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Project Overview
ImmigrAid is a personal UX project designed to support immigrants during their first year in Sweden. The project explores how a user-centered mobile app can simplify bureaucratic processes, provide structured guidance, and help newcomers navigate essential tasks such as registration, healthcare, housing, and education. By offering step-by-step instructions and clear checklists, ImmigrAid aims to reduce confusion, overcome language barriers, and promote confidence and independence among users adjusting to a new country.
Project Goal
The goal of ImmigrAid is to design an intuitive mobile app that helps immigrants manage the complex process of settling in Sweden.
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The app aims to:
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Simplify bureaucratic and daily life tasks through clear, guided checklists.
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Provide reliable information in multiple languages to reduce misunderstandings.
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Empower users like Dora, a newcomer and mother of two, to confidently complete required registrations and access key services.
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Foster faster integration and a smoother transition for individuals and families
My role
I led the ImmigrAid project from start to finish, handling all aspects from initial research and ideation to design, prototyping, and testing.

#Project Lead, #Product Design, #UX Design, #UX Research, #UI Design, #Information Architecture, #Interaction Design, #Prototype Develope, #Usability Tester,
Design Thinking Process
ImmigrAid follows a Design Thinking approach, focusing on understanding immigrant challenges and iteratively creating user-centered solutions through prototyping and testing.
Project Timeline
The ImmigrAid project followed a structured timeline from research and user interviews to prototyping, high-fidelity design, usability testing, and final delivery.
01
Empathize
This stage focuses on understanding the needs and challenges of new immigrants in Sweden, such as navigating registrations, housing, healthcare, and language courses. Insights are gathered through research to ensure the app addresses real user problems effectively.
User Research
User research for ImmigrAid involved surveys, interviews, and observations to understand immigrants’ first-year challenges and inform the design of the app and website.
Qualitative Research​
Qualitative research for ImmigrAid included in-depth interviews and focus groups to gather detailed insights into immigrants’ personal experiences, challenges, and needs during their first year in Sweden.
Interview Questions
The interviews for ImmigrAid focused on understanding immigrants’ first-year experiences, including:
1- Was the official government websites useful in guiding you through the settling-down?
2- Were there any online communities that helped you integrate into Swedish society?
3- Did you receive help from local support services to guide you in the settling down process?
4- Did you find the immigration office (Migrationsverket) services easy to understand and use?
5- Did you find the mentorship or guidance programs useful for entering the Swedish job market?
6- Did you receive help from any specific organization or platform when searching for housing?
7- Did you have trouble understanding how the healthcare system works in Sweden?
8- How easy or difficult was it for you to find information about Skatteverket and its services?
9- Did you find language to be a barrier in accessing services or finding information?
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research for ImmigrAid involved online surveys to collect numerical data on immigrant experiences, challenges, and resource usage. While the survey contained 32 questions in total, this case study highlights 9 key questions. The results helped identify common trends, validate assumptions, and prioritize features for the app and website.
Empathy Map
For ImmigrAid, the empathy map helps capture what immigrants think, feel, say, and do during their first year in Sweden, highlighting their pains and gains to design solutions that truly support their settlement journey.
User Persona
Based on research insights, we created a persona to represent typical ImmigrAid users and guide the design process.
User Journey Map
A Journey Map visualizes the steps, emotions, and challenges immigrants face during their first year in Sweden, helping identify opportunities where ImmigrAid can provide the most value and support.
02
Define
This stage involves synthesizing research insights to clearly identify the key problems and needs of new immigrants in Sweden. It defines the main challenges the app should solve, such as reducing confusion in bureaucratic processes and supporting social and practical integration.
The 5 Ws​​
Who: Dora, a 38-year-old architect and mother of two who recently moved from Iran to Sweden.
What: Needs a clear, centralized way to manage settlement tasks such as healthcare registration, housing, education, and banking.
Where: In Sweden, navigating a new country’s systems and processes.
When: During her first year after immigration a critical adjustment period.
Why: Existing resources are fragmented, hard to understand, and often only in Swedish, making it overwhelming and time-consuming to complete essential steps and feel confident in settling her family.
Value Proposition
ImmigrAid empowers newcomers in Sweden to take control of their settlement journey through a single, user-friendly mobile app.
It combines step-by-step checklists, localized information, and community support to simplify complex bureaucratic tasks, reduce stress, and build confidence.
By providing clarity, organization, and guidance, ImmigrAid helps users transition smoothly from arrival to integration.
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Ideat
This stage involves synthesizing research insights to clearly identify the key problems and needs of new immigrants in Sweden. It defines the main challenges the app should solve, such as reducing confusion in bureaucratic processes and supporting social and practical integration.
Competitive Analysis
​Examines similar apps to show how ImmigrAid stands out with guidance, local resources, community, and news.
SWOT​
A SWOT analysis shows ImmigrAid’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to understand its impact and challenges for newcomers in Sweden.
How Might We​
Using the “How Might We” exercise, I turned immigrant pain points into clear design opportunities for ImmigrAid, guiding features like step-by-step checklists, multilingual support, and community connections to simplify settlement and foster confidence in newcomers.
Storyboard​
​The storyboard shows Dora’s journey from feeling overwhelmed by Sweden’s bureaucracy to gaining clarity and confidence through ImmigrAid, which guides her step by step in settling her family smoothly.
Card Sortrting​​
Card sorting with 5 participants revealed how newcomers naturally group settlement topics in ImmigrAid. The exercise validated the app’s information architecture and guided clearer labeling and organization of sections like housing, healthcare, and legal residence for easier navigation and understanding.
Brainstorming​​
To generate ideas for ImmigrAid, I explored multiple directions based on user research insights. The focus was on solving pain points like bureaucracy, housing, healthcare, and integration. I sketched quick concepts for possible features and compared them against user needs. Key ideas that emerged during brainstorming:
04
Prototype
The ImmigrAid prototype transformed research insights into an interactive mobile experience. It visualized key features such as the step-by-step settlement checklist, multilingual interface, and community hub. The prototype allowed testing of user flows, clarity of information, and overall usability, ensuring the design effectively supports newcomers through their first year in Sweden.
Wireframes
​A wireframe is a blueprint of the app, showing how key features like the checklist, community, and profile are organized for easy navigation.
Information Architecture​​
The information architecture of ImmigrAid organizes complex migration-related tasks into clear, step-by-step categories, helping newcomers to Sweden easily find and act on essential information.
User Flow​
After logging into ImmigrAid, users land on the Home screen. From there, they can access the Checklist either through the bottom navigation bar or by selecting “See more” in the Home body section. On the Checklist page, users can tap on the Education category to explore topics such as “Learn Swedish,” where they can read detailed information and resources about studying and language learning in Sweden
Design system
ImmigrAid’s design system defines typography, colors, icons, and components, creating a cohesive user experience across the app.
Typography
ImmigrAid uses SF Pro, Apple’s system font, chosen for its clarity, modern look, and high readability across multiple languages.
Color
ImmigrAid’s color palette was designed to be welcoming, trustworthy, and easy to navigate. The colors support clarity and accessibility while reflecting a sense of guidance and belonging.
Icongraphy
The cross-shaped form represents support and community, while the flowing curves symbolize guidance and movement, reflecting ImmigrAid’s mission to help newcomers navigate their journey of settling and thriving in Sweden.
Logo
The ImmigrAid logo is designed as a location-inspired icon, using blue and yellow to symbolize guidance and direction for immigrants navigating their first year in Sweden.
Buttons
Buttons in ImmigrAid are designed to be clear, accessible, and consistent, guiding users through key actions like completing tasks, navigating the app, or submitting information.
Textfield & Component
Components in ImmigrAid are reusable UI elements that maintain consistency across the app while speeding up design and development.
Visual design​
ImmigrAid’s visual design combines a clean layout, consistent colors (blue & yellow), SF Pro typography, and intuitive icons to create a friendly, trustworthy, and easy-to-navigate experience for immigrants.
GIF
Onboarding​​
The onboarding flow welcomes users to ImmigrAid and introduces its mission to simplify the first-year experience in Sweden. Through clear messaging, inclusive visuals, and simple navigation, it highlights key values of guidance, community, and empowerment, encouraging users to confidently start their journey.
Log in​
Designed for simplicity and trust, the login and sign-up screens provide a seamless entry into the app. Users can sign in via email or social accounts, with a clean layout and consistent branding ensuring a smooth, secure, and user-friendly experience.
Home, Profile & Menu
The Home screen serves as the central hub, giving users easy access to key features such as checklists, communities, news, and blogs to stay informed and organized during their settlement journey. The Profile section allows users to manage personal details, set language preferences, and track progress on essential tasks. The Menu provides quick access to settings, help, feedback, and additional resources, ensuring smooth navigation and a personalized app experience.
Checklist
News
Community
The Checklist feature guides users through essential settlement tasks in a structured, step-by-step format. It helps newcomers stay organized while completing important processes such as obtaining a personal number, arranging housing, registering for healthcare, and enrolling in education. This feature reduces confusion and ensures that users can track their progress with clarity and confidence.
The Community feature connects newcomers with others who share similar experiences. It offers a space to ask questions, share advice, and exchange practical tips about life in Sweden. By fostering peer support and social connection, this feature helps immigrants feel less isolated and more integrated into their new environment.
The News section keeps users informed with reliable updates about policies, local events, and community announcements. By providing verified and easy-to-understand information, it helps newcomers stay aware of important changes that may affect their settlement and daily life in Sweden.
05
Usability Test
ImmigrAid’s visual design combines a clean layout, consistent colors (blue & yellow), SF Pro typography, and intuitive icons to create a friendly, trustworthy, and easy-to-navigate experience for immigrants.
User Feedback​
Participants found the step-by-step task flow “easy to follow” and appreciated the “simple language and visuals.
Maze Test Screen Results​
These heatmaps shows where users clicked and interacted most during the prototype test, helping identify intuitive areas and potential navigation improvements.
Key Learning​
1. Empathy drives meaningful design:
Understanding the emotional and practical struggles of newcomers—such as confusion, isolation, and language barriers—was essential in shaping a product that truly supports users through their settlement journey.
2. Simplified structure builds confidence:
Breaking down complex bureaucratic tasks into clear, step-by-step checklists helped reduce users’ anxiety and increased their sense of control during the settlement process.
3. Multilingual accessibility is not optional:
Language inclusivity proved vital for usability. Supporting multiple languages and using plain, easy-to-translate text allowed the app to serve users from diverse backgrounds effectively.
4. Centralization enhances trust and usability:
By consolidating information about housing, healthcare, education, and legal processes into one app, ImmigrAid minimized confusion and saved users from navigating scattered sources.
5. Visual clarity supports low-tech users:
Designing with visual cues, icons, and simplified layouts ensured that even users with limited digital literacy could navigate the app with confidence.
6. Iterative testing improves real-world relevance:
Continuous feedback from interviews, surveys, and Maze testing helped refine the app’s flow, ensuring it aligned closely with users’ real needs and expectations.
7. Inclusive design benefits all newcomers:
Considering diverse users—individuals, families, and refugees—resulted in a flexible design that accommodates different cultural and technical backgrounds.
