CBD-Commercial Bank of Dubai

Role

Design Manager

Oct 2023 – ongoing

UI/UX Design
Business strategy
Design System
Service Design

About

Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) is one of the top banks in the UAE, known for its innovative and personalized banking services.As a Design Manager, I led, mentored, and collaborated with the design team to create CBD’s newly launched banking experience, evolving its existing design and services.

Work Context

Designing and rebuilding CBD’s banking experience

Led the design team here at CBD through the relaunch of the mobile and web app due to flutter technology and backend system upgrade. Redesigned a new customer experience by creating unified experience to increase accessibility and improve engagement rates for users – delivering on a company level initiative of increasing transfers and payments activities.

The process began by defining the core offerings and benchmarking against market standards to ensure we delivered a competitive edge. Building on the strength of CBD’s branding, the existing design system was enhanced to create a seamless and cohesive experience for customers. The navigation was upgraded and information hierarchy restructured, which weren’t just about aesthetics. The upgraded experience made it easier for customers to find what they needed, interact effortlessly, and enjoy a smoother, more intuitive banking journey.

Building the Design System

Our mission was clear - craft a more intuitive interface, and deliver a seamless, unified experience across mobile, online, and the bank's extensive network of branches and ATMs. We simplified the financial details and management with a modern yet straightforward visual language. Special attention was devoted to displaying elements that simplify how information is perceived by users.

An Elevated Site Experience

CBD’s digital experience was crafted with a visual language that balances the precision of traditional finance with the simplicity of modern digital design.
The redesigned interface streamlined user journeys, mirroring the app’s experience and enhancing navigation, engagement, and product relatability across digital touch points.
The new design system established a consistent and cohesive brand experience across all pages.

Additional Banking journeys

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Onboarding Journeys
Accounts, Cards, and Loans

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ATM Experience Revamp
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Investments & Wealth Management Platform

Leadership

Crafting meaningful experiences is not just at the core of my approach to digital products, but also in how I mentor and lead teams. At CBD, I focused on fostering a collaborative and growth-driven design culture by:

🫡 Mentoring & Team Growth – Guided a team of five designers while actively interviewing for new talent.
👩‍🏫 Stakeholder Collaboration – Worked closely with business leaders to define efficient ways of working.
🤹‍♀️ Establishing Design Processes – Implemented workflows that streamlined collaboration across marketing, QA, and development teams.
🧐 Design Governance – Introduced a maker-checker process to ensure quality, consistency, and accountability within the design team.Industry
🤝 Mentorship – Supported young talent through the Bedayati program, helping aspiring designers transition into digital product design.

Through these initiatives, I built a stronger, more structured design practice that empowered both the team and the products we created.

Strategy & Collaboration

Great design is a collaborative effort, built on seamless teamwork and alignment across disciplines.

Through design thinking workshops, I help solve complex challenges—whether it's mapping customer journeys, running co-creation sessions, or refining workflows.

Partnering with business teams, I’ve facilitated flowchart workshops for clearer decision-making and worked with solution architects to shape information architecture and experience flows, ensuring design and technology move in sync.

Stakeholder Management & Business Discussions – Engaging with business teams to align on goals, priorities, and strategy.
UAT & SIT Testing with QA – Actively participating in testing phases to validate and refine designs before launch.
Solving Problems with Developers – Working hands-on with the development team to address real-time challenges and ensure smooth implementation.