Sanad — Hajj Companion
- Role
- Product Designer & Prototype Lead
- Client
- Sanad AlHajj
- Year
- 2026
Overview
Sanad is a Hajj support companion designed for the moments when asking for help feels heavy. It gives elderly, special-needs, and first-time pilgrims a quiet way to request assistance, ask ritual questions, and stay connected to their assigned group or campaign staff.
The concept is built around one human promise: support should arrive before hesitation becomes risk.
The Problem
During Hajj, the hardest moments are often the quiet ones. A pilgrim may be tired, lost, confused about a ruling, or afraid of slowing the group down. The support may exist, but the request itself can feel embarrassing.
The pitch framed this as a hesitation problem, not only an access problem. Sanad was designed for the person who needs help but does not want to feel like a burden.
Who Sanad serves
- Elderly pilgrims who need simple, immediate help
- First-time pilgrims who may hesitate to ask basic questions
- Special-needs pilgrims who rely on clear guidance and fast support
- Hajj operators managing many people across crowded locations
What if asking did not cost anything?
Product Idea
Sanad has two core pillars: one-tap help and a multilingual AI companion.
One-tap help
Pilgrims can request common needs like water, food, medication, prayer support, wheelchair help, or emergency assistance through large buttons. Campaign operators can customize these buttons based on what their group actually needs.
AI companion
The assistant supports voice and text in multiple languages. It is designed to answer Hajj-related questions using grounded, verified sources instead of free-form guesses, with sources cited when an answer is provided.
Pilgrim Experience
The pilgrim side is intentionally calm: large touch targets, bilingual labels, minimal choices, and a voice-first assistant. The interface avoids making the user search through menus when they are tired or under pressure.
Operator Experience
Sanad is also a platform for Hajj campaigns and operators. Staff can see live requests, respond quickly, and manage the button set for the people in their group.
For operators, the goal is clarity at scale. Each request is routed with the pilgrim identity, group, room, and need, so field staff can respond without long back-and-forth explanations.
Designed around
- Live request queues for field teams
- Customizable buttons per campaign
- Group and pilgrim profiles
- Location-aware support flows
- A direct path for emergency escalation
Interaction Details
The prototype includes small but important operational moments: editing a request button, disabling buttons that are not relevant, adding a new shortcut, and confirming emergency calls before escalation.
Outcome
Sanad became a full product concept for Hajj support: a companion for pilgrims and an operating layer for campaigns. The design direction centers dignity, accessibility, and fast routing rather than adding another static information app.
The final story is simple: existing solutions help pilgrims navigate Hajj; Sanad helps pilgrims feel supported throughout it.