Nashid · Consultancy project · 2024
Digital worker ID System
Role
CX Designer / Researcher
Duration
12 Weeks
Responsibilities
UX Research
UX Design
Business Strategy
Product Strategy
Tools
Figma
Miro
Airtable
Context
Where could verified credentials make the biggest difference?
The project began with a broad ambition, but no defined product or market. Over 12 weeks, our venture team used research and proposition testing to identify construction workforce access as the strongest entry point, then designed a pilot-ready system for managing and verifying worker credentials.
Our task was to find the strongest entry point, not validate a predetermined answer.
Framing the opporunity
Our vision / challenge statement
How might we enable inherent trust and autonomous access for people and businesses; allowing them to instantly transact in a verified way.
Mitigate Fraud
Automate
Access
Create
Trust
The problem
A client had a vision for digital identity. The brief was to find where verified credentials would create the most value — fastest.
The client began with a broad digital-identity thesis and an initial interest in finance. Before committing to a solution, the team needed to identify where verified credentials could solve an urgent, repeated problem—and support a credible first product. On the surface however it was easy to see that there where problems to solve.
Desk research revealed that businesses faced costly delays and fraud due to inefficient credential verification. Addressing these inefficiencies could prevent billions in annual losses worldwide.
Opportunity Strategy
Many use cases in
11 Expert Interviews across industries
60 Open Ended Interviews across industries
Alongside evaluating the finance use case, we interviewed stakeholders across several industries to identify the most urgent, repeatable problems. We then assessed the strongest opportunities against four practical criteria—not market size alone—to select the most credible entry point.
One credible entry point out
The strongest ideas were compared against the same four practical criteria—not market size alone.
Worker Onboarding and Credentials
Pain severity
Operational, compliance and safety consequences.
Frequency
Verification repeated across every worker's lifecycle.
Buyer clarity
Site operators had both the problem and authority to act.
Ready to test
A bounded environment where value could be measured.
The measured problem
And found the strongest signal towards recruiting and onboarding
92%
interviewees named the same credential-verification pains
Slow, manual credential collection · third-party verification not from the issuer · unverifiable credentials for international workers · fraudulent or inflated credentials.
The pain ran the length of the worker journey
Credential verification was not one administrative task. It affected workers and operators from recruitment through site access, daily work and offboarding.
Onsite
The site changed the product
Interviews established the opportunity, while a visit to King Salman Park in Riyadh revealed the physical and organisational realities the service would need to work within: paper toolbox-talk sheets, a physical crane-operator card, real "fake documents, hundreds of times" stories.
Delays in Verification
Weeks-long processes cause costly project delays.
Safety Risks
Unverified workers jeopardise compliance and site safety.
Productivity Loss
Only 50% efficiency due to verification bottlenecks.
Onboarding Challenge
Tracking credentials across the worker lifecycle is inefficient.
Manual Effort
Paper-based checks increase admin workload and errors.
A refined hypothesis
Delays and inefficiencies in verifying worker identity and credentials result in costly project delays, safety risks, and productivity losses.
Landing Page Testing
Testing demand before building
24 Landing Page Interviews across stakeholders
Site Managers, HR Admin, Project Managers
We used lightweight landing pages to test how stakeholders responded to different propositions. Their feedback helped us compare demand, refine the messaging and narrow the product towards workforce credentials and access.
The feedback confirmed that security, efficiency, and ease of access were top priorities.
Pressure-testing the concept
Put in front of the people who’d use it
81 Prototype Interviews across stakeholders
Site Managers, HR Admin, Project Managers
I used low-fidelity prototypes in interviews to test key assumptions, uncover missing information and understand how the concept fitted real workflows. The feedback shaped the proposition and next iteration.
I used low-fidelity prototypes in interviews to test key assumptions, uncover missing information and understand how the concept fitted real workflows. The feedback shaped the proposition and next iteration.
The MVP
Three surfaces.
One verified record.
Workers establish their credentials once, site teams check them at the point of access, and managers maintain visibility across the lifecycle.
Employee Documentation Wallet
Wallet Creation
A worker creates their wallet by scanning a government ID, reading its NFC chip and confirming a live face match—turning it into a reusable digital credential for identity, training and permissions.
Worker Wallet Verification
At the gate, a manager scans the worker’s QR and instantly sees who they are and whether their documents, access permissions and safety training are valid — no paper, no phone calls.
Credential Tracking and Monitoring Portal
Worker Monitoring
Beyond the gate, the credential portal gives managers one live view of workers onsite, verification activity, expiring credentials and zone access—reducing administration and supporting project-wide compliance.
MVP Traction
Validated and piloted — measured to my exit
26
Companies in active pilot discussions
9.1/10
MVP score — construction (×20) & oil & gas (×7); 8.3 manufacturing (×4)
More safety, less misuse of workers time for entering and leaving, better documentation and security. Much better than the traditional way, and you can access [the information] anywhere anytime which I believe is good.”
Construction Manager, SSEM, KSA
Reflection
Working directly with stakeholders and users gave me the clearest understanding of their needs. There is rarely one possible solution—the challenge is using evidence to identify the one with the greatest impact.
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