Redesigning the zakat application flow to be simpler for applicants and lighter for the organisation.
Summary
Nationaal Zakat Fonds (NZF) supports people in financial distress in the Netherlands. Their existing application flow, built in Webflow, was long, error-prone and generated a steady stream of inbound calls. As product designer, I redesigned the end-to-end application experience for three distinct user types: Muslims applying for themselves, non-Muslims seeking help, and social workers applying on behalf of a client.
Organisational challenge
I performed a UX audit which surfaced the core problems:
Too many divergent steps (+-60 min), unclear labels
Fragmented document uploads
No status insight.
Applicants didn't know if applying was worthwhile for their case.
For NZF this translated into recurring questions from social workers, rising inbound calls and no analytics to spot bottlenecks.
Approach
Briefing and journey mapping with the team, translated into functional requirements and validated across three design sprints with structured feedback loops (peer reviews, technical checks with development).
The result:
A five-step flow of roughly 15 minutes with save-and-resume, a dynamic document checklist per request type, and identity verification designed in two variants: iDIN automation with a manual fallback. I advised launching with manual entry first. It builds higher trust within the target group and avoids an external dependency, with iDIN ready as a drop-in once validated.
Key results
Delivered as a complete, implementation-ready package: end-to-end Figma flows for all three user types, mobile and desktop prototypes, and a prioritised roadmap. Launch fast to learn, harden identification APIs, then simplify the design as automation matures. The flow reduces applicant effort while giving NZF a foundation it can scale or simplify as the organisation grows.
3 user types in 1 flow
5 steps, ±15 min
2 design sprints to dev-ready
2 touchpoints
