UI/UX design · Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah
UI/UX design agency for Dubai: Arabic and English screens we also build
Many design quotes stop at the Figma file.
From AED 2,900excl. VATSee pricing →
- Declined-card screens drawn, not skipped
- Key Arabic screens drawn by hand
- Figma file in your company's team
- Designed and built by one team
- Design included in the build price
- ★ 4.9 on Google (92 reviews)Lucknow, India profile
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork, 100% Job Success
Founder-led delivery
Overview
Ours doesn't: we draw the Arabic and English screens for your website, store or app, then build them, so nothing gets lost in a handoff. Design is part of the build price rather than a separate fee, and a website build starts at AED 2,900. The file sits in your company's own Figma team from day one. Delivery is founder-led and remote, from Lucknow, India, for businesses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
By Ashish Sharma, founder · Updated 12 October 2026
Quick answer
How is UI/UX design priced in Dubai, and what should the fee buy?
UI/UX design in Dubai is priced three ways: by the hour, by the project, or inside a build price. Tenet's UAE page lists AED 150 an hour for smaller tasks up to "AED 350+" for enterprise work, and Eleken's Dubai guide says basic small projects typically start at AED 20,000–40,000 (both read 12 Oct 2026). Codingclave doesn't sell design as its own line: it is included in the build, with a business website at AED 2,900–17,000, an online store AED 5,900–49,000 and an app AED 17,000–108,000, excluding VAT. Design-only work and UX audits are quoted after a short discovery call.
- Hand-drawn Arabic frames for key screens, not a mirrored English file
- A clickable prototype you review before any build
- A component library with every state in both scripts
- Dev Mode handoff for your developer
- The file in your company's Figma team
01of 10
Arabic UI/UX design: decisions we make in Figma before anyone writes code
Start with who your main customer is. If most of them read Arabic first, the Arabic frame is the master and English is adapted from it. If most orders come in English, it runs the other way. Key screens, such as the home page, product page, checkout and sign-up, get Arabic frames drawn by hand rather than a mirror applied at build time.
Figma has handled right-to-left text natively since March 2022. Layout is another matter: a feature request for right-to-left wrap in Auto Layout, opened on Figma's forum in June 2023, had no launch announced in that thread when we checked on 12 Oct 2026.
| English design habit | What happens in Arabic | What we decide in Figma |
|---|---|---|
| ALL-CAPS buttons and eyebrows | Arabic has no capitals, so the emphasis vanishes | Emphasis by weight, size or colour, in separate Arabic text styles |
| Italic for quotes and emphasis | Arabic has no traditional italic, and slanted Arabic looks broken | A heavier weight or a tinted background |
| Letter-spacing on labels | Tracking pulls apart letters that should join | Tracking at 0 on every Arabic style |
| Line height tuned for Latin | Marks above and below the letters collide or get clipped | More generous Arabic line height, tested on the longest real strings |
| Auto Layout wrap rows (chips, filters, tags) | Wrap rows haven't reliably flowed right to left | Arabic versions of those components built by hand |
| One font family for both scripts | The Arabic falls back to a system font, or the two scripts look mismatched | An Arabic and a Latin typeface chosen as a pair and checked at body size |
| Lorem ipsum or machine-translated text | Real Arabic runs a different length and breaks the layout | Both frames designed with real copy; who writes the Arabic is settled in the scope |
| A Gregorian-only date picker | Bookings around Ramadan or Eid may need the Hijri date shown as well | Gregorian, Hijri or both, decided per screen before the picker is drawn |
| Icons drawn once, for left to right | Back and next arrows point the wrong way once the layout flips | Each icon marked in the library as mirrored or fixed |
Fixing these in Figma is cheap because text styles cascade: change the line height on one Arabic style and every frame using it updates. Find the clipping after launch and someone is editing CSS in every template that uses that style.
A quick test for any Arabic file an agency sends you: open the text styles. If they still carry the English version's all-caps setting and letter-spacing, the frame was mirrored, not designed. The engineering checks on built screens are the seven in our bilingual QA pass, and the same thinking runs through the bilingual screens on our gym and fitness app and food delivery app pages.
02of 10
The Figma file stays in your company’s account: seat costs in AED
Ask for "the Figma file" at the end of a project and you may get an export, or a transfer that needs both sides online. We skip that step. The Figma team is opened in your company's name, you're the owner and we're invited guests, so at the end there's nothing to move.
Your developer needs a Dev seat to inspect frames in Dev Mode; a Full seat includes Dev Mode too. Arabic and Latin font licences are bought in your company's name. Domains, hosting and store accounts follow the same rule: they're yours, and every login is handed over.
| Item | Whose name | Monthly cost | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Figma team | Your company | Starter is free; paid seats below | Owner (you) |
| Professional Full seat | Your company | USD 16, about AED 59 | Anyone who edits designs (Dev Mode included) |
| Professional Dev seat | Your company | USD 12, about AED 44 | Your developer, for inspect and Dev Mode |
| Professional Collab seat | Your company | USD 3, about AED 11 | Managers and marketing who view and comment |
| Organization Full seat | Your company | USD 55, about AED 202, billed annually | Only if several teams share one library |
| Arabic and Latin font licences | Your company | Set by the foundry and by use (web, app embedding) | Needed before launch |
| Icon, illustration and photo licences | Your company | Set by each source | Needed before launch |
Figma's page shows one Professional figure beside a monthly and annual toggle, so check which one you're reading before you budget. Starter is free; check what it includes before relying on it. Who pays for seats while the project runs goes in the written scope. Holding the file is one thing; owning it is another, so plainly: the IP in every design, and all the source code built from it, is your company's as soon as the last invoice is settled. Repositories and hosting are covered in the accounts section of our UAE page.
03of 10
Checkout, instalment and listing screens drawn by the people who wire them up
Most design files show the payment that works. We draw the one that fails as well, because we're the team that connects the gateway and sees the error come back.
Card checkout: Stripe, Telr, PayTabs, N-Genius
The first decision is a hosted payment page or embedded card fields, because it sets how much of the form you can style. Then come the screens most files skip: the 3-D Secure step, the declined card, and a retry that keeps the basket intact. Before you apply to a provider, we design the pages it will look at (returns, delivery, terms and conditions, contact) and tell you which of them it checks; the store side is covered in our e-commerce cost guide.
Tabby and Tamara instalments
Where the instalment message sits on the product page and at checkout, and the declined-instalment state. That last one matters most: a customer turned down for instalments should be one tap from paying by card, with the order still in place.
Property Finder and Bayut feeds
The listing card and detail page are drawn around the fields your feed actually carries, not invented sample data. We also draw the listing with no photos and the search that returns nothing, because real feeds produce both.
WhatsApp and AI chatbots
How a conversation passes to a person, how the customer can tell a human has joined, and Arabic replies set right to left inside the chat window, including lines where an order number or an AED price sits inside Arabic text.
For online stores, the last step before handover is a live test order that we place together.
04of 10
Design only, for your own developer: what they receive and what sets the price
Design on its own suits a business that already has a developer ready to build from the file. What that developer should receive, written into the scope:
- the component library, with each state (default, pressed, disabled, error) drawn in both scripts
- separate Arabic and English text styles, so nobody guesses a line height or a weight
- the Dev Mode handoff, with the developer on a Dev seat in your team
- the clickable prototype, so behaviour between screens isn't left to interpretation
The price follows the screen count, the language count and how many components need their own Arabic version. That's why design-only work is quoted after a short discovery call rather than listed. The trade-offs of splitting design from build are covered in our Dubai web development cost guide.
Two checks to ask for in the scope, whoever designs for you. First, how the UX is tested before build: a prototype walkthrough with you, a session with a few of your own customers, or a review of your analytics and support messages. Second, accessibility: ask for contrast and focus states to be checked against WCAG 2.2 AA in Figma, where fixing them takes minutes rather than a rebuild.
Want a fixed AED price for this?
Tell us what you need and get a quote in writing, excluding VAT.
05of 10
Redesign, UX audit or a new build: where to start
You probably don't need a new look. More often there's one screen that leaks money, usually a checkout where baskets stop at the card step. Send it on WhatsApp with:
- screenshots, or a screen recording of it in use on a phone
- the language mix, and which language most customers read
- where the traffic comes from (Instagram ads, Google, a WhatsApp broadcast)
- any drop in your analytics, and roughly when it started
We'll reply with what we see and the next step. Sometimes it's a bug, which needs a developer rather than a designer. Sometimes it's copy: one Arabic label that reads like machine output. If it's design, the fix may be a few screens, an audit or a redesign.
Starting from nothing? Send a short brief, or two apps your customers already use and like, and we'll say which flows to design first and in which language.
An audit earns its fee when the trouble is spread across a flow and nobody agrees where it starts. Its deliverables are agreed in the written scope; typically that's a list of problems ranked by effect, an annotated Figma frame for each one, and a fix-or-redesign call for each flow. A five-year-old site with no Arabic, on a theme nobody can edit, doesn't need one: the answer is already clear.
06of 10
Five ways to tell whether an agency really designs in Arabic
A 'best agency' list ranks firms. It doesn't show you their Arabic screens. These checks do, and each takes a few minutes.
Ask to see real Arabic screens
Not a mood board. Screens from shipped work, in Arabic, at phone size. If the case studies only show ad results or traffic graphs, the firm may be selling marketing rather than design.
Open the Arabic text styles
All-caps settings or letter-spacing carried over from English mean the frame was mirrored. Separate Arabic styles with their own line height mean someone designed it.
Ask who writes the Arabic, and who reads it before handover
Machine translation dropped into a finished layout reads as exactly that to an Arabic speaker. The answer should name a person or a step in the scope.
Ask whose Figma team holds the file
If it's the agency's, ask for the date it moves to you and what you'll pay for seats after that.
Ask for the declined-payment screen
If the file only shows the successful payment, someone will design the failure later, in code, under a deadline.
Our Google reviews and past work are a click away if you want to run the first check on us.
07of 10
Why two Dubai design quotes rarely compare
Hourly and project figures sit far apart in Dubai. Tenet's UAE page puts UI/UX work at AED 150 to "AED 350+" an hour, while Eleken's guide says basic small projects typically start at AED 20,000–40,000. Neither number tells you much yet.
A 12-screen app in English and the same app with hand-drawn Arabic frames are different jobs. The Arabic needs its own text styles, its own versions of components that won't wrap right to left, and a review round with real copy. Ask every bidder for the screen count and the language count, or the hourly figure tells you nothing.
On our list, design sits inside the build band, and each band's timeline covers design and build together. Once the scope is agreed in writing, our figure is fixed; adding screens or a language is what would change it, because that changes the scope.
Want a fixed AED price for this?
Tell us what you need and get a quote in writing, excluding VAT.
08of 10
The UAE Design System as a free yardstick for bilingual screens
TDRA (the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority) maintains the UAE Design System and publishes it as open source. It's built on Tailwind CSS and installs from npm as @aegov/design-system, its components are tested against WCAG 2.2, and its default configuration lists Noto Kufi Arabic and Alexandria among its fonts. Every federal government entity must comply with it, and future federal websites and mobile apps must be built to it.
A private business doesn't have to follow it. That's what makes it useful: someone else has already paid to test it.
| Reference | What it sets | Who must follow it |
|---|---|---|
| UAE Design System (TDRA) | Components tested against WCAG 2.2; built on Tailwind; Noto Kufi Arabic and Alexandria in the default font list | Every federal government entity; a voluntary benchmark for everyone else |
| u.ae accessibility statement | WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 Level AA as a minimum, with a link to the National Digital Accessibility Policy | The federal portal itself |
Two things are worth taking for a private site. One is its tested focus and error states, which small sites often skip. The other is its default font list, a sensible place to start an Arabic and Latin pairing before you pay for licences.
09of 10
A full-time designer, or a project?
If you're weighing a salaried designer against a project, here's what third-party sources say a designer costs in Dubai. They measure different people, so read them as a range.
| Source | Figure | Monthly equivalent | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payscale | Median about AED 120,000 a year (9 profiles, data from Jan 2024) | About AED 10,000 | Mid-career UX designer with UI skills (Payscale UAE/Dubai filter) |
| Levels.fyi | Median AED 240,032 a year (14 submissions) | About AED 20,000 | Product designer median total compensation, Dubai |
| Eleken guide | AED 12,000–20,000 a month | As stated | Mid-level UI/UX designer, Dubai |
| Eleken guide | Above AED 25,000 a month | As stated | Senior UI/UX designer |
Coverage is the real trade-off. It's rare to find one designer who is as strong on Arabic UI as on building a component library a developer can use. Hiring pays off when the product ships changes every week. A project fits a launch or a redesign, after which your developer works from the library you own. What employing a developer costs is on our UAE hiring page.
10of 10
Reviewing designs with a team in Lucknow, 90 minutes ahead
Design review suits the gap well. We work from Lucknow, India, Monday to Saturday, 08:30–17:30 Gulf Standard Time. You review by clicking a frame and typing; if a comment turns into a debate, it goes to a video call. Comments you pin during the day are worked through in the same file, and because our day runs until 17:30 Gulf time, Saturdays too, there's room for a call before you close. Businesses in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah get the same hours and the same AED bands.
The clickable prototype is a checkpoint before any build, and what happens if you stop there is agreed in writing before you sign. For six months after launch, bugs in what we built are fixed at no charge. Ongoing website care, covering updates, security, backups and small changes, is AED 600–1,800 a month excluding VAT; keeping an app updated costs AED 1,500–4,500 a month (app maintenance).
Delivery is founder-led. We're 4.9 on Google (92 reviews) and Top Rated on Upwork, with 200+ projects since 2017.
Pricing in AED
Design included in every AED build price
Every band below includes the design for that build, in Arabic, English or both, with the Figma file in your company's team. The timeline on each band covers design and build together.
Business website
AED 2,900 – AED 17,000
Excl. VATBusiness website (custom design, Next.js or WordPress) · Typical timeline: 1–3 weeks
Page designs in Arabic, English or both, a prototype of the key pages, then the build.
Get a quote for this plan
E-commerce store (Shopify, WooCommerce or custom)
Product, basket, checkout and gateway-required page designs, then the build.
Mobile app (iOS + Android, Flutter or React Native)
App flows, Arabic and English frames, a component library and the store screenshots brief.
Custom software, portal or SaaS
Dashboard and admin UI, with the screens for each user role.
UI/UX design only, handed to your developer
Figma files, a component library and Dev Mode handoff in your team.
UX audit of a live website or app
A ranked problem list with annotated screens, as agreed in the scope.
Arabic version of an existing English design
Hand-drawn Arabic frames for the key screens.
- Fixed price in AED
- Free scoping call
- No obligation
Design-only work, UX audits and Arabic versions of an existing design are quoted after a short discovery call. Store and software budgets are broken down in our e-commerce cost guide and custom software cost guide.
Prices are in UAE dirhams (AED) and exclude VAT. Project prices are converted from our GBP price list at GBP 1 = AED 4.90 (11 October 2026) and rounded; monthly plans are set in AED. Codingclave is an India-based supplier and is not registered for UAE VAT. VAT-registered UAE businesses usually account for VAT on imported services under the reverse-charge mechanism; confirm with your tax adviser.
Fixed AED quote
Which design job is this?
Screenshots, a screen recording or two apps your customers already like, plus which languages they read. We'll reply on WhatsApp with what we see, the next step and the AED band it falls in.
Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave
Ashish or the team replies on WhatsApp or email during our hours, Mon–Sat, 8:30am–5:30pm GST.
- ★ 4.9 on Google (92 reviews) · Lucknow, India profile
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork, 100% Job Success
- Founder-led delivery
Prefer WhatsApp?
WhatsApp AshishHow it works
What you can open in Figma after each step
The band timelines apply when design and build run together. A design-only timeline is set in the written scope for your project.
WhatsApp a screen or a brief
Screenshots, a recording or a short brief, plus the languages you need. We reply with what we see and the next step.
A call, then the scope and price
The AED price for your scope, fixed from the moment you sign that scope off, plus who writes the Arabic and which language is drawn first. Then three payments, invoiced in dirhams and transferred to our AED account from your bank: 40% up front, 40% at a milestone we agree mid-project (your sign-off on the clickable prototype, say) and 20% at launch.
Figma team opened in your name
You own the team and invite us. The first files you can open there: user flows and wireframes.
Arabic and English high-fidelity frames
Key screens in both languages with real copy, plus a clickable prototype you review in Figma comments and on a call.
Component library and Dev Mode handoff
Buttons, fields, cards and their states in both scripts, handed to your developer on a Dev seat, or to us.
Build, QA and handover
We build from the same file and run the bilingual QA pass. For a store, launch day includes a genuine purchase made together on the live site. Every login is handed over.
FAQ
Questions UAE businesses ask us
Can’t see yours? Ask Ashish directly — you’ll get a straight answer, not a sales script.
Ask Ashish directly
How much does a UI/UX designer earn in Dubai?
Which company is best for UI/UX design in Dubai?
How many weeks does a UI/UX design project take in the UAE?
Can you design an app or website in Arabic and English with a right-to-left layout?
Do we get the Figma file, and which Figma plan do we need after handover?
Is UI/UX design being replaced by AI in the UAE?
Can a remote UI/UX designer work for a business in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah?
Do UAE government websites have to follow the UAE Design System and a WCAG level?
Ashish Sharma · Founder
Show us the screen that worries you
Screenshots, a screen recording or two apps your customers already like, plus which languages they read. We'll reply on WhatsApp with what we see, the next step and the AED band it falls in.
- WhatsApp us or fill in the form
- Free scoping call
- Fixed AED quote, no obligation
- ★ 4.9 on Google (92 reviews) · Lucknow, India profile
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork, 100% Job Success
- Founder-led delivery
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Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave · Updated 12 October 2026
Ashish founded Codingclave in Lucknow, India, in 2017 and still leads delivery on every project.
Sources (12)· public sources cited on this page
- TDRA – UAE Design System, About
- TDRA – UAE Design System, Installation
- TDRA – UAE Design System, Extending the configuration
- u.ae – Accessibility
- Figma – Pricing
- Figma – What's new in Figma, March 2022
- Figma Forum – Add Auto Layout wrap from right to left
- Figma – AI design localisation
- Payscale – UX Designer salary, mid-career, UI design skills
- Levels.fyi – Product Designer compensation, Dubai
- Tenet – UI/UX design services (UAE)
- Eleken – UI/UX design agency in Dubai