1 Perfecting the UX Design for Arabic Interfaces

Jamika Hope edited this page 1 day ago

• Redesigned the data entry sequence to match right-to-left cognitive patterns

• Created a bilingual form system with intelligent language changing

• Enhanced smartphone usability for thumb-based Arabic typing

• Repositioning action buttons to the right area of forms and interfaces

• Reconsidering content prioritization to flow from right to left

• Adapting interactive elements to align with the right-to-left scanning pattern

Last month, a fashion retailer consulted me after spending over 150,000 SAR on online marketing with disappointing results. After restructuring their approach, we achieved a six hundred thirty-one percent increase in ROAS.

As someone who has created over 30 Arabic websites in the last half-decade, I can assure you that applying Western UX principles to Arabic interfaces simply doesn't work. The unique characteristics of Arabic text and Saudi user expectations require a completely different approach.

Recently, a company director asked me why his articles weren't creating any inquiries. After examining his publishing plan, I found he was making the same blunders I see countless Saudi businesses repeat.

Recently, a store owner expressed that their email marketing initiatives were producing disappointing results with open rates below 8%. After executing the techniques I'm about to share, their open rates improved to 37% and sales improved by two hundred eighteen percent.

• Position the most important content in the upper-right area of the viewport

• Structure page sections to advance from right to left and top to bottom

• Use stronger visual weight on the right side of symmetrical designs

• Verify that pointing icons (such as arrows) point in the appropriate direction for RTL designs

• Moved product visuals to the left side, with product details and purchase buttons on the right side

• Adjusted the photo slider to advance from right to left

• Implemented a custom Arabic typeface that kept legibility at various scales

• Distinctly mark which language should be used in each input field

• Intelligently switch keyboard layout based on field requirements

• Place input descriptions to the right side of their corresponding inputs

• Ensure that error notifications appear in the same language as the intended input

If you're building or revamping a website for the Saudi market, I urge hiring specialists who genuinely comprehend the subtleties of Arabic user experience rather than simply translating Western designs.

Last month, I was advising a large e-commerce platform that had invested over 200,000 SAR on a beautiful professional Website Design cost that was performing terribly. The issue? They had just converted their English site without accounting for the essential design distinctions needed for Arabic users.

• Use fonts specifically designed for Arabic screen reading (like Boutros) rather than conventional print fonts

• Increase line height by 150-175% for enhanced readability

• Set right-aligned text (never middle-aligned for body text)

• Stay away from compressed Arabic fonts that compromise the distinctive letter forms

• Developed a numerical presentation system that handled both Arabic and English numbers

• Restructured charts to flow from right to left

• Used color-coding that aligned with Saudi cultural connections

During my latest project for a investment company in Riyadh, we discovered that users were frequently tapping the wrong navigation elements. Our eye-tracking showed that their eyes naturally progressed from right to left, but the primary navigation elements were placed with a left-to-right importance.