Designing Islamic Lifestyle Apps for Real Spiritual Needs

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

There are now several thousand Islamic apps in the market, with hundreds more launching every month. At the same time, many Muslim-majority countries are experiencing rapid demographic and technological growth, particularly among young people who are highly active on mobile devices.

But this raises some important questions:

Do app developers have clear, evidence-based design guidelines for young Muslim users?
What are the real user needs of this audience?
Are current apps, especially Islamic lifestyle apps, which are our primary focus, actually fulfilling users’ spiritual needs, or merely digitising religious content?

In our research, we set out to explore these questions from a psychological and user-experience (UX) perspective. Our goal was to develop a set of practical design guidelines that can benefit not only Islamic lifestyle app developers, but anyone building apps for Muslim-majority audiences.

One finding was unequivocal: no one likes intrusive ads. They consistently undermine user experience, erode trust, and detract from meaningful engagement, particularly in spiritually oriented applications.

At Greentech Apps Foundation, we actively incorporate these research insights into our own products, helping us build apps that are loved and used by millions of people worldwide. Likewise, through our commercial arm, Greentech Apps Limited, we apply the same evidence-based principles to deliver thoughtful, user-centred solutions for our clients.

If this space interests you, I warmly invite you to read our research paper, which is freely available as open access:

Read the open-access research paper

We are grateful to Queen Mary University of London for supporting this work through open-access funding. Heartfelt thanks also go to our co-authors, Mohsinul Kabir and Ridwan Kabir. Without their dedication and hard work, this research would not have been possible. We also sincerely thank the reviewers whose thoughtful feedback helped shape and strengthen the paper.

If you are interested in interning with us or collaborating on future research, feel free to reach out. I would be very happy to connect.

Why do so many Islamic apps feel useful, but not deeply helpful?

Our recent Greentech R&D research, along with collaborators Mohsinul Kabir and Ridwan Kabir, looked at 11 popular Islamic lifestyle apps and spoke directly with Muslim users.

The insight was eye-opening: most apps are packed with features, such as prayer times, Qur’an readers, and habit trackers, but users still feel spiritually unfulfilled. They are completing tasks but not deepening their faith. What users want is simple: understanding, confidence, and guidance that fits real life.

What users actually need

1. Go beyond basic features

Do not just provide prayer times, Qur’an text, or checklists. Apps should help users understand and reflect, not only complete tasks.

2. Support motivation, not guilt

Encourage users gently and positively, instead of making them feel bad for missing prayers or targets. Progress should feel supportive, not judgmental.

3. Give users more control and choice

Let people personalise how they learn and practice Islam, including pace, reminders, topics, and goals, rather than forcing one rigid structure on everyone.

4. Help users feel spiritually confident

Explain why things are done in Islam, not just what to do. This helps users feel more confident and sincere in their practice.

5. Make learning connected and meaningful

Link Qur’an verses, Hadith, Seerah, and daily life examples together, so users can see how Islamic teachings connect across topics.

6. Encourage a sense of community

Help users feel connected to other Muslims through shared learning, reflections, or collective goals, without becoming noisy or social-media-like.

7. Respect Islamic etiquette and trust

Authenticity matters. Users care deeply about credible sources, respectful tone, and alignment with Islamic values.

8. Design for real life, not ideal life

People are busy, tired, and at different stages of faith. Apps should fit naturally into daily routines.

What is one thing you wish your favourite Islamic app did differently?

Greentech | Dr Riasat Islam