Arabic-first interfaces are not mirrored English interfaces
Flipping a layout at the end of a project produces software that citizens tolerate. Designing for Arabic from the first screen produces software they use.
· 4 min read · Cozyplus Technologies
Most enterprise software is designed in English and localised later. For a citizen portal in Riyadh or Ramallah that order is backwards: the primary user reads Arabic, types Arabic, and expects dates, numbers and names to behave the way they do on paper.
What changes when Arabic comes first
Type is chosen for Arabic legibility at small sizes, then a Latin companion is picked to match. Line-height and letter-spacing are set for Arabic, not inherited from a Latin default. Forms accept Arabic and Latin digits and normalise them. Names are stored with the diacritics and spelling the citizen used. Dates show both Hijri and Gregorian where the law expects them. Icons that imply direction, like back arrows and progress, are mirrored, while logos and clocks are not.
How we test it
Every screen is reviewed in Arabic first by a native speaker on the team, on a phone, before it is reviewed in English on a desktop. It is a small discipline that removes a whole category of complaints after launch.