Designing applications that work beautifully in both Arabic and English requires more than RTL mirroring. Here's a comprehensive guide to bilingual UX for the UAE market.
The UAE's bilingual market demands applications that work flawlessly in both Arabic and English. This isn't simply a matter of mirroring layouts — true bilingual UX requires understanding how Arabic-speaking users interact with digital interfaces, handling mixed-direction text, and designing visual hierarchies that work in both reading directions.
Beyond RTL Mirroring
When switching from English (LTR) to Arabic (RTL), most UI elements should mirror: navigation moves to the right, progress indicators reverse direction, and form layouts flip. However, some elements should NOT mirror: media playback controls, phone number fields, graphs with chronological x-axes, and universal icons like checkmarks and back arrows.
Typography and Readability
Arabic typography has different requirements than English. Arabic text requires more line height (1.6-1.8x vs 1.4-1.5x for English), larger minimum font sizes (16px vs 14px), and careful font selection. System fonts like SF Arabic and Segoe UI Arabic render well, while Google's Noto Naskh Arabic provides consistent cross-platform support.
Handling Mixed-Direction Content
UAE users frequently encounter content mixing Arabic and English — product names, technical terms, and brand names. Use the CSS unicode-bidi and direction properties correctly, and test thoroughly with real bilingual content. Numbers within Arabic text require special attention, as Arabic-Indic numerals may be expected in some contexts.
User Testing with Both Languages
Test your application with native Arabic speakers from the Gulf region, not just with Arabic translations reviewed by a translator. Gulf Arabic UX expectations differ from North African or Levantine expectations. Bayden's design team includes native Arabic and English speakers who ensure bilingual applications feel natural to users in both languages.
Need help with software development?
Bayden provides professional software development services across the UAE.
Learn about our software development services