Arabic is the first language for 300 million people in MENA and a second language for most of the rest. Yet UX research across the region often defaults to English – not Arabic. This choice may save time, but it risks alienating the very users products are built for.
Although digital maturity in the Middle East is growing steadily, the emphasis on localized research remains low, influenced by strategies that prioritize global and English-first experiences. While this approach may work in the UAE, it may not yield the desired outcome in countries like Saudi Arabia or Egypt; a compelling reason for teams to prioritize UX research in Arabic, particularly while building products for the Arabic-speaking users.
This blog examines why UX research in Arabic deserves more investment and how UX teams can make the most of this overlooked opportunity.
UX research in English for Arabic-speaking audiences: Common yet costly
UX research in English is common and works well in English-speaking countries such as the US and Australia. But the same approach has spread into the MENA region, where many UX teams assume that running surveys, usability tests, and interviews in English is “good enough.”
Is English really a substitute for Arabic? The short answer is no. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for a region where Arabic is the dominant language.
English often becomes the default for UX research because translating results takes extra time, effort, and cost. It also acts as a common language for diverse teams in multicultural hubs like the UAE.
While this makes Arabic research seem inconvenient, ignoring it introduces serious risks that can undermine product success.
Lost in translation: risks of conducting research in English
While research in English appears convenient and hassle-free, your Arabic-speaking user may not agree, leading to a disconnect between what they say and what they mean.
Let’s explore a few more reasons why UX teams should also consider conducting user research in Arabic.
Inaccurate insights
Participants who speak Arabic as their first language may not be able to express their viewpoints, thoughts, and pain points comfortably since English isn’t their preferred language. Additionally, it is easy to misunderstand and miss the cultural references and other nuances when the research is in English, resulting in inaccurate insights that may not convey the participant’s genuine feedback and experience.
Vague or shallow responses
You may get vague, shallow, and superficial responses from participants who aren’t confident sharing responses in English, compromising your research findings and eventually resulting in poor design decisions.
Overlooking differences in English and Arabic interfaces
If the final product is in Arabic or has an option to switch to the Arabic version, conducting research only in English may not cater to the unique Arabic-specific UX requirements, including fonts, layout, right-to-left (RTL) interfaces, etc. This could create a gap between what users expect and what the product offers, reducing user trust and engagement when the product is released.
Dialectal variations are ignored
Teams must also consider the subtle yet significant dialectal differences, especially for notable dialects including Levantine Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Gulf Arabic, and Maghrebi Arabic.
While the fundamental Information architecture (IA) elements, including menus, icons, and buttons, are consistent across most Arabic dialects, the terminology and microcopy may vary. For example, the terminology ‘send’ in Egyptian Arabic is abaʿat (أبعت), but arsil (أرسل) in Gulf Arabic.
A food delivery app’s approach to usability testing in Arabic
Case Study by Digital of Things
Business requirement
In 2023, a leading food delivery app saw an impressive 174% year-on-year growth in consumer subscriptions across the UAE, driven largely by the success of its English mobile app. Building on this momentum, the company set its sights on launching an Arabic version. Before going live, however, it wanted to validate the user experience to ensure the product truly met the needs of Arabic-speaking users.
The goals were to:
- Test the usability of the Arabic version of the app
- Ensure the accuracy and cultural appropriateness of translations
- Evaluate the effectiveness of right-to-left (RTL) alignment
Approach
The company recruited six Arabic-speaking participants who were not existing customers to take part in in-lab usability testing. Each participant was asked to complete a set of tasks and scenarios prepared by the product team, using their preferred mobile devices. Every issue identified during the sessions was documented and assigned a severity rating.
Results
The tests proved to be an eye-opener for the team, who had initially felt confident about the product.
Participants highlighted that many translations were generic and, at times, even offensive. They also noted the inconsistent mix of English and Arabic within the app, which created frustration and confusion.
These insights revealed core usability and linguistic issues that would have negatively impacted the launch. As a result, the company made the strategic decision to delay the release to address the problems, rather than risk offering Arabic-speaking users a poor experience.
Arabic user research is crucial, but is it easy?
Although Arabic is prevalent across the MENA region, UX companies are primarily based out of major metropolitan cities, including Dubai and Doha, that have diverse workforces. Therefore, creating, arranging, and conducting user research in Arabic may not be as straightforward as it seems.
Here are some of the major roadblocks UX teams face during Arabic research.
Few fluent Arabic-speaking moderators and team members
The dialectal differences across the Middle East make it challenging for UX teams to find moderators who understand the nuances of regional dialects. Additionally, most teams have very few members who can speak and read Arabic fluently, making user research in Arabic a time-consuming and costly endeavor.
Lack of localized research platforms and tools
While there are a host of UX testing and research platforms in the market, they primarily support the standard English language interface. On the flipside, there are limited options to validate Arabic design elements such as RTL layouts, fonts, text rendering text spacing; all critical to ensure flawless usability in localized applications.
How to get it right?
Building localized products, even by implementing the best UX practices, can get tricky. Teams can often get lost in the chaos and forget that they are designing for their users, not for themselves.
Here’s how you can address the persistent roadblocks while conducting user research in Arabic.
1. Hire Arabic-speaking moderators or research personnel
You can either create an in-house team of moderators and research experts who are fluent Arabic speakers or work with freelancers with an in-depth understanding of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and other major dialects. You can also consider approaching local UX research agencies in different countries that can connect you with the best Arabic-speaking talent pool.
2. Localization of research material
Prioritize translating test scripts, interviews, and surveys from English into multiple Arabic dialects, depending on the participants’ locations. However, just translating your research material isn’t enough; the onus is on you to ensure its accuracy and authenticity.
Collaborate with translators who have a good grasp of UX terminologies and Arabic to ensure your translations are on point. While popular and AI-based translation tools, including Google Translate and Localise, are helpful, relying on them blindly isn’t a good idea since they often miss cultural nuances. Further, they also provide literal translations of several words without capturing the context, hindering the user experience.
3. Invest in tools that support Arabic
We understand that user research in Arabic can seem intimidating, particularly to UX teams that have only designed and developed English-first applications using familiar tools. However, it is crucial to pick a research tool or platform like UserQ that helps you streamline research in Arabic and get familiar with your target audience.
4. Create extensive UX knowledge bases and libraries
Top and successful UX teams maintain a repository of their research findings so that they do not have to reinvent the wheel again. It is a good idea to document dialect and region-specific learnings and create Arabic-centric usability guidelines to ensure you do not have to do the basic groundwork in future projects.
5. Create and track localized KPIs
Tracking only the standard global KPIs may not tell you much about the product’s performance and the challenges faced by your Arabic-speaking users. Therefore, you must introduce localized metrics, including task competition rates for the RTL interface, retention rate in Arabic-dominant markets, etc. Tracking language-specific KPIs enables you to assess whether you should continue investing in localized or Arabic UX research.
While this approach holds for Arabic in this case, it is worth stressing the importance of creating different KPIs if your product is available in different languages.
Parting notes
Arabic user research isn’t optional if you are building an Arabic-first application for your users in the MENA region. That said, it is easy to overlook it and conduct research in English since it is convenient and, more importantly, an affordable alternative. However, you are likely to alienate a majority of your user base as the research findings do not account for the cultural nuances and language preferences of your target audience.
The best teams always prioritize bridging the gap between design intent and user reality, and the Arabic-first research approach empowers you to do that.
Ready to bridge the gap between design intent and user reality? Start your next study in Arabic with UserQ. Access 18,000+ local testers and 7 remote UX testing tools built for MENA.
Get started for free today!
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