UI/UX

Designing Arabic-first, not Arabic-translated

RTL is more than mirroring layouts. It affects typography, iconography, spacing, and the way users read your interface.

Farah Al-MutairiHead of DesignUI/UXFebruary 20, 20261 min read

TL;DR

If you launch in the GCC with a mirrored English UI, you'll ship something that looks foreign to the people you're serving.

Typography first

Arabic typography has its own rhythm. Line-heights, letter spacing, and font choice all matter more than layout mirroring.

About the author

Farah Al-Mutairi

Head of Design · Kuwait City, Kuwait

Product designer specializing in bilingual and RTL surfaces for financial and healthcare clients.

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