Thesis (BA Communication Arts) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2019

Islam is always depended on technology to support its religious practices. To understand their practices, one must recognize the changing Islamic lifestyle and their environment. Therefore, this study presents a qualitative research study that aims to describe ways in which new technology, such as mobile application, can assist the needs of Muslims in their religious and cultural practices. Through conducting personal interviews with ten selected Muslim respondents, the study was able to identify their needs, wants, and lived experiences. These were analyzed according to the identify negotiation theory. As for the mobile application, the design was done through Adobe XD, a program that enables mobile application prototype designs. Wood?s (2014) elements of visual communication for user-interfaces were used as guiding principles in designing the intended mobile application. The findings of this study posit that the needs of Muslims in Davao City include: Halal Food Assurances, Prayer Areas, Ablution Areas, Call of Prayer, and Shops for Muslims Clothes. Their lived experiences include sense of Home, Location and Availability, and Marginalization and Discrimination. These were addressed in the design of the mobile application through the application of grids, color, typography, images, and iconography and metaphor. The findings proved that Muslims in Davao City still struggle for recognition and inclusion as the environment is culturally unfamiliar for them while the outcome of the design showed that the use of Wood?s (2014) elements of visual communication for user-interfaces offered a basic effective way to aid Islamic needs and practices.