Mobile app
Al Jalees
Al Jalees Culture Club had no presence online at all. We designed one app that brings together books, events, community, articles and an e-reader.
The challenge
The club existed only in the real world. No website, no app, no presence online, so only people who had attended a meeting or heard about it knew it.
Most of its audience are foreigners and Saudis. They meet in Jeddah and Riyadh only, and they always discuss books in English. The club wants to expand to other cities.
So the question was not “how do we draw an app?” It was: how does an app become the full digital face of a club that never had one?
From the reality to the decision
The club has no presence online
The app puts everything the club offers in one place: books, events, community, articles, e-reader and podcast.
The audience is foreigners and Saudis
The first screen asks for the language, English or Arabic, before anything else.
Books are always discussed in English
English is a main language of the interface, not a later translation, and Arabic is a full option for anyone who prefers it.
The club is only in Jeddah and Riyadh, and wants to grow
The city sits at the top of the home screen and on every event, so growing into a new city stays inside the same design.
Getting in
The first minute decides whether a visitor stays
The user asksIs there a place for someone like me here?
The journey starts with a language choice, English or Arabic, then a welcome and sign-in. Registration includes a step for choosing interests, from fiction and history to self development and events, so the app knows what to show first. Anyone undecided can browse as a guest.
Our decisionLanguage comes first because the audience is mixed, interests second so the home screen feels personal from the first visit, and the guest option keeps the door open.
Home
What is happening at the club this week?
The user asksWhat deserves my time right now?
At the top: a welcome by name, the location and notification icons, then one search for books and events together. Below it the page runs from what is closest to what is broadest: offers and events, then Al Jalees programs and the community invitation, then articles and the most-read books, and finally the sponsors.
Our decisionOne search for books and events, and an order that starts with what can be attended soon and moves on to what can be read.
Events
From interest to attendance
The user asksWhen, where, and who is hosting?
Each card answers at a glance: the date on the photo, the time, the city and the host, with a “View details” button. Two tabs, Upcoming and Previous, each with a counter, then the event page, registration and a confirmation.
Our decisionThe date sits on the photo and the city is written on the card, because the club is in two cities and wants more.
Books
The book before it is bought
The user asksIs this book worth my time, and at what price?
The book page puts the cover, rating, publisher, year and page count in one glance, then the price, with the members price right under it.
Our decisionThe members price sits directly under the regular price, so visitors see the value of joining at the moment they decide to buy.
Community and articles
The conversation does not end when the meeting does
The user asksWhat is everyone else reading?
Al Jalees Times is for articles: a featured piece, the latest articles and author spotlights, with an invitation to submit your own. The Community is for member posts and groups such as the Arabic Literature Circle, with follow, like, comment and share, and the next meeting can be announced inside the post itself.
Our decisionThe in-app community keeps the book conversation alive between meetings, and it is not tied to one city.
Reading and listening
The book continues its journey inside the app
The user asksCan I read or listen right now?
The e-reader shows the chapter, the page number, the percentage complete and the time left, with large buttons for navigation and settings. JaleesCast is a set of audio episodes with categories and the latest episode at the top.
Our decisionProgress and time left sit at the bottom of the page, so readers know where they are without looking for it.
Components from the app
