When Ramadan arrived this year, I found myself staring at my local mosque's PDF of the Ramadan calendar—filled with prayer, iftar, and suhoor times. After Fajr one morning, I thought: there’s got to be a better way to see these times than squinting at a zoomed-in screenshot from my photos app.
1. The Spark and the Problem
Every day during Ramadan, I relied on that PDF. While the table was clear, finding the right moment to check it was a hassle. There were plenty of apps for Quran and prayer times, but none delivered the simplicity I needed. I craved a straightforward layout—one that clearly communicated the schedule without any extra frills.
2. The Research and the Approach
Curiosity led me to explore minimalistic UI/UX timers online. I began reverse engineering some popular designs, even leveraging AI prompts to get closer to what I had in mind. My process was simple:
Explain the problem to ChatGPT.
Review examples and distill essential features.
Generate product requirements.
Use those requirements to prompt AI into building a first version of the app.
In just an hour, I had a minimum viable product (MVP) thanks to this iterative, feedback-focused approach.
3. Rapid Iteration and Product Mindset
Building from 0 to 1 became a matter of rapid experimentation. I shared version 1 with friends and early users, gathering insights and iterating in real time. By noon, after incorporating valuable feedback, I had a refined version that addressed the core need—delivering prayer times in a simple, effective layout. This process reinforced a key lesson: the barrier to entry for validating ideas is low if you iterate quickly.
https://ramadan-clock.lovable.app/
Wrapping Up
Ramadan Clock is more than just an app; it’s a testament to the power of rapid prototyping and user feedback. By keeping the design lean and focusing on the essential problem, I managed to transform an everyday inconvenience into a practical tool. For anyone with a product idea, remember: clarity and speed in your iteration process can make all the difference.
Happy creating, and Ramadan Mubarak!