Overview

DeenBoard is a homepage dashboard Chrome extension designed for Muslims seeking to integrate faith and productivity into a single, minimal interface. It brings together essential spiritual tools such as the Hijri date and Qibla direction tracker, prayer times with countdowns, and daily Qur’an verses and Hadith, alongside productivity features like a to-do list, calendar events, and task reminders.

With customizable accent colors and a clean layout, DeenBoard provides busy Muslims with a spiritual companion that supports mindfulness and productivity throughout the day.

Software Architecture

DeenBoard was developed as a Chrome extension using React, Webpack, TailwindCSS, and OAuth2 for secure Google Calendar integration. Prayer times are powered by the Aladhan API, configurable by madhab, while Qur’an verses and Hadiths are stored locally in .min.js files for instant retrieval, ensuring reliability and zero loading delays. The architecture prioritizes speed, privacy, and seamless integration with daily workflows.

Technology Stack

• Frontend: React, Webpack, TailwindCSS
• APIs: Aladhan API, Chrome Extensions API
• Integration: OAuth2 + Google Calendar

Features

Design Case Study

DeenBoard’s design philosophy centered on calmness and simplicity, reflecting the spiritual essence of its purpose while maintaining modern productivity standards. The goal was to create a dashboard that does not overwhelm the user, instead offering a serene and focused space where faith and daily responsibilities naturally intersect.

Key Components

DeenBoard uses Wix Madefor Display for English text and Cairo for Arabic. The modern, simple, and geometric typography reinforces the product’s dual focus on spirituality and productivity.

Chosen typefaces and typography concept for DeenBoard.

The dashboard employs a Bento box–style grid to neatly organize widgets into balanced sections. This approach ensures clarity, reduces cognitive load, and makes the interface feel both structured and approachable.

Bento box-style grid to showcase widgets.

Tools like the to-do list and Google Calendar feed are built directly into the dashboard, allowing tasks and events to sit alongside spiritual reminders. This design choice makes DeenBoard a holistic daily companion rather than just a static religious utility.

Users can adjust accent colors with a gradient slider, which also influences the Vanta.js cloudy background, creating a cohesive, dynamic theme. This personalization keeps the dashboard visually fresh while maintaining its calm and minimal identity.

Why It Works

For busy Muslims, Deenboard provides a spiritual companion that integrates faith into workflow without requiring extra effort or switching between apps. Its simple, minimal design prevents distraction, while the customizable accents help users feel a sense of ownership over their dashboard. By combining reminders of faith with productivity tools, Deenboard builds a habit-forming experience that is both spiritually grounding and practically useful.

Results

Deenboard was successfully launched on the Chrome Web Store, where it has been adopted by users seeking a practical yet spiritual daily dashboard. Feedback praised its intuitive design, speed, and lack of clutter, noting that the integration of Qur’an and Hadith reminders into a productivity-focused interface made it stand out among other dashboard extensions.

"Great design and seamless user experience. The blend of islamic and student/work centric features makes for a very useful dashboard."

– Ayaan Iqbal, engineering student at the University of Waterloo

Future Considerations

Looking ahead, Deenboard could add:

• Widget Rearrangement: Allow users to reorder and resize widgets for a personalized layout
• Enhanced Calendar Integration: Support two-way syncing with Google Calendar, allowing users to create and edit events
• Dark Mode: Introduce a dark theme for users who prefer a night-friendly design
• More Customization: Additional styling controls, including backgrounds and typography