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Tawaqaf, Start your smoke-free journey today with Tawaqaf - because every second counts, every step forward is worth celebrating
Inspiration
The Inspiration came from the fact in the area where i live, the past 10 to 12 years there are more and more smoking/shisha bars cropping up. This has been due to more Arabs, due to the conflict in their home countries, having to emigrate to the EU and USA.
English is not their first language. They have no real support to quit smoking. The majority of assistance is not in their language and does not cater to their values.
Hence that is where the inspiration came from.
This app is built with a purpose, to solve a health issue. Although there are a lot of Quit Smoking apps out there, there a non which appeal to the muslim individual that works to their needs, their culture in mind. This didn't exist before because i believe just like people were ignorant before the George Floyd Incident in America, people in the tech world are still not listening to the simple blue collar worker/individual or certain religions.
Research papers;
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4349233/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1360407/
What it Does
Tawaqaf (which means "Stop" in Arabic) is a mobile web app designed to help people quit smoking. The app tracks their progress in real-time, showing you exactly how long the user has been smoke-free, and calculates how much money their saving by not buying cigarettes. It also includes a timeline of health benefits their gaining, like improved circulation and reduced heart disease risk. What makes this app special is that it's designed with Islamic values in mind, incorporating spiritual guidance and positive messaging that resonates with Arabic-speaking users and muslims in general. Instead of focusing on the struggle of quitting, it emphasizes victories and growth. The app is bilingual (English,Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi) and includes features like the "Tawakkul Path" which provides faith-based motivation, treating the body as a trust from Allah that should be cared for.
How i built it
It was built using modern web technologies to ensure a smooth responsive and easy overall user experience. I used Bolt.new. Used Supabase for the backend databases.
Netlify to deploy.
I used Claude and chatgpt for help, in order not to use all my tokens on Bolt.new. Im sure there are lots of other components which were used to build this App but i am not a technical person so cannot list them all out.
A clever use of AI has allowed me to use different languages and keep changing the motivation and games/quizzes according to new religious thought, )chat GPT API)
This UI is designed for simplicity, to make it simple and appealing and focuses more on the objective of getting the individual to quit smoking.
Incorporated Google API. In order to keep motivation cards/tips/quizzes relevant and upto date. (Still in progress)
Challenges
Of course there will always be challenges. However, i faced a lot of them. Not knowing how the backend works and figuring this out. Not having a checklist/ blueprint to follow in creating an app.
Bolt.new kept on giving constant errors, and taking a long time to load. The interface is not easy, it could have been made easier.
I spent a lot of time, reading, watching Bolt.new youtube videos and live streams. This frustratingly took a lot of time. Posting in discord for assistance, waiting on responses. A lot of time eaten up.
Implementing stats for each user, different languages, API's, games, making sure it appealed to blue collar workers as well as professional workers, keeping in line with Islamic practices, was all a significant challenge.
Being a non technical person took its toll. I am aware currently the games/cravings function is not functioning, but due to time constraints, it was unable to be rectified, as i needed to get the project submitted. However, these will be rectified.
Accomplishments
Im proud of coming up with this concept as it is dearly needed. The integrations of features, especially the languages, and games for the cravings. Creating an app which focuses on the individual, and motivates them through spiritual guidance is immense. This should allow users to stay on course.
The backend allowing it to capture and function so the app works as it should.
The fact that i was able to create and deploy this within a 2 week period has been a huge accomplishment! Thanks to Bolt.new and its hackathon challenge.
This project really matters, as it affects a persons health, and the people who they surround themselves with. As in certain countries women and children are exposed to second hand smoke which can cause eczema, and other health related issues which people are not aware of. This app fits extremely well in tackling this issue.
I believe every muslim who smokes, needs this app. Because deep down, they all know smoking is not allowed in islam, and its not good for their health, but most of all its not good on their pocket. Hence they do, at some point want to quit, but their ego gets in the way, and there is no help/resources for them to stop. Which they can understand. This app is at their finger tips, specifically designed for them, the individual, i know they will all tell their friends about it and share it once they reap the benefits.
What i learned
I learned a lot of new skills, you have a front end and a back end, UI and UX. There are lots of moving components and files which need to be put together. its not as easy as saying this is all easy to do, as the technologies are not all there yet. I learnt it takes a lot more to build, then just having a prompt. Even that the prompt need to be a good one.
You need a good professional who knows what their doing, to be on tap, in order to get you moving when you face challenges. (When working on your own you don't always have this). I learnt you can bring identification to a project.
Whats next for Tawaqaf
There is so much more that i wish to develop within Tawaqaf. Due to time restraints i was not able to implement at this current time due to the hackathon deadline.
In the app, i want to add more languages, more options of different type of smoking products according to the area which people live in.
Specific focus around Ramadan time, maybe create competitions.
Create a more personalised approach too, for individuals.
Maybe add health voices to the app as according to research done as above, if a physician advises individuals, there is a higher chance of the individual quitting. Speaking to governments to push it through.
Improve the games/cravings category (i have ideas for this)
Overall improve the app and push it to more countries where it is needed and will be used according to the research as above.
This app will get worldwide recognition for its very, personal, religious and individual approach. It will be used worldwide, as in every corner of the world, there is a muslim that smokes.
This App is also applying to the following Challenges:
Make more money with Revenue cat
Custom Domain challenge (as of yet Ionos is not working hope its fixed by the time this is submitted)
Startup challenge
Deploy challenge
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