Ya Qalbi

Project Overview

Learning the Arabic spoken in Lebanon is harder than it should be. Most Arabic apps teach Modern Standard Arabic, and the few that teach the Arabic spoken in Lebanon are outdated or read like wordy dictionaries. We took Ya Qalbi from an idea to a working, gamified iOS app, built on learning techniques shown to help with memorization. Along the way we designed the brand, the characters, and a 77-lesson beginner curriculum. The goal was a course short enough to fit into any day, with cute characters, points, and badges that make people want to come back tomorrow.

Our Role

Here is what we built:

• A 10-screen onboarding with sign-in through Apple, Google, or email. Progress is saved to the learner's account, so they can pick up on any phone.
• A 10-chapter curriculum for beginners. Learners practice every new word five ways: they see and hear it, find it among other words, use it in a sentence, type it from memory, and review it in a later lesson so it sticks.
• Seven exercise types, from matching words to pictures to translating and typing full sentences. Every word is written in both Arabic script and Latin letters.
• Audio for every word, voiced with ElevenLabs.
• Learners choose one of six phoenixes to learn with: Jojo, Baher, Banafsaj, Shams, Rita, and Arz. Finishing lessons earns dahab, and enough of it unlocks a new level and one of 28 memories of Lebanese culture.
• A daily-habit loop with streaks, XP points, monthly challenges, badges, and a leaderboard.
• A home screen widget that shows the learner's streak, and a post-lesson flow that celebrates every win.

Impact & Results

Ya Qalbi teaches 1,900+ Lebanese words across 77 lessons and 8,600+ exercises, and every one of its 438 units passes 65 quality checks before it ships. The app is in beta on iOS through TestFlight, and yaqalbiapp.com is live, with a waitlist that welcomes every new signup with a five-email sequence.