KareemCal
Prayer Times Calendar (DeenCal v1)
Background
I created Kareem to help manage my busy university and work schedule while prioritizing what truly matters. After sharing it with others, I saw how it could help them too.
Initially, I was frustrated with another service, PrayerCal, because their geolocation and prayer times had discrepancies of 5-36 minutes — which defeats the whole purpose.
Technical Challenges
Initially, I wanted a one-click solution using Microsoft Azure's Graph API. However, this would require university-level security clearance. After back-and-forth communication with U.T.S., I decided the project didn't warrant that process.
I opted for a file-based approach: create the .ics file and provide instructions for users to configure it with their calendar service. This led to the frustrating UX that eventually motivated DeenCal v2.
Lessons Learned
- User privacy and data security importance
- Balancing implementation ease with long-term maintenance
- Adapting to constraints and finding alternatives
- Designing with the user in mind