A new conceptual framework of tawhidic based Islamic mobile application for developers (T-iMAD)

There are various mobile applications related to Islamic contents have been developed and available on the shelf. As Islamic content is extremely sensitive, therefore, issues to preserve its holiness are of major concern. Nevertheless, little attention is given on this matter and neither proper framework nor guidelines is available for developers to produce quality Islamic mobile apps. Therefore, this study proposes a new conceptual framework for Islamic mobile apps development based on Tawhidic paradigm. In relation to the Tawhidic paradigm, the framework adapted external and internal aspects from three sources which are Al-Ghazali Model of Human Nature, the essence of seven verses in Surah Al-Fatihah, and four Islamic working ethics: Taqwa, Ihsan, Al-Birr, and Masuliyyah. Through literature reviews and experts interview, a set of criteria and descriptions of Surah Al-Fatihah and the development guidelines were determined; followed by expert reviews to improve the framework. Then, a survey among Islamic developers was carried out to validate the framework. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares (PLS) method was utilized for data analysis via SmartPLS. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were employed to examine the multi-dimensionality of the criteria and to analyze their significance towards the developer intention to use. This study has successfully proposed a new conceptual framework of Tawhidic based Islamic Mobile Application for Developers (T-iMAD). The framework consists of internal and external aspects. The internal aspects are driven by Al-Fatihah: (i) Taqwa – intention, gratitude, sincerity, patience, and trust; and (ii) Ihsan – humility, and pure. Meanwhile, external aspects include engagement, functionality, and information criteria which derived from Al-Birr and Masuliyyah. The results from SEM-PLS show that the evaluated model fits the framework, further validating the framework. The main contribution this study is a framework that serves as a guideline for mobile apps developers in producing quality Islamic mobile apps. This study also provides empirical analysis on the significance of criteria towards developer intention to use.