Mapping E-Auction Sharia Compliant Requirements to User Interface Design

Abstract

Successful online auction platform depends on many factors. These factors amongst others include competent business models which can survive the world’s economic challenges, useful features to attract buyers and sellers, as well as intuitive and easy to learn interface to enhance user experience. The infamous eBay for example is considered the most successful e-auction platform which caters for various products, while artnet is reviewed as an e-auction dedicated to art with the highest revenue. eBay has the largest user base of all the online auction sites. Though it has some steep fees, it also has an easy-to-use interface that makes listing items simple. Although these e-auction platforms are attractive in so many ways, many Muslim consumers are increasingly aware of Islam as a way of life, and their responsibility to seek not just for halal products but also to use services which guarantee legitimacy of the transactions and conformant to Islamic business rules. This study presents Mazad, a Sharia compliant e-auction platform that offers processes and procedures that meet Sharia requirements, promotes benevolent behavior, as well as Islamic business ethics. In order to encourage Muslim and non-Muslim users alike to learn about specific e-auction features which are not available in conventional online auctions, this work emphasizes on the mapping of the sharia requirements of e-auctions and their implementation in Mazad by highlighting its user interface design. The user centered design principles as well as the “What You See Is What You Get” concept is used in designing Mazad, the sharia compliant e-auction platform.