The document discusses the design of technology to support religious practices, specifically Islamic prayer. It describes how Muslims currently use paper charts to track prayer times based on the sun's position. The study involved deploying a phone application called "Sun Dial" with 10 Muslim participants for a week. Findings showed that in addition to reminding users of prayer times, the application contributed to their religious experience by evoking imagery of mosques and gently reminding them of their faith in a way similar to Islamic art in their homes. The technology provided functionality but also a meaningful religious experience beyond just prompts.

1. Sacred Imagery in Techno-Spiritual Design Susan P. Wyche Kelly E. Caine Benjamin K. Davison Shwetak N. Patel* Michael Arteaga Rebecce E. Grinter *Presently at the University of Washington

2. ICTs are widely used to support religious practices. However, little is known about how to appropriately design applications that support “techno-spiritual practices” (Bell, 2006).

7. Nature

8. Nature

9. Nature

10. Mosques

11. Mosques

13. Findings

14. Findings The phone reminded me of how I should keep track of prayer times and follow the natural progression of the sun , which I don’t do, I let mechanical devices [referring to his watch and computer] do it… – 38 year old male Findings

15. … a lot of people in the U.S., we wish we could be in the Middle East or in a country that had more of this [referring to mosque], especially for me, since I became Muslim in the U.S., I have never lived in the Middle East . –24 year old male Findings

17. Sun Dial provided more than functionality or a prompt to the prayer times; it also contributed to users’ religious experience . Sacred Imagery and Techno-Spiritual Design

19. Acknowledgements/ Questions? I am grateful to participants for sharing their stories and my collaborators: Kelly Caine, Ben Davison, Shwetak Patel, and Michael Arteaga. This research was supported in part by a grant from the Intel Research Council. Thank you Beki Grinter, anonymous reviewers, and Genevieve Bell.