Learning Pakistani Culture through The Namaz Emoji

Non-verbal communication is increasingly used in electronic messages. In the current digital era, emojis have become famous in non-verbal communication. They are used to convey feeling, emotion, and attitude, and they are considered substitutes for written language. Online communities use different kinds of emojis: Finnish communicators use culturally specific ones like `sauna', `stuck' (to a frozen pole), and `headbanger', while Hindus use religious emojis such as `Happy Diwali' on platforms like Facebook. Little research exists on both the use of emojis and the process of designing an emoji. Pakistan has a rich culture, with many illustratable ideas such as Namaz, or prayer, Eid celebration, hospitality, drinking tea, truck art, red wedding dress, generosity, and family loyalty, for example. For the approximately 35 million Pakistani users, there is not a single emoji that represents Pakistani culture on social media. To address this gap, this study utilized the design thinking methodology to design a Namaz emoji. The emoji was improved based on feedback during each stage of design thinking. The final version was tested among 294 participants. The results of this study revealed that most of the participants liked the concept of a Namaz emoji. As a theoretical contribution, we introduced the process of designing an emoji.