09 Notifications & Language Settings · Dahab Guest App Specs

Content checked against the exported Desktop screenshots (the Figma text API limit was reached for this module).

1. Module summary

Notification Center: an in-app inbox of everything that happened to the guest's trips — booking confirmations, host messages, waitlist releases, safety/weather advisories, wishlist updates and review prompts — with filters, unread markers, "mark all as read" and channel settings (WhatsApp, SMS, weekly digest). Also delivered as push/email/SMS/WhatsApp.
Language Switcher: settings page to switch the whole app between English (LTR) and العربية (RTL), with currency display preference and formatting preview. The Arabic Notification Center is the reference proof that RTL works on a content-heavy screen.

2. Business requirements covered (SRS)

ID	Requirement	Priority	MVP	Where
FR-8.3	Push/email/SMS notifications for confirmations, cancellations, reminders	High	MVP ✓	Notification Center + channel settings
FR-4.4	Reminders before activities	Medium	Later	"Weather advisory" / reminders appear in the design
FR-20.1	UI in English and Arabic at launch	High	MVP ✓	Language Switcher + RTL Notification Center
FR-20.2	Switch language any time from settings	High	MVP ✓	Language Switcher
FR-20.3	Preferred currency alongside EGP/USD	Medium	Later	Currency selector is designed — §7 G2
NFR-7	All user-facing text externalised for translation	—	MVP ✓	All screens

3. Screen inventory

#	Screen	States	Breakpoints
4.1	Notification Center	English (LTR) · Arabic (RTL)	All 4
4.2	Language Switcher — Settings	Default	All 4

4. Screen specifications

4.1 Notification Center

Entry: bell icon with unread badge (web header), "Updates" tab (native bottom bar), push notification tap. Exit: the item's target screen.

Arabic RTL

Default

UI elements

Element	Content	Behaviour / rule
Header	Bell icon with red dot (web), "Updates" tab (native); breadcrumb Marketplace › Personal Account › Notifications; title "Notification Center" + badge 3 New; "Syncing Realtime • Dahab (GMT+3) 17:56"	Unread count.
Filter chips (with counts)	All Notifications (6 total, 3 unread) · Bookings & Stays (2) · Host Messages (2) · Expeditions & Diving (1) · Safety & Weather (1)	Filter by type.
Mark all as read · settings icon	Links top-right	Clears unread state / opens settings.
Unread styling	Terracotta dot + left accent border (right border in RTL)	Read items plain.
Notification cards (Figma)	① Confirmed Stay (12 minutes ago) — "Booking Confirmed: Dar Tarabin Coastal Ecolodge… Booking Reference #DHB-2025-8841-ARB" + booking thumbnail → View Reservation · Message Sheikh Salama ② Direct Host Message (45 min ago) — Sheikh Salama Tarabin, quoted message → Reply to Host · Call via WhatsApp ③ Waitlist Released — "Morning Glass Slot Released: Blue Hole Arch & Bells Deep Freediving… with Master Guide Youssef Ben-Ammar. 2 divers max on line buoy.", specs (Max depth line to 60 m · Water 26°C · Safety ratio 1:2 dedicated · Special rate EGP 2,400), timer Expires in 58 mins → Claim Slot (EGP 2,400) · Pass Slot ④ Conditions Advisory (yesterday) — "Red Sea Marine Conditions: Lighthouse & Blue Hole", clarity rating 35 m → View Live Dahab Wind & Tides ⑤ Price & Availability — wishlist item update ⑥ review prompt	Each card: type chip, title, body, time, CTAs deep-linking to the target (My Bookings, WhatsApp, Session Picker with slot pre-selected, conditions page, listing, Leave a Review).
Delivery Channels (sidebar, "3 Active")	Toggles WhatsApp Alerts · SMS Urgent Notices · Weekly Digest · Manage Notification Settings	Stored per user; transactional emails always sent. Settings page not designed.
Side cards	"Sinai Marine Safety Net" (chamber line +20 (0)69 364 0530, VHF Ch 16, Direct Chamber Dispatch Link) · "Host Concierge Desk" → Chat with Dahab Desk	Shared config / support channel.

Arabic (RTL) state — what must mirror

Navigation shell flows right-to-left; in the bottom bar استكشف (Explore) is right-most and حسابي (Profile) left-most; unread dots/borders on the right; avatars/thumbnails on the right; primary CTA on the right (e.g. عرض الحجز, حجز المقعد الآن); Arabic numerals in badges (٣) and prices (٢,٤٠٠ ج.م); translated notification bodies.

Step-by-step

#	Guest does	System does
1	Receives an event (booking, message, waitlist…)	Creates notification record; sends push/email/SMS/WhatsApp per type and settings (FR-8.3).
2	Opens Notification Center	Lists newest first; unread styled; badge count.
3	Filters by type	Shows matching items.
4	Taps an item / its CTA	Marks it read; deep-links to target.
5	Taps Claim Slot on a waitlist item	Opens Session Picker with slot pre-selected; if already taken → sold-out state (07). Countdown shows claim window.
6	Taps Mark all as read	All read; badge cleared.
7	Toggles a channel	Saves preference immediately.

4.2 Language Switcher — Settings

Entry: Profile/Settings; also reachable from header EN | عربي toggle (quick switch). Exit: back to Settings.

Default

Element	Content	Behaviour / rule
Page	Breadcrumb Settings › Preferences › Language & Region; title "Language & Regional Settings"; "Active Locale: English (US) • EGP (EGP)"	—
Primary Language	English (United Kingdom / International) — DEFAULT · العربية (Arabic Egypt) "Auto Right-to-Left (RTL)" · Français · Deutsch · Русский	Selecting applies strings, direction and fonts (Plus Jakarta Sans + Arabic fallback). Only EN and AR are MVP (§7 G8).
Layout & Reading Orientation	Cards Left-to-Right (LTR) (selected) · Auto-Match RTL ("mirrors entire viewport… when Arabic is active")	Should follow language automatically (§7 G9).
Display Currency	EGP (£E) Local Native · USD ($) · EUR (€) · GBP (£); note "Sinai Fair Exchange Assurance — all checkout transactions settle in EGP…"	FR-20.3 is Later — see §7 G2. Settlement always EGP.
Calendar & Week Cycle	Calendar system Gregorian / Hijri • Lunar; first day of week Saturday (Egypt standard) / Sunday / Monday	Not in SRS (§7 G10).
Live Experience Preview	Sample listing card (Dar Tarabin, dates, host welcome, "EGP 2,400 / night", "Free cancellation up to 48h") + summary (Layout orientation, Currency identifier, Calendar engine)	Re-renders as options change.
Actions	Save Preferences · Reset; info "Language changes will automatically apply across all search filters, booking itineraries, and host messages."	Saved to the account (and device for logged-out users).

Step-by-step

#	Guest does	System does
1	Opens Language settings	Shows current language selected.
2	Picks Arabic and taps Save Preferences	Re-renders the app in Arabic RTL without losing navigation state; saves to profile (same field as Edit Profile "Preferred language").
3	(If in scope) picks currency	Updates price display site-wide with conversion note.
4	Returns	Preference applied everywhere, incl. emails/SMS/notifications language.

5. Cross-screen business rules

Notification catalogue (MVP): booking confirmed, booking modified, booking cancelled + refund issued, payment failed, host message (if messaging in scope), waitlist slot released, safety/weather advisory, review prompt after completion. Each type defines channels (push, email, SMS, WhatsApp) and template in EN + AR.
Transactional messages (confirmation, cancellation, refund) are always sent by email; opt-out applies only to marketing/digest.
Notification language = user's preferred language.
Language preference is one field shared by Edit Profile (01), header toggle and this screen.
RTL rules: logical CSS properties, mirrored icons/chevrons, numbers/phone numbers kept LTR inside RTL text.
Retention of notifications in the inbox (e.g. 90 days) — define.

6. Story candidates for Jira

Epic: GUEST-NOTIFY-L10N — Notifications & Localization

Key idea	Story	Acceptance criteria
NOTIF-1	As a guest, I want an in-app notification center.	List, unread badge, filters, mark all as read, deep links.
NOTIF-2	As a guest, I want booking confirmations/cancellations by push, email and SMS.	Sent on each event in the user's language (FR-8.3).
NOTIF-3	As a guest, I want to be alerted when a waitlisted slot opens and claim it.	Alert via chosen channel; Claim opens picker with slot; handles already-taken.
NOTIF-4	As a guest, I want to choose my alert channels.	WhatsApp, SMS, digest toggles saved; transactional email always on.
NOTIF-5	As a guest, I want safety/weather advisories for my upcoming trips.	Advisory items linked to booking/zone (data source TBD).
L10N-1	As a guest, I want to switch the whole app to Arabic or English at any time.	Immediate re-render; RTL mirrored; preference saved to profile and device.
L10N-2	As an Arabic guest, I want notifications and emails in Arabic.	Templates in AR; numerals and dates localised.
L10N-3 (tech)	All strings externalised; RTL layout support.	No hard-coded strings (NFR-7); logical CSS; RTL QA checklist passes on the 12 RTL specimen screens.

7. Gaps, inconsistencies & open questions

#	Finding	Suggested decision
G1	Native tab bar here has 5 tabs (Explore · Saved · Bookings · Updates · Profile), other modules have 4 (no Updates). The native Notification screen is also branded "DAHAB LIFE".	Decide final tab set and brand; apply to all native/mobile frames.
G2	Currency selector (EGP/USD/EUR) is designed, but FR-20.3 is Later; also shown as "EGP" in the web header.	Hide for MVP or move FR-20.3 into MVP.
G3	Host message notifications with Reply depend on in-app messaging (FR-8.1/8.2, Phase 2).	MVP: WhatsApp deep link only.
G4	Waitlist "Claim Slot (EGP 2,400)" price ≠ activity detail price (EGP 1,650).	See module 07 G1.
G5	Weather/marine advisories need a data source and a trigger rule.	See module 02 G3.
G6	Only the Notification Center has full Arabic designs; other modules have none (except auth tablet errors).	Plan an RTL QA pass for all modules.
G7	Notification preferences for email/push per type are not designed (only WhatsApp/SMS/digest); "Manage Notification Settings" page not designed.	Extend settings or keep minimal.
G8	Language list shows 5 languages (EN, AR, FR, DE, RU); SRS MVP = EN + AR (others later, architecture-ready).	Show EN/AR only for MVP.
G9	Separate "Layout & Reading Orientation" setting lets a user pick LTR while in Arabic.	Tie direction to language; remove the setting.
G10	Calendar system (Hijri) and first-day-of-week settings are not in the SRS.	Phase 2 or remove.
G11	Broken glyphs in the header currency pill (")▯.▯EGP(") and next to "Arabic Egypt" on the language card.	Font/icon fix in Figma.
G12	Waitlist card says "line to 60m"; the activity is 30–45 m elsewhere.	Copy fix.

8. Out of scope for MVP

Reminders 24 h before activities (FR-4.4), preferred currency (FR-20.3), additional languages (German, Russian, Italian — architecture must allow them).