Rafiq Elmansy

The Role of Storytelling in the Design Process

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 09/24/201810/09/2022Design Process, storytelling 6 min read

Storytelling is in the heart of our DNA as a human being, it helps us connect events is a holistic experience through time. This unique nature of stories makes it

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Why Design Thinking Doesn’t Work

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 09/17/201810/09/2022Design Thinking 7 min read

Many articles have recently addressed design thinking as one of the methods to solve problems and achieve innovation by focusing on human needs. However, the over-commercialisation and promotions have led

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How to Apply Root Cause Analysis Using 5 Whys

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 08/02/201810/09/20225 whys, Root Cause Analysis 5 min read

The root cause analysis aims to dig deep into a particular problem to identify the primary cause behind it. One of the most significant challenges that face us when trying

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Guerrilla User Experience for Quick, Low-Budget Research

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 05/16/201810/09/2022Guerrilla User Experience 4 min read

Building a user-centered design requires a deep understanding of consumer experience, which can be only achieved through an in-depth research process prior to building the first product prototype. However, as

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Measuring the Impact of Design Thinking

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 04/10/201810/09/2022Design Thinking, design thinking ROI 6 min read

The term design thinking has been widely used to describe the application of design process’s characteristics and distinguish it from other development processes such as the focus of user needs.

Design Management Design Thinking Examples

Why Companies Need to Apply Design Thinking

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 01/22/201810/09/2022Design Thinking 5 min read

Until the moment of writing this article, many companies are still having a lack of understanding the notion of design thinking. I believe this may be a result of two

Critical Thinking Design Management Design Thinking Tools Problem Solving

How to Apply the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Design

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 10/26/201710/09/2022Failure Mode and Effects Analysis 6 min read

Out worst fear in design is to end up with a failed product. At this particular moment, we pause and wonder; if we would know this will going to happen,

Design Management Design Thinking Examples

Why Brainstorming is a Waste of Time and What is the Alternative

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 08/07/201710/09/2022Brainstorming 6 min read

The notion of brainstorming was first introduced by the advertising executive Alex Osborn in 1939 and was published in his book, How to Think Up, in 1942. The basic idea

Design Management Design Thinking Examples

Unpacking Design Thinking Futures: GK VanPatter in conversation with Rafiq Elmansy Part 2

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 08/01/201710/09/2022 8 min read

Last week, we got the chance to discuss with GK VanPatter, co-founder of Humantific, his vision about design thinking futures as part of this series of interviews with design leaders.

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Unpacking Design Thinking Futures: GK VanPatter in conversation with Rafiq Elmansy Part 1

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 07/26/201710/09/2022 16 min read

Design is now taking broader perspective than before. It’s now used by large companies such as Google, Apple, IKEA, Nike, and others as a strategic and business tool to lead

Brainstorming Critical Thinking Design Management Design Thinking Tools Problem Solving

How to Create the System Thinking Diagrams

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 07/20/201710/09/2022Feedback Loops, System Thinking, System Thinking Diagrams 6 min read

Complex systems can’t be seen as individual parts. We need a broader perspective to see the whole pattern that causes the problem as many factors as affecting both the current

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What is Market Segmentation? Why is it Important?

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 07/10/201710/09/2022Market Segmentation 5 min read

The understanding of the target audience is crucial for building a viable product or service. Companies use the market segmentation in order to focus their production and marketing campaign on

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Why Do Companies Need the Creative Brief More Than Before?

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 07/05/201710/09/2022Creative Brief, Design Brief 5 min read

In order to have a clear vision about the new product development process, companies today are in greater need to write a creative brief. This is due to the nature of

Design Research

Five Reasons to Move to Lean UX

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 07/03/201710/09/2022Lean UX 6 min read

The lean UX allows us to escape the barrier of the traditional UX process to a more agile process. Instead of waiting for a full details UX specifications, the team

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Characteristics of Human-Centered Design

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 06/29/201710/09/2022Human Centered Design 9 min read

Design is s complex process that is implemented in different disciplines with many factors in mind; one of these factors is the target of the design process. Generally, there are

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Freelance vs Full-time Design Jobs: Making the Right Decision

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 06/19/201710/09/2022Design Jobs 8 min read

Many designers ask me the common question; is it better to search for design jobs or become freelance designers? Many of the design projects can run remotely without restricting to

Brainstorming Design Research

Step-by-Step Guide to UX Research Scenarios

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 06/14/201710/09/2022UX Research 5 min read

During the UX research process, one of our big aims is to understand the user behavior when visiting a website or using a mobile application. Over the course of building

Design Management

Why Some Companies Reject Design Thinking and How to Handle it

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 06/12/201710/09/2022Design Thinking 7 min read

As designers, the design thinking is part of our daily habits even if we don’t have any background about its different stages. We research for information about the project before

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Critical Thinking as a Catalyst of Change in Design

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 05/29/201710/09/2022Critical Thinking 4 min read

In almost every design project, we find ourselves trapped in a number of mindset obstacles that stands between us and building an innovative outcome. These barriers include presumptions, biased ideas,

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Creative Problem Solving: How to Turn Challenges into Opportunities

Dr Rafiq Elmansy 05/18/201710/09/2022Creative Problem Solving 6 min read

What if we can turn problems faced in projects into opportunities? There are various examples show that understanding the problem and provide a creative solution for it can lead to