Hey! I’m Farah, an interdisciplinary Product designer born and raised in the vibrant chaos of Cairo, Egypt now based in the charming calm of Erfurt, Germany. Living between these two contrasting worlds—Cairo, where life is wonderfully chaotic, and Erfurt, where things are delightfully quiet and structured—represent who I am as a person and how I approach design.
In true Cairo fashion, I can be a whirlwind of creativity, with sticky notes scattered everywhere and loud music fueling my brainstorms. But then there’s the Erfurt side of me—calm, organized, and yes, naming my layers as meticulously as I file German bureaucratic paperwork. I like to dance between the mess and the order, finding that sweet spot where creativity thrives without losing structure. It’s in this balance where I do my best work—and have the most fun!
Chat with me about..
For me, User Experience design is more than just a profession—it’s a discipline I’m deeply committed to. I’m passionate about solving complex problems and improving people’s lives through thoughtful design. With over 6 years of experience in UX, I’ve encountered diverse and real-world challenges that have sharpened my understanding of human behavior. My journey began with UI design in game art, but it wasn’t long before I realized that UX was where my passion truly lay. Observing how users interact with products and uncovering the reasons behind their actions has been both enlightening and empowering. UX has taught me that great design doesn’t just enhance experiences—it breaks down barriers, opening up opportunities for people who were previously excluded. UX design allows me to connect with people on a deeper level, understanding their needs and frustrations, and finding ways to improve their interactions with the digital world. It’s a fulfilling, ongoing journey of learning, empathy, and unlearning that continually drives me to create meaningful, impactful solutions.
Besides UX research and the user research that I do in my to day work, I am also interested in the intersection between design, society, ethics, politics, and media, and In line with my passion for research, I am currently pursuing a Master’s in Global Communication: Politics and Society at the University of Erfurt. This program deepens my understanding of how communication shapes societal impact and informs my approach to design, ensuring that my work is not only innovative but also socially relevant and effective. Here are some of the papers I recently worked on.
This is my very old Bachelor thesis “Get Heard or Die Tryin'”, where I achieved a 99%. I explored the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) on self-expression and minority perspectives. The research combined a theoretical framework with the development of ARffiti, a mobile application. My focus was on how AR can be leveraged as a tool to amplify underrepresented voices and facilitate new forms of self-expression. Through this project, I delved into the potential of AR to reshape digital interaction, highlighting its role in fostering diversity and inclusion in the virtual space.
I’m passionate about teaching UX to new learners, fostering their growth through hands-on, practical experiences. As a UX session lead and mentor at Udacity, I guided over 400 students, using a step-by-step approach to ensure they could apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios. My goal was to prevent the common challenge of completing a bootcamp without feeling job-ready. The majority of my students successfully transitioned into UX careers after completing the course, and my feedback was consistently positive. This led to my promotion as the UX Nanodegree Lead, where I was responsible for maintaining the quality of the curriculum, overseeing session leads, and ensuring high graduation success rates. I strongly believe in learning by doing, and I continue to promote this philosophy in my sessions and workshops, always eager to support the next generation of UX professionals.
Beyond design, I am a lifelong mermaid. Throughout my life, growing up in Egypt—a country blessed with what I believe are the best beaches in the world—the sea has always been a core part of who I am. The sea isn’t just a place for me; it’s a source of endless inspiration, a deep connection I carry with me wherever I go. This bond with the sea has earned me my real label: mermaid. In fact, all my friends and family call me that! I’m drawn to the sea’s rhythm, its calm, its unpredictability. It reminds me to flow with life, much like the tides.
And speaking of flow, when I’m not in or near the water, I find my flow on my yoga mat. Yoga is one of the things where my calm quiet side flourishes. I am a certified yoga teacher from Yoga Alliance and the government of India and I have taught Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Accessible Chair Yoga, and during COVID, I created a youtube channel called Anupama Yoga with Farah where I teach free yoga in Arabic. Anupama is the spiritual name that my guru gave me during my yoga graduation, which means one of a kind and unique. My Youtube channel was featured in an article in What women want Magazine,an article in Rosal Youssef Magazine, reportage in DMC Channel, Scoop Empire article, Live TV interview, and in El Fasla.
UX Design✏️
For me, User Experience design is more than just a profession—it’s a discipline I’m deeply committed to. I’m passionate about solving complex problems and improving people’s lives through thoughtful design. With over 6 years of experience in UX, I’ve encountered diverse and real-world challenges that have sharpened my understanding of human behavior. My journey began with UI design in game art, but it wasn’t long before I realized that UX was where my passion truly lay. Observing how users interact with products and uncovering the reasons behind their actions has been both enlightening and empowering. UX has taught me that great design doesn’t just enhance experiences—it breaks down barriers, opening up opportunities for people who were previously excluded. UX design allows me to connect with people on a deeper level, understanding their needs and frustrations, and finding ways to improve their interactions with the digital world. It’s a fulfilling, ongoing journey of learning, empathy, and unlearning that continually drives me to create meaningful, impactful solutions.
Research📚
Besides UX research and the user research that I do in my to day work, I am also interested in the intersection between design, society, ethics, politics, and media, and In line with my passion for research, I am currently pursuing a Master’s in Global Communication: Politics and Society at the University of Erfurt. This program deepens my understanding of how communication shapes societal impact and informs my approach to design, ensuring that my work is not only innovative but also socially relevant and effective. Here are some of the papers I recently worked on.
This is my very old Bachelor thesis “Get Heard or Die Tryin'”, where I achieved a 99%. I explored the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) on self-expression and minority perspectives. The research combined a theoretical framework with the development of ARffiti, a mobile application. My focus was on how AR can be leveraged as a tool to amplify underrepresented voices and facilitate new forms of self-expression. Through this project, I delved into the potential of AR to reshape digital interaction, highlighting its role in fostering diversity and inclusion in the virtual space.
UX Mentorship 📢
I’m passionate about teaching UX to new learners, fostering their growth through hands-on, practical experiences. As a UX session lead and mentor at Udacity, I guided over 400 students, using a step-by-step approach to ensure they could apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios. My goal was to prevent the common challenge of completing a bootcamp without feeling job-ready. The majority of my students successfully transitioned into UX careers after completing the course, and my feedback was consistently positive. This led to my promotion as the UX Nanodegree Lead, where I was responsible for maintaining the quality of the curriculum, overseeing session leads, and ensuring high graduation success rates. I strongly believe in learning by doing, and I continue to promote this philosophy in my sessions and workshops, always eager to support the next generation of UX professionals.
Mermaiding 🧜♀️
Beyond design, I am a lifelong mermaid. Throughout my life, growing up in Egypt—a country blessed with what I believe are the best beaches in the world—the sea has always been a core part of who I am. The sea isn’t just a place for me; it’s a source of endless inspiration, a deep connection I carry with me wherever I go. This bond with the sea has earned me my real label: mermaid. In fact, all my friends and family call me that! I’m drawn to the sea’s rhythm, its calm, its unpredictability. It reminds me to flow with life, much like the tides.
Yoga 🧘♀️
And speaking of flow, when I’m not in or near the water, I find my flow on my yoga mat. Yoga is one of the things where my calm quiet side flourishes. I am a certified yoga teacher from Yoga Alliance and the government of India and I have taught Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Accessible Chair Yoga, and during COVID, I created a youtube channel called Anupama Yoga with Farah where I teach free yoga in Arabic. Anupama is the spiritual name that my guru gave me during my yoga graduation, which means one of a kind and unique. My Youtube channel was featured in an article in What women want Magazine,an article in Rosal Youssef Magazine, reportage in DMC Channel, Scoop Empire article, Live TV interview, and in El Fasla.