The role of creative thinking techniques in Universal design process

Product design and development in recent years has significantly led to the emergence of new design trends, including the Universal design which is based on the principle of equality among all categories of people according to the use of things, and works to meet the needs and abilities of different types of users through transforming products from traditional products which serving a particular category of people to universal products which serving all categories of people, without the need for adaptation or specialized design, putting the designer in a new challenge: What are the techniques that can be used in Universal design process?. Creative thinking is the thinking that works to develop an old idea or to find a new idea that produces a distinct production that can be applied and used. It is the mental process that we use to reach new ideas or visions that lead to the integration and synthesis of ideas or things that are previously considered to be unrelated. Many scientists interested in creative thinking put many different methods and techniques for creative thinking to solve various problems in all fields and come up with creative solutions. So, the research problem summarized in determining the role of creative thinking techniques in the stages of Universal design process .The research aimed to determine the creative thinking techniques that can be used in Universal design process stages. To achieve this goal, the research used the analytical approach through a presentation of the concepts, principles, process and criteria of Universal design; Universal concept design; product design steps using universal design procedures; product assessment methods; concepts, principles, methods, techniques and process of creative thinking and Creative thinking process in design. By analyzing this information, it is possible to determine the creative thinking techniques that can be used in Universal design process stages. The main result of the research is determining the importance of creative thinking techniques in Universal design process stages. One of the most important recommendations of the research is the need to train designers in institutions and companies that work in the field of product design and development to use creative thinking techniques in product development.