A team of design students stood out among five finalists at the 2023 Design Challenge on Nov. 17.
Team 84, composed of three UT Dallas seniors who study Design and Creative Practice at the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, & Technology, secured the top spot by presenting their comprehensive mobile app plan to a panel of Intuit design professionals at the 2023 UX Banquet.
Every year, The User Experience Club at UT Dallas (UX Club) organizes the Design Challenge, a four-week competition open to all UT Dallas students aiming to create design solutions for the campus community. This year, the UX Club prompted participants to devise a resolution that empowers students professionally.
The winning team – comprised of Faith Romero, Jade Nguyen, and Kaitlyn Tran – pitched “Ume,” an app focused on helping individuals find events, workshops, and resources crucial for their career path.
“The key lesson was realizing that everyone has a unique professional journey,” Nguyen said. “Some are just starting, others are midway, and some have completed their education. We aimed to empower individuals at all levels, from college students to seasoned professionals, and acknowledge their varied experiences.”
This year’s competition drew more than 158 participants from various majors, including design and production, computer science, and psychology, among other fields of study.
“The Design Challenge is a platform for students to take on a demanding project with other creative minds,” said Vincent Joubarne, UX Club president and ATEC senior. “Through this experience, participants improve their design skills, gain hands-on experience, and craft an impressive case study for their portfolio. We’re all about fostering growth and creativity and love seeing what amazing solutions our members come up with!”
The UX Club invited the top five teams to the 2023 UX Banquet, who pitched their products to six Intuit professionals who volunteered to judge the finalists. They engaged in Q&A sessions after each presentation and were crucial in selecting the winners.
Intuit, a globally recognized financial technology platform, is known for its innovative financial software solutions like TurboTax, CreditKarma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp. Since 2020, Intuit employees have been actively involved in supporting the UX Club at UTD. They participate and volunteer in diverse networking meet-ups, panels, and the club’s annual UX Conference. This partnership is mutually beneficial for Intuit, said Angie Nery, the company’s director of experience design.
“We love being a part of these events and always look forward to meeting and mentoring the next generation of designers,” Nery said. “For the students, it is a way to build their skills, confidence, and leadership. And for us, it’s an opportunity to network with future professionals who may potentially develop an interest in our company.”
Design at Bass
The Bass School’s Design and Creative Practice program inspires students to tackle tomorrow’s world through a multidisciplinary lens. Our faculty empowers the next generation to integrate art, technology, design, engineering, science, and the humanities to create innovative solutions.
Bass faculty are constantly expanding their realms of expertise to equip well-rounded graduates. A prime example is the newly launched Certificate in Applied Experience Design and Research, which is designed to empower graduates with the tools to craft human-centered solutions- be they products, services, or experiences- for addressing the ever-expanding challenges of our changing world.
“I think what makes our program unique is that it focuses on helping undergraduate students specialize and become highly employable,” Associate Professor Dr. Mark McKinney said.
At UT Dallas, Dr. McKinney teaches the Design Research Methods course (ATCM 3336), which equips design students with techniques to gather vital information for their projects. The class (a required component for earning the certificate) thoroughly explains various behavioral and attitudinal research methods while learning valuable qualitative research techniques, including conducting interviews with individuals, observing people in their natural environment, and gathering data.
“Often, undergraduates have to go either to graduate school to specialize, or they are forced to do post-graduate studies in continuing education programs,” Dr. McKinney said. “We allow our students to earn the degree and the certificate simultaneously, and with overlapping effort, so that when our undergraduates emerge, they can point to their certification as proof of a multi-course area of expertise.”
The Finalists
Team 83 – Knowverse: Hilary Nguyen, Hitha Gudipati, and Godha Battu
Team 58 – Meraki: Chinwe Offoboche, Dung Nguyen, and Chris Mazagwu
Team 26 – Career Compass: Arianne Poblete, Adit Patel, and Vanna Ho
Team 5 – Workshop: Pravallika Akula, Danielle Khaitas, and Izma Khurram
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