It was a Hackathon with a difference. Students entered the Learning Hub, armed not only with laptops and notebooks but also with bulky sleeping bags slung over their shoulders, ready to embark on an intense 24-hour design challenge. Their mission: to develop products and services to improve team collaboration.
Sponsors, including the Faculty of Information, provided a steady stream of meals and coffee, keeping participants fueled through the night and into the early hours. Those in need of a quick recharge took advantage of dedicated nap spaces, where they nestled into their sleeping bags, away from the commotion.
![](https://ischool.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3DAE2448-B85E-4F7E-9449-F14E707C834B-12690-0000042BAC0EBDA7-1-1024x683.jpg)
![](https://ischool.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BB3DB1F6-4596-4B93-81BD-CC556BC38FA7-12690-0000042BD2DABB92-1-1024x683.jpg)
Photos by Yasamyn Ghafourian
UDesignathon was the first event of its kind led by UDesign Studio, a student-run creative design agency. It aimed to bring together students with diverse design expertise from across the university’s three campuses.
Over the 24-hour span, participants had opportunities to network with industry professionals and engage in workshops centered around digital tools and design thinking, all while honing and refining their submissions. In a nod to the importance of balance and rejuvenation, students were encouraged to take breaks, making slime and capturing memories in the photo booth.
MI students Doris Fu, Astrid Manzanilla, Kshitij Anand and Nayanika Goje made it to the finals with their design for Incluu, a digital tool for tearing down cross-cultural barriers. Incluu clarifies jargon, provides seamless language translation and offers suggestions for inclusive language. In a unique twist, the students also incorporated the Japanese-inspired concept, Pecha Kucha, an approach to creating emotional bonds during onboarding.
Several other Faculty of Information students, faculty and alumni were involved in UDesignathon, including UDesign Studio president, BI student Jueun Kang, as well as BI student Jayden Jung, Assistant Professor Velian Pandeliev, and alumni Purnima Mehta, Yuwei Jiang and Cindy Ly.
UDesignathon’s other sponsors include the University of Toronto Students’ Union, Notion and Fantuan.
Featured News
![Informed magazine 2025 Cover](https://ischool.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Informed-magazine-2025-Cover-true.png)
Hot off the presses: Informed magazine, 2025 edition
The Faculty of Information’s alumni magazine, Informed, has just been published. Read tales of student success and ingenuity, get an overview of Faculty of Information research, find out more about generous alumni gifts, and much more. It’s all in the 2025 edition of Informed.
![Matt Ratto with PPE during Covid](https://ischool.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/MattRattoPPE02-1024x683.jpg)
Research with real-world impact
An interview with Matt Ratto, Associate Dean, Research As a professional faculty founded almost a century ago to train librarians, the Faculty of Information has long engaged in research inspired by the practical needs of people using libraries to access information. This orientation has persisted as the Faculty has expanded to include, first, archival and […]
![Christoph Becker headshot](https://ischool.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Becker-thumbnail_image001-2-1.jpg)
Prof Christoph Becker named to SDGs Scholars Academy
Professor Christoph Becker of the Faculty of Information has been appointed to the SDGs Scholars Academy, one of five new fellows named earlier this week. The SDGs Scholars Academy is a dynamic think tank within the SDGs@UofT that fosters transdisciplinary research and mobilizes knowledge to advance the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and inform future global goals. […]
![Rheanne Chartrand meeting with visitors to the ROM and displaying artefacts](https://ischool.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Rheanne-Chartrand-with-visitors-1024x733.jpg)
MMSt alum Rhéanne Chartrand on her new role as the ROM’s Hatch Curator of Indigenous Art & Culture
When she graduated from the Master of Museum Studies program in 2011, Rhéanne Chartrand was thrilled to be one of the first in her class to land a job in her field. A few months later, however, the organization she was working for folded and she found herself unemployed. It was a “reality check” about […]