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.
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.
