For a Human-Centered AI

UX Challenge: a design sprint for digital companies in Trentino

June 20, 2018

The UX Challenge is a two-day marathon engaging interaction design students, researchers and professionals with the aim to improve the user experience (UX) of applications and software developed by companies.

The UX Challenge is promoted and organized by HIT – Hub Innovazione Trentino in collaboration with the University of Trento, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trentino Sviluppo, Istituto Artigianelli per le Arti Grafiche, and Confindustria Trento. The initiative enables selected companies in Trentino to benefit from a Design Sprint, a method developed by Google Ventures featuring design thinking techniques. The Sprint applies to app concepts and prototypes, as well as products already established on the market.

The first edition of the UX Challenge held in December 2017 involved six companies and digital products: GPI, with a mobile app allowing access to the public health services; Phoenix Informatica and Dimension, with a home banking mobile app; Archimede, with Supermercati Poli’s MyDuplicard mobile app; OC-Lab, with a remote assistance system for technical installers; U-Hopper, with a concept of chatbot for accessing public administration services; EyesOn, with a smart vision system supporting tennis players.

Thirty-six students (including PhDs) from various departments of the University of Trento and the Istituto Artigianelli took part in the 2017 UX Challenge and were organized in teams mentored by researchers and digital design professionals. Besides that, about sixty citizens having the role of testers were selected through HIT’s Smartcrowds.net platform to take part to tests of products and prototypes. Solutions developed by teams are entirely exploitable by companies.

Interested companies can apply to take part in the 2018 edition of the UX Challenge by filling in a short application form on HIT website by July 19. Beyond the UX Challenge, HIT and partners (including the ProM Facility in Rovereto) are organizing the PROTO Challenge, allowing manufacturing companies to benefit from advanced software for mechanical topology optimization and redesign of products under an additive manufacturing logic.

Challenges are innovative initiatives aimed at supporting research-industry Open Innovation at a regional level. The European Commission has recognized the novelty and impact of such open innovation formats experimented in Trentino and has recently granted HIT an H2020 project aiming at fostering peer learning among innovation agencies in the field of open innovation policies.

 


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