Algonquin College and UPES University launch World Design Challenge
Posted on Thursday, March 9th, 2023
Algonquin College, UPES University in India and the World Design Organization (WDO) have partnered to host an international competition launching March 6, 2023. The World Design Challenge includes learners from Algonquin College’s School of Media and Design and the UPES School of Design. Participating programs include Graphic Design, Interior Design, Interactive Media Design and Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design.
The WDO supports over 180-member organizations worldwide, representing designers and their contributions to economic, social, cultural, and environmental development. Both Algonquin College and UPES University are WDO members.
Jed Looker, Principal Investigator of the Human-Centred Design Lab, created the event in collaboration with UPES University after connecting with a UPES colleague at a WDO networking event.
“The first week of the challenge is in-person at Algonquin College and UPES respectively, where students come together to form teams, define expectations and learn about the challenge themes. From there, students collaborate virtually over Zoom to develop their projects before making their final pitch to the panel of industry judges in week three,” said Looker.
Learners at the Algonquin College Ottawa Campus attend the World Design Challenge kick-off session.
Over the next three weeks, learners from both institutions will work in teams to produce innovative design solutions and pitch their results to a panel of industry experts. Working together across two continents and multiple time zones means participants in Canada and India hold meetings together at 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. These geographical barriers contribute to the challenges of international collaboration.
The teams are tasked with proposing innovative solutions focusing on design research and strategy. Evaluation criteria is based on methods used to map the problem space, how the solutions landscape is defined, and the strategic response used to address the problem space.
Each team chooses one of three themes related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2023 World Design Assembly theme, Design Beyond. The first theme focuses on health care from an Indigenous perspective, such as access to products and services as well as environmental factors. Sustainable furniture is the next theme, comprised of design and manufacturing methods as well as local businesses and economies. The third theme is human transportation, including topics that range from planes, trains and automobiles to human trafficking.
Learners at UPES University in India attend the World Design Challenge kick-off session.
Faculty, industry experts and design professionals will act as mentors to the teams throughout the challenge. Participants have the opportunity to work and network with professionals from such international organizations as Aether Learning, BMW, Delta Airlines, Mask Architects, Design for Winning and Andreu World.
As this is the first iteration of the World Design Challenge lead by two academic institutions, Looker hopes to expand the event to include more post-secondary institutions and industry sponsors in the years to come.
“WDO has an impressive membership. Learners who are participating in this year’s challenge have the unique opportunity to connect with leading industry professionals,” said Looker. “We hope future World Design Challenges will include more institutions from countries all over the world. Ideally the challenge would be open to any institution who would like to participate.”
Team pitches and winner announcements take place on March 27. After the presentations, remarks will be given by Chris Janzen, Senior Vice President Academic at Algonquin College, Ram Sharma, Vice Chancellor of UPES University and David Kusuma, WDO President.