Want to return to campus wiser and richer?

  • Gain interview-worthy experience in human-centered design, one of the hottest methods being used today.
  • Win cash prizes totaling $3,000
  • Work directly with Cox Enterprises

Who can participate?

Any student enrolled at UGA.

How big are the teams?

We prefer teams of at least 2 or more.

What’s my time commitment?

Each week we hold a 60–75 minute session starting at 5:30 pm with subject matter experts. There is a weekly deliverable due Fridays to keep your challenge on track.

Value to students:

  • Make a specific IMPACT in communities
  • Develop creative self-sufficiency
  • Learn Design Thinking tools for businesses
  • Practice teamwork skills
  • Build your resume

Which disciplines can participate?

We encourage students of all levels and disciplines to participate.

Winner Receives

  • Cash prizes totaling $3,000!
  • Opportunities to continue product development in an entrepreneurship or accelerator program

Program Information

Kickoff Meeting:
July 15, 2024 at 5:30pm via Zoom

Final Pitch Delivery:
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Studio 225 (225 W. Broad Street, Athens, GA)
5:00pm

Sponsored By

Cox Enterprises

Are you interested?

Contact Don Chambers for more information.

Donald headshot
  • Associate Director and Senior Lecturer, Entrepreneurship

Program Topics by Week

Session 1

Intro to Design Thinking: Empathy

Learning objectives:

  • Develop an understanding of the Design Thinking process and how it can be applied in a variety of settings
  • Learn techniques to understand users’/clients’ motivations and gather deeper insights (asking “why?” to dig for meaning, seeking stories, exploring emotions)
  • Practice truly listening, assuming a beginner’s mindset, testing their assumptions, and moving beyond judgment

Session 2

Human Center Designed Thinking

Learning objectives:

  • Understand how Design Thinking addresses human needs and builds from empathy
  • Learn three tools to assist in the identification of needs
    • Stakeholder Mapping
    • Context Mapping
    • Affinity Clustering
  • Apply these tools to their particular challenge
  • Define needs to be used in Problem Statement

Session 3

Problem Definition

Learning objectives:

  • Apply learnings/points of views developed through the Human Centered Design module to reframe the challenge
  • Identify problem definition methods in order to recognize patterns and triangulate insights
  • Draft an actionable and compelling problem statement for their particular challenge

Session 4

Ideation

Learning objectives:

  • Increase knowledge and skills in the best practices for ideation
  • Master the interplay of divergent and convergent thinking in developing breakthrough ideas
  • Enhance ability to think laterally
  • Build capacity to translate diversity of talents and perspectives into ideas

Session 5

Prototype and Pitch

Learning objectives:

  • Understand how Design Thinking leads to rapid prototyping of inexpensive solutions that can readily be tested
  • Learn three tools used for prototyping and pitching
    • Sketching
    • Business Model Canvas
    • Design Brief
  • Design a Pitch of their solution for business and investors