Three more partners have concluded their UX Challenges this week thus finalizing the whole 7-event endeavor that was moved to the online format due to corona virus pandemic-imposed restrictions.

Danish Design Centre, Espaitec and Steinbeis Europa-Zentrum have each accommodated 8 companies to a three-day design sprit-based experience to acquire UX solutions for their digital products. Each partner has provided companies with a team of solvers – young professionals and students in the field of UX – who’ve been also advised and supervised by a number of designated mentors. The solutions conceived by the solvers have been additionally tested by potential product users thus enabling or disabling the usability of the solutions.

Many companies have expressed their satisfaction with the experience and expressed their willingness to take part in this type of initiatives in the future. The majority of them have been struck by the level of professionalism coming from the younger specialists and the set of ideas they’ve been able to come up in such a short and restricted time.

Seeing the benefits of the UX Challenge, Espaitec even has decided to organize another one in autumn 2021 inviting the companies that have previously applied to event but have not been randomly selected.

Read more about the last three UX Challenges here:

Danish Design Centre

Espaitec

Steinbeis Europa-Zentrum

Seven EU countries will host UX challenges in the beginning of 2021. Project partners have set the dates for the UX challenge hackathons to take place in their countries after a short recess has been initiated due to the outbreak of corona virus.  

The first hackathon will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, by the Dansk Design Centre. The date is set for 11-12 of February 2021. The next one on the timetable is planned in Oulu, Finland, and is expected to take place on 16-17 of February. UX challenges in Trento (Italy) and Vilnius (Lithuania) are planned for the same date – 18-19 of February. They will be superseded by two more hackathons in Castellon (Spain) and Tallinn (Estonia) – planned for 24-25 and 25-26 of February respectfully. The hackathon sprint will be closed with the UX challenge in Karlsruhe (Germany), which is set to take place on 11-12 of March 2021.

Despite the initial plans to have live events with companies, solvers, testers, mentors and other participants present at the venues for two consecutive days during hackathons, with the second wave of COVID-19 hitting Europe it is now becomes unlikely for the events to be held live. However, every partner will have to evaluate the situation in the country during the dates set for the hackathon and make a decision whether organize it with live audience, switch to the online format or maybe go for the mixture of the two. The decisions on this topic are expected to be made later this year or at the beginning of the next year.

All information regarding the UX challenges planned to be organized with the scope of 200SMEchallenge is available at the project’s website, under the section UX Challenges in 2021.

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