More than 350 participants compete for grand prize in Laurier’s Design for Change UX challenge 

Feb. 20, 2025

Teams of post-secondary students from across Canada pitched their design solutions for a chance to win $15,000 in prizes during Wilfrid Laurier University’s Design for Change competition on Feb. 4. 

Tasked with the challenge of harnessing generative AI to make education more accessible, more than 350 students on 77 teams entered the competition, with a team from the University of Toronto ultimately clinching first place. Winning team members Anna Li, Daniela Atere, Riya Kalaga, Alishba Imran and Maija Lehn took home $1,100 each for their idea to support neurodivergent students via multimodal AI agents.  

“I am deeply impressed by the dedication, research and compassion poured into each team’s submission,” said Professor Kathryn Carter, Laurier’s User Experience Design program coordinator. “They engaged with students and educators, connecting with individuals who stand to benefit from this emerging technology, and worked with our volunteer Design for Change mentors to develop truly innovative solutions. From ideation to execution, it’s incredible what they’ve achieved in just over two months.”  

Throughout the 10-week challenge period, teams collaborated with mentors who shared their expertise in generative artificial intelligence, education, human-centered design and user experience design. Five teams were chosen to present their solutions as part of the finals on Feb. 4, where they pitched their idea to a virtual audience. Industry leaders from Laurier, the Ontario Centre of Innovation, Scotiabank, Nelson and Akendi served as judges. Winners were determined based on the effectiveness and impact of their solution, approach and research, innovation and presentation. 

“You have taken the knowledge and skills acquired in your course work, research work and lived experience to foster equitable and inclusive learning for all,” Laurier President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy said in a message addressing attendees at the Design for Change finals. “Your commitment to addressing this meaningful and critical challenge in education is truly commendable. I encourage you to continue moving forward with your ideas and to implement them in ways that will drive positive change in our world.” 

This was the third Design for Change challenge presented by Laurier’s User Experience Design program since 2021. Logistical support for the competition was provided by Hackworks. 

Meet the Winners

First place: Team AdaptEd 

The winning approach taken by University of Toronto undergraduate students Li, Atere, Kalaga, Imran and Lehn focused on finding solutions to the challenges faced by neurodivergent learners. Recognizing the limitations of traditional education models for students with learning disabilities, they pitched AdaptEd – an army of educational assistants in the form of multimodal AI agents. Multimodal AI expands on generative AI's capabilities, processing data in several forms (modalities), including text, videos, sounds and images, for support that’s tailored to each student’s needs.  

Members of the first-place team took home the grand prize of $1,100 each. 

Second place: Team Dreamers 

Vidushi Pandey, a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia, and Alen Mathew, a student at Humber Polytechnic, collaborated on Vocable, an AI-powered tool that fosters inclusive classroom discussions. Vocable provides real-time captions, sentiment analysis and personalized support, empowering nonspeaking, deaf and hard-of-hearing students to engage meaningfully. By reducing communication barriers, this innovative solution ensures everyone is heard. 

Members of the second-place team were awarded $600 each. 

Third place: Team GenEd 

Mia Puljic, Rodolfo Quan, Moe Yokota and Masayuki Makinouchi, students of Cornerstone International Community College of Canada in Vancouver, channeled their talents into Zenith, a GenAI-powered mobile app. Designed to help students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) manage tasks, Zenith breaks down assignments into subtasks, automatically adjusts schedules and provides focus tools, making task management and education more accessible and engaging. 

Members of the third-place team were awarded $300 each.