The Department of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, in collaboration with MADE Foundation USA, proudly announces the third version of the “Human-Centered Design” Project competition for all engineering disciplines of UET Lahore, Pakistan. The competition will showcase the most innovative ideas from undergrad students across UET Lahore, with a central theme of ‘Human-Centered Design’.
Human-Centered Design
Human-centered design is typically divided into three phases: Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation. Although the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are universal objectives, their implementation varies across different countries and societies due to significant economic, cultural, geographic, and demographic differences. Here’s a clearer explanation of the three phases:
- Inspiration: During this phase, the focus is on understanding people—their dreams, ambitions, desires, and hopes. This understanding helps define the actual problem being addressed. Designers often need to meet and interact with the end-users who will benefit from their work.
- Ideation: This stage involves generating ideas and identifying opportunities to develop and test solutions using the resources available.
- Implementation: In this final phase, the proposed solution is brought to life. Designers determine how to launch the solution effectively in the market to maximize its benefits for individuals and communities.
Click HERE to find more and download the guide to human-centered design.
Human-Centered Design Project Competition (3.0)
The competition is divided into three stages derived from the three phases of human-centered design.
- Stage 1 (Inspiration): The students will identify a problem that strongly maps to at least one of the SGDs as indicated by the UNO. (click on the hyperlink for details). They will submit a proposal highlighting the problem, its significance, and their interactions with the community that faces the problem.
- Stage 2 (Ideation): Once the proposal is approved, the students will be given time to develop their solutions. At the end of the second stage, they will showcase their prototypes and establish proof of concept.
- Stage 3 (Implementation): Top eight teams from round 2 will be given a seed fund worth PKR 20,000/- each. They will develop, refine and deploy their solution in the time given, and showcase their work at an exhibition. It should be noted that even though the top8 teams will be given funding, any number of teams that clear stage 2 can still participate in the final exhibition.
Seminar on the Human-Centered Design
In consideration of attendees’ potential interest in human-centered design, the Department of Mechatronics has organized an inaugural seminar scheduled for January 22, 2025 (11 AM onwards), to be held in the seminar hall of the Mechatronics Department.
Dr. Ali Raza, esteemed Chairman of the Mechatronics Department, will elucidate on the concept of human-centered design, emphasizing its critical role in the development of products and services. Therefore, this seminar aims to underscore the importance of human-centered design in addressing tangible real-world challenges that are centered around meeting human needs.
The judging criteria is comprised on the completeness of work, its impact on humans, the market worth, and innovation.
- To facilitate the student groups, the organizing committee will arrange workshop(s) on the human-centered design.
- The prize distribution for the competition is as follow
Eligibility and Team Guidelines
- The maximum number of members allowed in a team is five (5). Team diversity will be encouraged so that students from different engineering disciplines may be able to collaborate.
- To be eligible for this competition, you must be a registered student of UET or one of its campuses at the time of the launch of the competition.
Overall Timeline of the Competition
Registration Process
– Download the Registration Form
Click here to gain insights into the (a) Registration Form, (b) Last Year’s Proposals, (c) Proposal Format, and (d) A Glimpse of last year’s competition.
– Submit the form to the Admin Office of the Mechatronics Department till 24 Jan, 2025.
Note: You can also contact the coordinators for the online submission of the registration form.
For any technical inquiries, please email (with the subject line ‘HCD 3.0’) to abd.sheeraz@uet.edu.pk